Table 3 Frequency of commonly coded Behaviour Change Techniques in early child obesity prevention interventions (N = 37) by target parental behaviour domain^a

1. Goals and planning

 1.1 Goal setting (behaviour)

15

14

13

9

51

 1.2 Problem solving

25

22

13

9

69

 1.4 Action planning

11

11

8

6

36

 1.5 Review behaviour goal(s)

12

11

9

5

37

 1.6 Discrepancy between current behaviour and goal

2

2

2

2

8

 1.9 Commitment

2

2

2

0

6

2. Feedback and monitoring

 2.1 Monitoring of behaviour by others without feedback

0

1

0

0

1

 2.2 Feedback on behaviour

9

6

6

4

25

 2.3 Self-monitoring of behaviour

2

5

4

2

13

 2.4 Self-monitoring of outcome(s) of behaviour

2

1

0

2

5

 2.7 Feedback on outcome(s) of behaviour

7

5

4

2

18

3. Social support

 3.1 Social support (unspecified)

29

25

17

13

84

 3.2 Social support (practical)

17

15

12

10

54

 3.3 Social support (emotional)

7

5

2

1

15

4. Shaping knowledge

 4.1 Instruction on how to perform a behaviour

30

33

20

19

102

 4.2 Information about antecedents

0

2

1

0

3

 4.4 Behavioural experiments

1

3

2

3

9

5. Natural consequences

 5.1 Information about health consequences

27

29

20

9

85

 5.2 Salience of consequences

0

5

0

0

5

 5.3 Information about social and environmental consequences

11

11

10

1

33

 5.6 Information about emotional consequences

0

3

3

2

8

6. Comparison of behaviour

 6.1 Demonstration of the behaviour

15

22

13

8

58

 6.2 Social comparison

5

6

5

4

20

 6.3 Information about others’ approval

0

1

0

0

1

7. Associations

 7.1 Prompts / cues

7

14

7

2

30

8. Repetition and substitution

 8.1 Behavioural practice / rehearsal

20

31

21

13

85

 8.2 Behavioural substitution

10

16

13

4

43

 8.3 Habit formation

1

13

6

9

29

 8.4 Habit reversal

0

1

1

0

2

 8.6 Generalisation of a target behaviour

0

2

2

2

6

 8.7 Graded tasks

3

3

3

3

12

9. Comparison of outcomes

 9.1 Credible source

24

25

18

10

77

 9.2 Pros and cons

8

2

2

1

13

 9.3 Comparative imagining of future outcomes

0

1

0

0

1

10. Reward and threat

 10.3 Non-specific reward

2

2

2

2

8

 10.4 Social reward

16

13

11

5

45

 10.9 Self-reward

4

3

3

2

12

11. Regulation

 11.2 Reduce negative emotions

15

15

8

11

49

 11.3 Conserving mental resources

0

2

0

0

2

12. Antecedents

 12.1 Restructuring the physical environment

1

14

14

5

34

 12.2 Restructuring the social environment

3

12

11

4

30

 12.3 Avoidance/ reducing exposure to cues for the behaviour

0

2

1

0

3

 12.5 Adding objects to the environment

5

13

8

5

31

13. Identity

 13.1 Identification of self as role model

0

22

17

0

39

 13.2 Framing / reframing

3

5

5

2

15

15. Self-belief

 15.1 Verbal persuasion about capability

10

9

6

4

29

 15.2 Mental rehearsal of successful performance

0

0

1

0

1

 15.3 Focus on past success

3

3

2

2

10

 15.4 Self-talk

1

1

1

0

3