Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of volitional help sheet interventions for health behaviour change.

Health Psychol RevJul 1, 2026 (epub)
Clinical ResearchPreventive Medicine / Public Health

Ross J Stewart, Justin Presseau, Stephan U Dombrowski

✦ AI-curated · Sources linked

In 30 seconds

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of volitional help sheet (VHS) interventions for health behaviour change across 27 studies, primarily randomised trials. The analysis found that VHS interventions resulted in significant changes in health behaviours (SMD 0.22, 95% CI, 0.13, 0.30), while showing non-significant effects on cancer screening and weight change.

Key findings

  • VHS interventions led to significant changes in health behaviours (SMD 0.22, 95% CI, 0.13, 0.30).
  • Significant improvements in intentions (SMD 0.29, 95% CI, 0.08, 0.49) were observed.
  • Self-efficacy increased significantly (SMD 0.31, 95% CI, 0.15, 0.46).
  • No significant differences were found between in-person and remote delivery (P = 0.06).

Why it matters

Understanding the effectiveness of VHS interventions can help clinicians implement scalable strategies for promoting health behaviour change, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes in various health-related areas.

Source

PubMed · PMID 42384955

Published in Health Psychol Rev. This summary was written by xxcode from the publication's abstract and metadata. It is not peer reviewed and is not a substitute for the original article. For clinical decisions, review the original publication.

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