Behavior Change, Sport and Health Psychology

Overview

Core fields of research

Physical activity, health and wellbeing

Research areas

Behaviour change, health, and well-being across the lifespan

Faculty

Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences

Research group description

Our group conducts research into psychological factors that underlie health behaviors, performance and well-being outcomes. In addition, we develop, evaluate and implement theory and evidence-based interventions to improve these outcomes in practice. Further details are forthcoming...

Current

Projects

Members

Research group

Group leaders

Members

Grant researcher, conducting grant-funded research

Eeva Kettunen

Postdoctoral Researcher

Marja Kokkonen

Senior University Lecturer

Ella Hellsten

Doctoral Researcher

Eleonoora Hintsa Figueiredo

Grant researcher, post-graduate study right

Fanny Brandstack

PhD Student

JYU

Will Critchley

PhD Student

JYU

Lasse Eini

PhD Student

JYU

Malin Ekholm

PhD Student

University of Helsinki

Weldon Green

PhD Student

JYU

Konsta Kuusinen

PhD Student

JYU

Hanna Lahti-Renkola

PhD Student

JYU

Inna Syrykh

PhD Student

JYU

External members

Kyra Hamilton

Professor, Title of Docent

Griffith University

Mary Hassandra

Associate Professor, Title of Docent

University of Thessaly

Publications

Publication

2026

A comparative study of vape, pouch, and cigarette related beliefs and behaviors and their determinants in young Finnish people

Journal of Health Psychology.

Phipps, Daniel J.

Knittle, Keegan

Hagger, Martin S.

Hamilton, Kyra

Publication

2026

A four-phase framework for culturally responsive vaccine messaging

Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine.

Hamilton, Kyra

Balla, Jessica

Arroyo, Amber Carmen

Bámaca, Mayra Y.

Epperson, Anna E.

Manzo, Rosa D.

Peña, Mercedes

Hagger, Martin S.

Publication

2026

A qualitative investigation of experiences of care and illness perceptions related to self-management behaviors in chronic kidney disease

Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine.

Ekholm, Malin

Hämäläinen, Henna

Rauta, Virpi

Knittle, Keegan

Publication

2026

A randomized controlled trial testing a digital intervention to promote weight loss and weight loss maintenance

Health Psychology.

Kwasnicka, Dominika

Palacz-Poborczyk, Iga

Verboon, Peter

Luszczynska, Aleksandra

Quested, Eleanor

Robinson, Suzanne

Gao, Lan

Januszewicz, Anna

Hagger, Martin S.

Pagoto, Sherry

Idziak, Paulina

Naughton, Felix

Publication

2026

Attachment orientations predicting loneliness: The role of self-determined and non-self-determined solitude

Journal of social and personal relationships.

O’Brien, Samantha G.

Brown, Daniel J.

Bryant, Ashleigh B.

Hampton, Hugh A.

Phipps, Daniel J.

Keech, Jacob J.

Publication

2026

Demand and experimenter bias and the ego-depletion effect

Current Psychology.

Zerhouni, Oulmann

Morgado, Nicolas

Urdapilleta, Isabel

Hagger, Martin S.

Publication

2026

Development of a Blended Physical Activity Intervention for Office Employees Using Intervention Mapping: Intervention Development Study

JMIR Human Factors.

Sun, Yan

Ou, Alison YT.

Shi, Tony Lei

Gao, Yang

Hagger, Martin S.

Xiong, Zhennan

Chen, Xiang-yan

Fong, Shirley SM

Zhong, Linda L.D.

Xie, Yao Jie

Baker, Julien S.

Publication

2026

Differentiating the Determinants of Ever Having Used a Vape Versus Use Frequency: A Hurdle Modelling Approach

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Phipps, Daniel J.

Griffith, Zoe

Hagger, Martin S.

Hamilton, Kyra

Publication

2026

Does music support executive functions and affective responses during acute exercise? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Frontiers in Psychology.

Danso, Andrew

Vigl, Julia

Koehler, Friederike

Knittle, Keegan

Bamford, Joshua S.

Nijhuis, Patti

Haapala, Eero A.

Wong, Ming Yu Claudia

Wright, Shannon E.

Baltazar, Margarida

Serres, Nora

Hansen, Niels Chr.

Schiavio, Andrea

Saarikallio, Suvi

Luck, Geoff

Publication

2026

Effectiveness of a Blended Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among Office Employees: Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Sun, Yan

Gao, Yang

Ou, Alison Y. T.

Wang, Xueying

Xie, Yaojie

Chen, Xiang-yan

Fong, Shirley S. M.

Huang, Wendy Yajun

Zhang, Chun-Qing

Baker, Julien S.

Hagger, Martin S.

Publication

2026

Efficacy of health behaviour interventions using the health action process approach: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Health psychology review.

Xu, Menghao

Cai, Ziqi

Schwarzer, Ralf

Hagger, Martin

Hamilton, Kyra

Zhang, Chun-Qing

Publication

2026

EULAR recommendations for physical activity in people with inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis: 2025 update

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Rausch, Osthoff Anne-Kathrin

Vlieland, Theodora P. M. Vliet

Ferreira, Ricardo J. O.

Amarnani, Raj

Battista, Simone

Orlinov, Denislav

Boyadzhieva, Vladimira

Brodin, Nina

Cox, Ashley

Davergne, Thomas

Duruöz, Tuncay

Esbensen, Bente Appel

Fongen, Camilla

Günther, Klaus-Peter

Henrotin, Yves

Juhl, Carsten

Kennedy, Norelee

Kiltz, Uta

Knittle, Keegan

Metsios, George

Nurmohamed, Michael

Pazos, Victoria Romero

Swinnen, Thijs W.

Thomsen, Tanja

Warburton, Louise

Niedermann, Karin

Behavior Change, Sport and Health Psychology

Research group description

Early Detection of Mental Health Issues among Finnish Athletes

ProAct - A collaborative theory-based intervention to promote physical activity among sedentary parents and their children

Better Health at Home – Optimized Human-Centered Care of Predialysis and Home Dialysis Patients (BOC)

Lifestyle and Physical Activity as Part of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment (ELO - Elintavat ja liikkuminen osana uniapnean hoitoa)

Head Impacts in Finnish Elite Women's Football

Grit in Competitive Sport

Perfectionism in Competitive Sports

BEQAH: Between Quantum Algorithms and Hardware

Research group

Group leaders

Members

Fanny Brandstack

Will Critchley

Lasse Eini

Malin Ekholm

Weldon Green

Konsta Kuusinen

Hanna Lahti-Renkola

Inna Syrykh

External members

Kyra Hamilton

Mary Hassandra

Publications

A comparative study of vape, pouch, and cigarette related beliefs and behaviors and their determinants in young Finnish people

A four-phase framework for culturally responsive vaccine messaging

A qualitative investigation of experiences of care and illness perceptions related to self-management behaviors in chronic kidney disease

A randomized controlled trial testing a digital intervention to promote weight loss and weight loss maintenance

Attachment orientations predicting loneliness: The role of self-determined and non-self-determined solitude

Demand and experimenter bias and the ego-depletion effect

Development of a Blended Physical Activity Intervention for Office Employees Using Intervention Mapping: Intervention Development Study

Differentiating the Determinants of Ever Having Used a Vape Versus Use Frequency: A Hurdle Modelling Approach

Does music support executive functions and affective responses during acute exercise? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Effectiveness of a Blended Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among Office Employees: Randomized Controlled Trial

Efficacy of health behaviour interventions using the health action process approach: a systematic review and meta-analysis

EULAR recommendations for physical activity in people with inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis: 2025 update

Behavior Change, Sport and Health Psychology

Research group description

Related projects

Early Detection of Mental Health Issues among Finnish Athletes

ProAct - A collaborative theory-based intervention to promote physical activity among sedentary parents and their children

Better Health at Home – Optimized Human-Centered Care of Predialysis and Home Dialysis Patients (BOC)

Lifestyle and Physical Activity as Part of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment (ELO - Elintavat ja liikkuminen osana uniapnean hoitoa)

Head Impacts in Finnish Elite Women's Football

Grit in Competitive Sport

Perfectionism in Competitive Sports

BEQAH: Between Quantum Algorithms and Hardware

Research group

Group leaders

Members

Fanny Brandstack

Will Critchley

Lasse Eini

Malin Ekholm

Weldon Green

Konsta Kuusinen

Hanna Lahti-Renkola

Inna Syrykh

External members

Kyra Hamilton

Mary Hassandra

Publications