Research aim

Health inequalities based on socioeconomic differences are a pressing challenge in our current society. An important contributor to these health disparities is that, although people with lower socio-economic status (SES) are equally motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle, they still engage in more health risk behaviours and less health protective behaviours than people with higher SES. In this project, we aim to explain these socioeconomic differences in health behaviour from a health psychology and human motivation perspective.

We propose that socioeconomic differences in health behaviour may be explained by competing goals and demands in everyday life, e.g. health concerns compete with financial concerns. Therefore, we want to investigate socioeconomic differences in everyday goal pursuit: how many and what goals do individuals with high versus low SES generally pursue during their everyday life? How do these goals compete with or facilitate each other? How do individuals experience and perceive these goals in terms of, for example, importance, level of control, or autonomy, and how does this shape the prioritisation of goals? And, can potential differences in perceptions, goal-competition and goal-prioritisation explain socioeconomic differences in health behaviour?

Approach

In this project we aim to investigate the complex interplay of health-related and non-health-related goals that individuals pursue in everyday life, and in particular how this may differ between individuals from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. We aim to go beyond a mere description of the types of goals that people pursue, as we aim to gain a thorough understanding of the nature of goals, how goals interact, and how different perceptions of health-related and non-health-related goals may affect successful engagement in these goals. 

To answer these questions, we will conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies among participants with varying socioeconomic backgrounds. For example, we aim to conduct interviews as an open exploration of everyday goal pursuit, e.g. "What matters to you?", which will give insights for quantitative surveys focused on acquiring an in depth understanding of everyday goal pursuit. In addition, we plan to use quantitative experiments to get a better understanding of the momentary relation between goal perceptions and goal interactions on the one hand, and health behaviour on the other hand.

Throughout our studies, we aim to collaborate with end users and stakeholders, as well as with several disciplinary and interdisciplinary partners such as the Health Campus The Hague and the Leiden Healthy Society Center.  

• health behaviour
• health inequality
• motivation