Longitudinal study of open goals in physical activity promotion: protocol for ‘Open to Move’
Open goals (eg, ‘see how many steps you can reach today’) have developed as a promising strategy for increasing physical activity and producing beneficial psychological outcomes such as autonomous motivation, enjoyment and confidence. However, it is not yet clear what the long-term outcomes of open goals are, what factors moderate their use or whether/how individuals transition away from open goals. Therefore, in this study (‘Open to Move’), we aim to understand the mechanisms that explain why, when and for whom open goals are beneficial in promoting and maintaining physical activity. ‘Open to Move’ is a 12-month, exploratory, mixed-methods longitudinal study involving healthy adults aged 18–69 in Australia. Participants will receive a walking programme based on open goals via a mobile app and website, which will also provide feedback on their step counts and fortnightly one-to-one meetings online for the first 6 months. The outcomes will be measured using self-report surveys, interviews, recorded step counts on a mobile phone and process evaluation. The study is ongoing, and 81 participants have commenced thus far, with a target of 210 participants. We expect to conclude recruitment by August 2025 and anticipate that data collection will be completed by August 2026. This study will develop an understanding of the long-term outcomes of open goals, moderating factors and transitions to other goal types—providing important insights for developing a programme theory that can inform full-scale testing and implementation of open goals within physical activity interventions in future.
Published abstracts:
Delivering Open Goals to Promote Physical Activity: Lessons Learnt from Open to Move
Melanie Clarke, Mr Davide Gargioli, Stuart Biddle, Mark Beauchamp, Simon Rosenbaum, Stweart Vella, Mr Joseph Greer, Scott Goddard, Mr Jack Sargeant, Ms Grace Pleavey, Christian Swann
Introduction: Goal setting is a core behaviour-change strategy for increasing physical activity. Open goals are a promising approach as they are non-specific and exploratory, such as to “see how many steps you can walk today”. Early work has found that open goals lead to increased movement and positive psychological outcomes (eg enjoyment). However, little is known about how to deliver open goals in ‘real-world’ contexts to increase physical activity. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesise lessons learnt from delivering open goals across a 12-month walking program (‘Open to Move’). Methods: 213 adults (mean age = 52.3; females = 185) were recruited into Open to Move, a year-long, online, walking-based intervention. Participants were introduced to open goals and invited to attend optional one-to-one fortnightly physical activity counselling sessions with a researcher over six months, alongside weekly surveys measuring psychological outcomes, and daily step-count tracking via mobile app. Following the initial six months, participants were supported to pursue physical activity and goal setting independently for a further six months. Key lessons learnt were generated through reflections from the six data collectors who delivered the program. Results: In 2025, 1,925 one-to-one sessions were delivered to the 213 participants who commenced Open to Move. Key lessons learnt from delivering these sessions were: (1) open goals are not a one-size-fits-all approach; (2) open goals can produce broader lifestyle changes (‘spillover’ effects) beyond the target activity; (3) participants vary in their timeline for adopting open goals; (4) open goals can enable progression to more specific physical activity goals; and (5) open goals are suited to sustainable behaviour change. Conclusion: These reflections and lessons learnt are relevant to goal-setting interventions and clinical practice aiming to promote physical activity. By discussing these lessons, this presentation will highlight key implications for practitioners and interventions seeking to adopt open goals.
How do people initially appraise open goals in physical activity promotion? A mixed-methods analysis from the 'Open to Move' project
Mr Davide Gargioli
Southern Cross University, Australia
INTRODUCTION: Open goals (e.g., “see how active you can be”) are a promising strategy for physical activity promotion, which have been shown to produce greater psychological outcomes (e.g., enjoyment) compared to traditional goal-setting approaches (e.g., SMART goals). However, open goals are not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it is important to understand the factors that influence how they are initially appraised in order to determine for whom they should (and should not) be used. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the factors that influence how individuals initially appraised open goals within the ‘Open to Move’ walking program. METHODS: ‘Open to Move’ (www.opentomove.com.au) is a 12-month exploratory mixed-methods longitudinal study that utilised open goals to promote walking in a sample of 213 participants (Mage = 52.28, 185 females; see Clarke et al., 2025 for protocol). This study analysed self-report surveys and interviews provided by participants during the two-week baseline period (i.e., their first two meetings) to examine the factors influencing (i.e., moderating) their initial appraisals of open goals. RESULTS: Participants generally appraised open goals very positively, in terms of high acceptancy, self-efficacy, goal attractiveness, and commitment, while perceived challenge was generally considered optimal. Of the 213 participants, 15 found open goals not challenging enough, while 7 reported them as highly challenging. Interview data from this sub-sample indicated that prior knowledge and experience with goal setting, and previous experiences with physical activity, can influence initial appraisal of open goals. CONCLUSION: The majority of participants report positive initial appraisals of open goals, although some individuals (n = 22) reported varying levels of challenge. Factors influencing those individuals who appraised open goals less positively included prior knowledge and experience with both goal setting and physical activity. This study provides important insights into when open goals should, and should not, be used to promote physical activity.