Numerous health behavior theories (HBTs), each which attempt to explain why individuals engage in (or fail to engage in) health-related behaviors, exist in the literature. While much attention has been devoted to testing individual theories, little attention has been paid to issues that arise in the selection of theories. The current article has three goals. First, to describe some of the most widely used individual-level HBTs. Second, to discuss the application of these theories to successful health promotion efforts. And finally, to compare and contrast numerous HBTs and provide an example for how a selected theory might be applied to a health education program. The overriding goal is to provide guidance to researchers, health educators and other interventionists with regard to the important decision of which theory to use as a basis for one's health promotion efforts.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
DiClementeR. J.CrosbyR. A., and KeglerM. C. (eds.), Emerging Theories in Health Promotion Practice and Research: Strategies for Improving the Public Health, Jossey-Bass, Inc., San Francisco, California, 2002.
2.
GlanzK.RimerB. K., and LewisF. M. (eds.), Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice (3rd Edition), Jossey-Bass, Inc., San Francisco, California, 2002.
3.
NoarS. M. and ZimmermanR. S., Health Behavior Theory and Cumulative Knowledge Regarding Health Behaviors: Are We Moving in the Right Direction?, Health Education Research: Theory & Practice, 20: 3, pp. 275–290, 2005.
4.
WeinsteinN. D., Testing Four Competing Theories of Health-Protective Behavior, Health Psychology, 12: 4, pp. 324–333, 1993.
5.
AirhihenbuwaC. O. and ObregonR., A Critical Assessment of Theories/Models Used in Health Communication for HIV/AIDS, Journal of Health Communication, 5: (Suppl), pp. 5–15, 2000.
6.
BaranowskiT.AndersonC., and CarmackC., Medicating Variable Framework in Physical Activity Interventions: How Are We Doing? How Might We Do Better?, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 15: 4, pp. 266–297, 1998.
7.
BuchananD. and CernadaG., AIDS Prevention Programs: A Critical Review, International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 16: 4, 295–313, 1996/1997.
8.
GlanzK.LewisF. M., and RimerB. K., Linking Theory, Research and Practice, in Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice (2nd Edition), GlanzK.LewisF. M., and RimerB. K. (eds.), Jossey-Bass, Inc., San Francisco, California, pp. 19–35, 1997a.
9.
JanzN. K. and BeckerM. H., The Health Belief Model: A Decade Later, Health Education Quarterly, 11: 1, pp. 1–47, 1984.
10.
RosenstockI. M., The Health Belief Model and Preventive Health Behavior, Health Education Monographs, 2: 4, pp. 354–386, 1974.
11.
HochbaumG. M., Public Participation in Medical Screening Programs: A Socio-psychological Study, PHS Publication No. 572, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1958.
12.
BeckerM. H., The Health Belief Model and Personal Health Behavior, Health Education Monographs, 2: 4, entire issue, 1974.
13.
RimerB. K., Perspectives on Intrapersonal Theories of Health Behavior, in Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice (2nd Edition), GlanzK.LewisF. M., and RimerB. K. (eds.), Jossey-Bass, Inc., San Francisco, California, pp. 139–147, 1997.
14.
RosenstockI. M.StrecherV. J., and BeckerM. H., Social Learning Theory and the Health Belief Model, Health Education Quarterly, 15: 2, pp. 175–183, 1988.
15.
WitteK.StokolsD.ItuarteP., and SchneiderM., Testing the Health Belief Model in a Field Study to Promote Bicycle Safety Helmets, Communication Research, 20: 4, pp. 564–586, 1993.
16.
AjzenI. and FishbeinM., Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1980.
17.
FishbeinM. and AjzenI., Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts, 1975.
18.
AjzenI. and MaddenT. J., Prediction of Goal-Directed Behavior: Attitudes, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioral Control, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 22, pp. 453–474, 1986.
19.
AlbarracinD.JohnsonB. T.FishbeinM., and MuellerleileP. A., Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior as Models of Condom Use: A Meta-Analysis, Psychological Bulletin, 127: 1, pp. 142–161, 2001.
20.
GodinG. and KokG., The Theory of Planned Behavior: A Review of its Applications to Health-Related Behaviors, American Journal of Health Promotion, 11: 2, pp. 87–98, 1996.
21.
MaddenT. J.EllenP. S., and AjzenI., A Comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18: 1, pp. 3–9, 1992.
22.
SheehanM.SchofieldF.SchofieldC.NajmanJ.BallardR., and SiskindV., A Three Year Outcome Evaluation of a Theory Based Drunk Driving Education Program, Journal of Drug Education, 26: 3, pp. 295–312, 1996.
23.
BanduraA., Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change, Psychological Review, 84: 2, pp. 191–215, 1977.
24.
BanduraA., Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1986.
25.
BanduraA., Human Agency in Social Cognitive Theory, American Psychologist, 44: 9, pp. 1175–1184, 1989.
26.
BanduraA., Health Promotion from the Perspective of Social Cognitive Theory, Psychology and Health, 13, pp. 623–649, 1998.
27.
StrecherV. J.DeVellisB. M.BeckerM. H., and RosenstockI. M., The Role of Self-Efficacy in Achieving Health Behavior Change, Health Education Quarterly, 13: 1, pp. 73–92, 1986.
28.
KirbyD. and BarthR., Reducing the Risk: Impact of a New Curriculum on Sexual Risk-Taking, Family Planning Perspectives, 23: 6, pp. 253–263, 1991.
29.
ZimmermanR. S.DonohewL.SioneanC.CuppP. K.Feist-PriceS., and HelmeD., Effects of a School-Based, Theory-Driven HIV and Pregnancy Prevention Curriculum, Manuscript submitted for publication, 2004.
30.
ProchaskaJ. O. and DiClementeC. C., Stages and Processes of Self-Change of Smoking: Toward an Integrating Model of Change, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51: 3, pp. 390–395, 1983.
31.
ProchaskaJ. O.DiClementeC. C., and NorcrossJ. C., In Search of How People Change: Applications to Addictive Behaviors, American Psychologist, 47: 9, pp. 1102–1114, 1992.
32.
ProchaskaJ. O.VelicerW. F.RossiJ. S.GoldsteinM. G.MarcusB. H.RakowskiW.FioreC.HarlowL. L.ReddingC. A.RosenbloomD., and RossiS., Stages of Change and Decisional Balance for 12 Problem Behaviors, Health Psychology, 13: 1, pp. 39–46, 1994.
33.
JanisI. L. and MannL., Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment, Cassell & Collier Macmillan, London, 1977.
34.
NoarS. M.MorokoffP. J., and ReddingC. A., An Examination of Transtheoretical Predictors of Condom Use in Late-Adolescent Heterosexual Men, Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 6: 1, pp. 1–26, 2001.
35.
BurkholderG. J. and EversK. E., Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Several Problem Behaviors, in Promoting Exercise and Behavior Change in older Adults: Interventions with the Transtheoretical Model, BurbankP. M. and RiebeD. (eds.), Springer Publishing, New York, pp. 85–145, 2002.
36.
JosephJ.BreslinC., and SkinnerH., Critical perspectives on the Transtheoretical Model and Stages of Change, in Changing Addictive Behavior: Bridging Clinical and Public Health Strategies, TuckerJ. A.DonovanD. M., and MarlattG. A. (eds.), The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 160–190, 1999.
37.
ReddingC. A.ProchaskaJ. O.PallonenU. E.RossiJ. S.VelicerW. F.RossiS. R.GreeneG. W.MeierK. S.EversK. E.PlummerB. A., and MaddockJ. E., Transtheoretical Individualized Multimedia Expert Systems Targeting Adolescents' Health Behaviors, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 6: 2, pp. 144–153, 1999.
38.
ReddingC. A.ProchaskaJ. O.RossiJ. S.ArmstrongK.CovielloD.PallonenU.EversK.VelicerW. F., and RuggieroL., Effectiveness of a Randomized Clinical Trial of Stage-matched Interventions Targeting Condom Use and Smoking in Young Urban Females [Abstract], Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24: Suppl., p. S061, 2002.
39.
ProchaskaJ. O., Changing Health Behaviors with Entire Populations, Invited presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Providence, Rhode Island, April 1999.
40.
ProchaskaJ. O.VelicerW. F.PallonenU. E.RossiJ. S.ReddingC. A.GreeneG. W.RossiS. R., and MeierK. S., Interactive Multimedia Expert Systems in Adolescent Cancer Risk Factor Interventions: Description and Preliminary Findings [Abstract], Proceedings of the 49th Annual Meeting of the Society for Public Health Education, 28, 1998.
41.
WitteK., Putting the Fear Back into Fear Appeals: The Extended Parallel Process Model, Communication Monographs, 59, pp. 329–349, 1992.
42.
Van RynM. and HeaneyC. A., What's the Use of Theory?Health Education Quarterly, 19: 3, pp. 315–330, 1992.
43.
GreenL. W. and KreuterM. W., Health Program Planning: An Educational and Ecological Approach (4th Edition), McGraw-Hill, Columbus, Ohio, 2004.
44.
PosovacE. J. and CareyR. G., Program Evaluation Methods and Case Studies (5th Edition), Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1997.
45.
NoarS. M.AndermanE. M.ZimmermanR. S., and CuppP. K., Fostering Achievement Motivation in Health Education: Are We Applying Relevant Theory to School-Based HIV Prevention Programs?Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 16: 4, pp. 59–76, 2004.
