Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39774604›Full record

Trial reportAnnals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine2025

Health-related social control in overweight romantic couples: daily associations with physical activity and affect for targets and agents.

Pascal Küng, Corina Berli, Patrick S Höhener, Robert Tobias, Urte Scholz

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Pascal KüngDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7346-9414
Corina BerliInstitute of Psychology, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5078-3539
Patrick S HöhenerDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-3635-2799
Robert TobiasDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7972-122X
Urte ScholzDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0184-5921

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation PP00P1_133632/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysical activity is essential for health and wellbeing. However, many individuals fail to reach the recommended levels and obesity rates are increasing. Health-related social control refers to strategies employed by 1 person (agent) to influence another person's (target) health behavior. These strategies can be classified into persuasion (eg, encouraging or motivating) or pressure (eg, nagging or coercing). However, much of the existing research is cross-sectional and mostly focuses on the experiences of the targets. PURPOSE: This study investigates how persuasion and pressure within overweight romantic couples relate to outcomes in both agents and targets. Specifically, it examines same-day associations with positive and negative affect, as well as physical activity.

methodsThis study is a secondary analysis of the 14-day follow-up period from a randomized controlled trial. Accelerometers and daily diaries tracked 99 overweight romantic couples. For each outcome and each partner, separate multilevel models were fitted.

resultsDaily persuasion used by agents was associated with increased physical activity in targets and a more favorable affect in agents. Daily pressure was not associated with the physical activity of either partner but was linked to a more unfavorable affect in the agent. Both persuasion and pressure were unrelated to the targets' affect.

conclusionsHealth-related social control in romantic relationships relates to same-day outcomes of both agents and targets. Our findings suggest that health behavior change interventions and weight loss programs could benefit from encouraging persuasion and limiting pressure.

Indexed as

ExerciseOverweightAdultAffectFemaleHealth BehaviorHumansInterpersonal RelationsMaleMiddle AgedPersuasive CommunicationSexual PartnersSocial Control, InformalYoung Adulthealth behavior changehealth-related social controlintensive longitudinalromantic couplessocial influence strategies

Identifiers

PMID39774604
PMCPMC11707529

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.