SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF SELF-MONITORING ACCURACY OF SAFETY BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Self-monitoring procedures have been applied to various populations, in diverse settings, and have focused on a wide variety of behaviors. While the relation between the accuracy of self-monitored data and changes in target behavior has been examined in research, there has been relatively less research focusing on the accuracy of self-monitored data in relation to the change in safety behavior. Studies (n=11) where self-monitoring procedures were introduced to target specific safety behaviors in adults were reviewed and analyzed to determine the relation between the accuracy of self-monitored data and various other aspects of an intervention, including the percent change of target behavior. This analysis found a positive but small correlation between the relevant measures. This analysis suggests that the act of self-monitoring in and of itself is important for behavior change. There is a possibility that increases in self-monitoring accuracy could lead to desirable changes in targeted safety behaviors, but further analysis of a larger sample size of studies would be required to determine the relationships among these measures.Keywords: behavior based safety, behavioral self-monitoring, self-monitoring accuracy