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Habit change is often seen as key to successful long‐term behaviour change. Making 'good' behaviours habitual—that is, ensuring a behaviour is prompted automatically on exposure to situational cues, based on cue‐response associations learnt through context‐consistent repetition—is portrayed as a mechanism for sustaining such behaviours over time. Conversely, disrupting 'bad' habits is expected to terminate longstanding unwanted actions. Yet, some commentators have suggested that the role of habit in real‐world behaviour and behaviour change has been overstated. Such critiques highlight a gap between habit theory and the reality of human behaviour 'in the wild'. This state‐of‐the‐field review aims to narrow this gap. Building on a core distinction between habit and habitual behaviour, our review seeks to offer interpretations of habit theory and evidence that will better manage intervention designers' expectations regarding how modifying habit can realistically be expected to promote behaviour change. We emphasise that habit is just one potential influence on behaviour at any given moment, and highlight instances in which habit may dominate over intention, and in which intention may dominate over habit, in determining behaviour frequency. We suggest that, while it may assist behaviour maintenance, habit formation may be neither necessary nor sufficient to sustain real‐world behaviour change. We draw attention to the various ways in which habit may be 'broken' (i.e., disrupted), and discern the implications of each habit disruption mechanism for long‐term cessation of unwanted behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Running as a form of physical activity is beneficial to overall health and wellbeing. The aim of the study is to examine ‘run streaking’ (i.e. running on consecutive days, for a minimum period of time or distance, typically at least one mile) as a technique for habit formation and behaviour change.Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 21 recreational adult runners (11 female and 10 male). Run streak length ranged from a minimum of 100 days to over 4500 days. Transcripts were analysed using a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis.Results Run streaking was reported to lead to several benefits, health improvements and a sense of accomplishment, although many run streakers reported running through injuries and lack of recovery. Accounts of run streaking showed features of automaticity indicative of habitual behaviour. Other behavioural processes identified included motivation, identity, self-regulation and social support. Behavioural streaking showed the potential to influence change in behaviours other than running.Conclusion Accounts of run streaking demonstrate an interplay between automatic and deliberate processes in the maintenance of running behaviour. Behavioural streaking is a technique that could be used in other behaviour change contexts beyond running to support habit formation.

Purpose Engagement in physical activity significantly contributes to reducing the onset and severity of chronic diseases. Nonetheless, establishing habits around this behaviour remains a persistent challenge. This research endeavours to discern the determinants influencing the formation of physical activity habit among young adults in Israel, drawing upon a socio-ecological model. Methods A qualitative approach with phenomenological-hermeneutical method was used. In-depth interviews were carried to cover four levels of the socio-ecological model. Results Interviewees were categorized into three subgroups according to their physical activity habit strength: Habitually physically active (n = 8), Variably physically active (n = 11), and physically inactive (n = 6). The content analysis yielded four overarching themes associated with physical activity habit formation. Intrapersonal determinants encompassed personal traits, perceptions and attitudes, perceived benefits, and emotional responses related to physical activity. Interpersonal determinants encompassed social support, modelling support, and peer pressure. Community determinants pertained to social norms, resource availability, and accessibility. Finally, public policy considerations encompassed educational policies as well as workplace policies and cultural influences. Conclusions This study highlights the unique determinants contributing to the formation of physical activity habit. As intrapersonal and interpersonal factors are significant determinants, interventions should focus on these elements in order to promote this behaviour among young adults.

Introduction This study aims to clarify differences in mood, craving, and treatment response between reward and relief/habit individuals in a study of naltrexone, varenicline, and placebo. We hypothesized that relief/habit individuals would have a poorer mood during early abstinence and higher levels of alcohol craving than reward individuals. We hypothesized that reward individuals would demonstrate better drinking outcomes on naltrexone versus placebo. Methods Data were culled from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial of 53 individuals (18F/16M) with alcohol use disorder randomized to varenicline (n  = 19), naltrexone (n  = 15), or matched placebo (n  = 19). In this 6-day practice quit trial, participants attempted to abstain from drinking and completed daily diaries. Participants were classified into reward or relief/habit subgroups based on self-reported motivation for drinking. Multilinear models tested differences in mood and alcohol craving between reward and relief/habit individuals. General linear models tested differences between reward and relief/habit individuals' drinking outcomes on each medication versus placebo. Results Relief/habit individuals showed decreases in positive mood and increases in negative mood over the quit attempt across medications, compared to reward individuals (P 's < .05). Reward individuals' tension decreased on naltrexone, while relief/habit individuals' tension remained stable (F  = 3.64, P  = .03). Reward individuals in the placebo group had higher percent days abstinent than relief individuals in the placebo group (P  < .001). Discussion This study suggests relief/habit individuals' mood worsens during early abstinence. Our finding that reward individuals' tension decreased on naltrexone and increased on placebo may suggest a clinical response to the medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of philosophy of technology, the concept of mediation is central to understanding how technology shapes human experience and behavior. Our aim in this paper is to contribute to the understanding of technological mediation, in particular how and why it is possible. Technological mediation occurs within a mediation space between the technological realm and the user realm. In the technological realm, technology regularizes events and actions, while in the user realm, the user interprets the significative potential of the technology. This interpretation process is identical with use and involves the formation of user habits, which are constrained by technological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors. To provide a theoretical framework for our analysis, we propose the Semiotic Model of Technological Mediation (SMTM), which draws on Charles Peirceʼs semiotics. To illustrate our argument, we focus on assistive technology and provide a recurring example of the Medimi®Smart, a digital, comprehensive system for medication handling.

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A preclinical model of cue exposure therapy, cue extinction, reduces cue-induced cocaine seeking that is goal-directed but not habit-like. Goal-directed and habitual behaviors differentially rely on the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS), but the effects of cue extinction on dorsal striatal responses to cue-induced drug seeking are unknown. We used fiber photometry in rats trained to self-administer cocaine paired with an audiovisual cue to examine how dorsal striatal intracellular calcium and extracellular dopamine activity differs between goal-directed and habit-like cue-induced cocaine seeking and how it is impacted by cue extinction. After minimal fixed-ratio training, rats showed enhanced DMS and DLS calcium responses to cue-reinforced compared to unreinforced lever presses. After rats were trained on goal-promoting fixed ratio schedules or habit-promoting second-order schedules of reinforcement, different patterns of dorsal striatal calcium and dopamine responses to cue-reinforced lever presses emerged. Rats trained on habit-promoting second-order schedules showed reduced DMS calcium responses and enhanced DLS dopamine responses to cue-reinforced lever presses. Cue extinction reduced calcium responses during subsequent drug seeking in the DMS, but not in the DLS. Therefore, cue extinction may reduce goal-directed behavior through its effects on the DMS, whereas habit-like behavior and the DLS are unaffected.

This study therefore looked at Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Study Habit as Predictors of Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students in Ijebu Ode Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses that were examined at the 0.05 significance level served as the study's compass. Descriptive survey was used, 500 students sampled from 10 senior secondary schools in Ijebu ode using simple random sampling techniques. mathematical achievement test, study habit scale, and self-efficacy scale constitute the instruments, validated and demonstrates reliability coefficients of 0.78, 0.81 and 0.86. The results shows that self-efficacy and study habit will accurately forecast students' academic success in mathematics (F =38.328, p < 0.05 & F =35.011, p < 0.05) and jointly predict students' proficiency in mathematics (F = 49.136, p < 0.05). The conclusion derived is that both Study habits and self-efficacy are significant predictors of academic achievement of senior secondary school students in mathematics.

Abstract Background Some studies suggest that the habit of eating vegetables may initially be correlated with maintenance of a higher-level functional capacity; however, such a correlation has not been demonstrated. This study aimed to correlate the habit of eating vegetables first and higher-level functional capacity in older adults with diabetes. Methods Patients aged ≥ 60 years who were treated at Japanese Red Cross Ise Hospital on an ambulatory basis were included in this study. A self-administered questionnaire using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC) was used to evaluate higher-level functional capacity. Participants were instructed to answer the questionnaire regarding the order in which they consumed the mentioned food types, and based on their answers, they were classified into “no order of eating,” “carbohydrates first,” “protein first,” and “vegetables first” groups. Multiple regression analyses with the TMIG-IC score as a dependent variable and the order of eating as explanatory variables were used to determine the partial regression coefficients of the “vegetables first” dietary habit with higher-level functional capacity. Results This study included 346 patients. The adjusted partial regression coefficients of the “carbohydrates first,” “protein first,” and “vegetables first” dietary habits with the TMIG-IC score were 0.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.29 to 0.84), 0.17 (95% CI, − 0.54 to 0.90), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.23 to 1.31), respectively. Conclusions The habit of eating vegetables first was correlated with higher-level functional capacity in older adults with diabetes.

Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves can significantly affect ecosystem nutrient cycling, making it an essential process to better understand long-term plant productivity under environmental change that affects the balance between nutrient availability and demand. Although it is known that nutrient resorption rates vary strongly between different species and across environmental gradients, the underlying driving factors are insufficiently quantified. Here, we present an analysis of globally distributed observations of leaf nutrient resorption to investigate the factors driving resorption efficiencies for nitrogen (NRE) and phosphorus (PRE). Our results show that leaf structure and habit, together with indicators of nutrient availability, are the two most important factors driving spatial variation in NRE. Overall, we find higher NRE in deciduous plants (65.2 % ± 12.4 %, n=400) than in evergreen plants (57.9 % ± 11.4 %, n=551), likely associated with a higher share of metabolic N in leaves of deciduous plants. Tropical regions show the lowest resorption for N (NRE: 52.4 % ± 12.1 %), and tundra ecosystems in polar regions show the highest (NRE: 69.6 % ± 12.8 %). At the same time, the PRE is lowest in temperate regions (57.8 % ± 13.6 %) and highest in boreal regions (67.3 % ± 13.6 %). Soil clay content, N and P atmospheric deposition (globally available proxies for soil fertility), and mean annual precipitation (MAP) play an important role in this pattern. The statistical relationships developed in this analysis indicate the important role of leaf habit and type for nutrient cycling and guide improved representations of plant-internal nutrient recycling and nutrient conservation strategies in vegetation models.

BackgroundIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that is thought to involve alterations in the gut microbiome, but robust microbial signatures have been challenging to identify. As prior studies have primarily focused on composition, we hypothesized that multi-omics assessment of microbial function incorporating both metatranscriptomics and metabolomics would further delineate microbial profiles of IBS and its subtypes.MethodsFecal samples were collected from a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of 495 subjects, including 318 IBS patients and 177 healthy controls, for analysis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (n = 486), metatranscriptomics (n = 327), and untargeted metabolomics (n = 368). Differentially abundant microbes, predicted genes, transcripts, and metabolites in IBS were identified by multivariate models incorporating age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, diet, and HAD-Anxiety. Inter-omic functional relationships were assessed by transcript/gene ratios and microbial metabolic modeling. Differential features were used to construct random forests classifiers.ResultsIBS was associated with global alterations in microbiome composition by 16S rRNA sequencing and metatranscriptomics, and in microbiome function by predicted metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics. After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, diet, and anxiety, IBS was associated with differential abundance of bacterial taxa such as Bacteroides dorei; metabolites including increased tyramine and decreased gentisate and hydrocinnamate; and transcripts related to fructooligosaccharide and polyol utilization. IBS further showed transcriptional upregulation of enzymes involved in fructose and glucan metabolism as well as the succinate pathway of carbohydrate fermentation. A multi-omics classifier for IBS had significantly higher accuracy (AUC 0.82) than classifiers using individual datasets. Diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) demonstrated shifts in the metatranscriptome and metabolome including increased bile acids, polyamines, succinate pathway intermediates (malate, fumarate), and transcripts involved in fructose, mannose, and polyol metabolism compared to constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C). A classifier incorporating metabolites and gene-normalized transcripts differentiated IBS-D from IBS-C with high accuracy (AUC 0.86).ConclusionsIBS is characterized by a multi-omics microbial signature indicating increased capacity to utilize fermentable carbohydrates-consistent with the clinical benefit of diets restricting this energy source-that also includes multiple previously unrecognized metabolites and metabolic pathways. These findings support the need for integrative assessment of microbial function to investigate the microbiome in IBS and identify novel microbiome-related therapeutic targets. Video Abstract.

INTRODUCTION: Many individuals change their smoking habits after cancer diagnosis. We aimed to evaluate the association of post‐diagnosis smoking habit change with incident dementia in cancer survivors. METHODS: We identified 558,127 individuals who were diagnosed with cancer at age ≥ 20 and survived for ≥ 3 years. Participants were classified into four groups: (1) sustained non‐smokers, (2) initiators/relapsers, (3) quitters, and (4) continuing smokers. Dementia risk in each group was assessed using a cause‐specific Cox model. RESULTS: After cancer diagnosis, 2.3% of pre‐diagnosis non‐smokers initiated/relapsed into smoking, while 51.7% of pre‐diagnosis smokers quit smoking. Compared to sustained non‐smokers, multivariable‐adjusted risk of dementia was 29% higher among initiators/relapsers, 11% higher among quitters, and 31% higher among continuing smokers. Compared to continuing smokers, the risk was 15% lower among quitters. DISCUSSION: In cancer survivors, smoking initiation/relapse was associated with increased risk of dementia, whereas smoking cessation was associated with decreased risk of dementia. Highlights: Approximately half of pre‐diagnosis smokers quit smoking after a cancer diagnosis.Smoking cessation was associated with a 15% reduced risk of dementia.More than 2% of pre‐diagnosis non‐smokers initiated or relapsed into smoking after a cancer diagnosis.Smoking initiation/relapse was associated with a 29% elevated risk of dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has objectives to discover the significant correlation and influence between reading habits and their reading comprehension successes of students. This study took a quantitative approach, implementing a correlational research method. The research population came from a total of 416 eleventh grade students at SMAN 21 Palembang. The cluster random selection technique was used to choose three classes of 104 students each. The data were gathered through the use of a questionnaire designed to assess reading habits, as well as a test aimed at assessing reading comprehension achievement. The results demonstrated that there was an important relationship between students' reading habits and their reading comprehension achievement, with the r obtained (.321) was being greater than the r-table (.192) and the significant value achieved .001, which was less than .05. Furthermore, the regression analysis result displayed that reading habit significantly contributed to reading comprehension achievement, with the R-square value .118, which stating that students' reading habit contribute 11.8% to their reading comprehension achievement.

Cheng-Jie Mao,1,&ast; Hao Peng,2,&ast; Sheng Zhuang,1,&ast; Ying-Chun Zhang,3 Wei-Ye Xie,1 Jia-Hui Yan,1 Hui-Hui Liu,1 Jing Chen,1 Jun-Yi Liu,4 Jianan Zhang,5 Hai Jiang,5 Yonghong Zhang,2 Mingzhi Zhang,2 Chun-Feng Liu1,6 1Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Neurology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Chronic Disease, Taicang Center of Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 6Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chun-Feng Liu, Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou, 215004, People’s Republic of China, Email liuchunfeng@suda.edu.cn Mingzhi Zhang, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Industrial Park, Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangmingzhi@suda.edu.cnBackground: Sleep is critical in health problems including Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study examined the association between sleep characteristics and the likelihood of prodromal PD.Methods: At baseline examination of the Heart and Brain Investigation in Taicang (HABIT) study, potential PD biomarkers were obtained for 8777 participants aged over 50 years, and the probability of prodromal PD was assessed based on the Chinese expert consensus and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) criteria. General and component sleep characteristics were evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Median regression was applied to examine the association between sleep and the probability of prodromal PD, adjusting for age, sex, education level, physical activity, obesity, fast plasma glucose, lipids, and hypertension.Results: Based on China criteria, a higher level of PSQI score was significantly associated with a higher probability of prodromal PD (β = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01– 0.03) and a higher risk of having an increased probability of prodromal PD (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02– 1.05). Compared to participants with good quality sleep, those with poor quality sleep had a 0.07% increased probability of prodromal PD (95% CI: 0.01– 0.13) and a 19% increased risk of having a high prodromal PD probability (95% CI: 1.04– 1.20). Similar associations between sleep quality and the probability of prodromal PD were also observed using the MDS criteria. Subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, habitual sleep efficiency, daytime dysfunction, and use of sleep medications were also associated with the probability of prodromal PD.Conclusion: Poor sleep quality was associated with a high probability of prodromal PD. Sleep may be helpful for understanding and intervention of prodromal PD.Keywords: prodromal Parkinson’s disease, sleep, Parkinson’s disease

Wheat is one of three main food crops around the world, which has the largest distribution area due to its adaptation to the different environments. This review considers polymorphisms and allelic variation of the vernalization response genes Vrn controlling the major adaptation traits in wheats (the genus Triticum L.): growth habit (spring vs. winter) and length of vegetative period (earliness). The review summarizes available information on the allelic diversity of the Vrn genes and discusses molecular-level relationships between Vrn polymorphisms and their effect on growth habit (spring vs. winter) and earliness (length vegetative period in spring plants) in di-, tetra- and hexaploid wheat species. A unique attempt has been made to relate information on mutations (polymorphisms) in dominant Vrn alleles to the values of the commercially most important trait “length of plant vegetative period (earliness)”. The effects of mutations (polymorphisms) in the recessive vrn genes on vernalization requirement in winter wheats are considered, and this trait was formalized. The evolution of the winter/spring growth habit in the genus Triticum species is discussed. A scheme of phylogenetic interactions between Vrn alleles was constructed on the basis of these polymorphisms; the paper considers the possibilities to enhance the diversity of polymorphisms for the dominant Vrn genes and their alleles using wheat related species and rarely used alleles and discusses the prospects of breeding for improved earliness for concrete agroecological zones.

The visual system can learn statistical regularities and form search habits that guide attention to a region where a target frequently appears. Although regularities in the real world can change over time, little is known about how such changes affect habit learning. Using a location probability learning task, we demonstrated that a constant target location probability resulted in a long-term habit-like attentional bias to the target-frequent location. However, when the target probability changed over time in any pattern, the same amount of learning induced only a short-term bias and disrupted the formation of long-term search habits. Moreover, although temporal changes in regularity during initial learning interfered with the acquisition of a search habit, they did not modulate the already consolidated bias. These results suggest that the stability and flexibility of habitual attention learning depend on when and how the statistical regularities in the environment change.

Background: As the important factors in cognitive function, dietary habits and metal exposures are interactive with each other. However, fewer studies have investigated the interaction effect of them on cognitive dysfunction in older adults. Methods: 2,445 registered citizens aged 60–85 years from 51 community health centers in Luohu District, Shenzhen, were recruited in this study based on the Chinese older adult cohort. All subjects underwent physical examination and Mini-cognitive assessment scale. A semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain their food intake frequency, and 21 metal concentrations in their urine were measured. Results: Elastic-net regression model, a machine learning technique, identified six variables that were significantly associated with cognitive dysfunction in older adults. These variables included education level, gender, urinary concentration of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd), and the frequency of monthly intake of egg and bean products. After adjusting for multiple factors, As and Cd concentrations were positively associated with increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the older people, with OR values of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.05–1.42) and 1.32 (95% CI: 1.01–1.74), respectively. In addition, older adults with high frequency of egg intake (≥30 times/month) and bean products intake (≥8 times/month) had a reduced risk of MCI than those with low protein egg intake (