Health Behavior Change: Theories, Methods and Interventions

By the 2030s, there is a genuine possibility that industrialized nations will see average life expectancies exceeding 90 years of age. This has been attributed, in part, to increases in health promoting behaviors such as healthy eating and reductions in health risk behaviors such as smoking. However [...]
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By the 2030s, there is a genuine possibility that industrialized nations will see average life expectancies exceeding 90 years of age. This has been attributed, in part, to increases in health promoting behaviors such as healthy eating and reductions in health risk behaviors such as smoking. However, challenges remain such as reversing the rise in obesity rates and reducing the high proportion of individuals failing to meet national health behavior targets. Health Behavior Change: Theories, Methods and Interventions presents a theory-driven, scientific approach to understanding and changing health behaviors. In doing so, the text considers the theories that explain health behavior, the techniques that most effectively change health behavior, as well as methods and statistical approaches essential to generating the underpinning evidence. This approach is presented in the context of both health promoting behaviors and health risk behaviors and considers not only the role of individuals but also other important influences on health behavior such as the environment, policy and technology. Fostering a critical perspective, and including case studies in each chapter with key issues highlighted throughout, the book provides a complete understanding of health behavior change, from its theoretical building blocks to the practical challenges of developing and testing an intervention. It will be essential reading for students and researchers of health psychology, public health and social work, as well as any professional working in this important area.