Self-Management Project: Increasing Water
Intake
Practicum Phase 1
By, Tahoora Nazneen
Background and Rationale
● Initial Concerns:
○ Goal to improve sleep and breakfast habits initially.
● Shift in Focus:
○ Physician advised increased hydration due to UTI and headaches from
dehydration.
● Current Goal:
○ Focused on increasing water intake during work hours due to busy schedule.
Operational Definition
Target Behavior: Increasing Water Intake
Drinking at least 40 ounces of water during work hours (8am-4pm) on
every workday, for 80% of occasions over 2 consecutive weeks.
○ "Water Intake"
○ Measurement: Total ounces consumed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
○ Goal: 40 ounces by end of each workday (5 ozs per hour).
Constructional Goal/Objective
● SMART Goal for Water Intake:
○ Specific: Increase intake to 40 ounces per workday.
○ Measurable: Track via a 32-ounce water bottle (1 &
3/8th refills).
○ Achievable: Realistic within workday routine.
○ Relevant: Essential for health per physician’s advice.
○ Time-Bound: Measured within daily work hours.
Eliminative Goal/Objective
● Goal to Reduce Low-Intake Days:
○ Objective: Eliminate days with less than 16 ounces of water intake.
○ SMART Criteria:
■ Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
○ Timeline: Achieve goal within three weeks.
Antecedent Strategies
● Strategies to Increase Water Intake:
○ Prompts & Visual Reminders: Use a water bottle
with the visual display of hours/time of the day and
OZ’s on it.
○ Routine Pairing: Link drinking water with routine
tasks (ex. with my client’s sensory room schedule).
○ Accessibility: Remember to fill & carry the visual
water bottle to work. Keep a few extra water bottles
at workstation.
Reactive Strategies
● Responsive Strategies for Goal Success:
○ Self-Monitoring: Use app to track water intake daily or record water intake
every day after work.
○ Positive Reinforcement: Small reward at end of each successful day.
○ Progress Reminders: Alarms and notifications to stay on track.
Data & Graph
Baseline
● Day 1: less than a 16 oz bottle (10 oz)
● Day 2: half of a 16 oz bottle (8 oz)
● Day 3: one 16 oz bottle (16 oz)
Intervention
● Day 4: 50 oz
● Day 5: 64 oz
● Day 6: 40 oz
● Day 7: 35 oz (Forgot to carry water bottle)
● Day 8: 40 oz (barely met as I forgot to carry my
water bottle and had to keep refilling the other
small bottle and checking time)
● Day 9: 38 oz (forgot to carry the water bottle
with visual display)
● Day 10: 60 oz
Fading Plan
● Long-Term Transition:
○ Criteria for Fading: Meet 40-ounce goal consistently for two weeks.
○ Skill Development: Self-monitoring and habit formation.
○ Steps for Fading: Gradually reduce reminders, increase reinforcement duration
(instead of every day, every three day then every week), limit tracking frequency
as behavior solidifies.
Summary and Next Steps
● Project Goal Recap:
○ Increase water intake during work hours for health benefits.
● Future Focus:
○ Maintain water intake habit and consider revisiting other initial goals.
● Expected Outcome: Sustainable, autonomous hydration habit beyond the practicum
project.
Thank You
