Design and Validation of a Sustainable Behavior Modification Program for Optimal Electricity Consumption Based on the Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in General Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Clinical and General Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Educational Measurement, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to design and validate a gamification program to improve sustainable behavior based on the community-based social marketing (CBSM) approach and to investigate its effectiveness on electricity consumption. First, the gamification program was designed to modify the electricity consumption behavior of household subscribers based on CBSM. According to the stage model of behavior change, behavior modification strategies were divided into four stages. Validation was done based on the opinions of ten experts. The second stage was a single-case study with an interrupted time series design. The statistical population consisted of household electricity subscribers in Tehran, and the sample included three families, selected in an available manner. Electricity consumption data were collected monthly. The baseline was from June 2016 to March 2021, the intervention from April 2021 to December 2021, and the follow-up from January 2022 to June 2023. The per capita electricity consumption of household electricity customers in Tehran during the same time periods was used as a control in the analysis. The effect size was calculated using the "mean baseline reduction" method. The overall analysis of time series data and the significance of changes were done using the interrupted time series analysis method and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model in SPSS 26 software. CVR and CVI indices were above 0.9, indicating the validity of the program. The calculation of the effect size showed a decrease in the consumption of families one and two after the start of the intervention, with most of the decrease occurring in the follow-up phase. The continuation of lower consumption in the follow-up period indicated the relative persistence of new habits. Family three and household electricity subscribers in Tehran showed a slight increase in consumption. In the visual analysis, only in the time series of family 1 was a decreasing trend observed after the implementation of the intervention. All time series exhibited a pattern of seasonal changes. These seasonal changes were controlled with the ARIMA model and the data of Tehran electricity subscribers. Based on the interrupted time series analysis, only the decrease in consumption of family 1, which was a high-consumption household, was significant (P<0.05). This family reduced consumption by about 50%. It can be said that the program is valid. Further study of its effectiveness is recommended, considering the limitations of this research, especially in high-consumption households that are in the pre-operation stage.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Environmental Education and Sustainable Development
Volume 13, Issue 1
2024
Pages 149-162

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