The DOI matches its Crossref record; 114 of the 116 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Role of Behavioral Science Theory in Development and Implementation of Public Health Interventions
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that public health and health-promotion interventions that are based on social and behavioral science theories are more effective than those lacking a theoretical base. This article provides an overview of the state of the science of theory use for designing and conducting health-promotion interventions. Influential contemporary perspectives stress the multiple determinants and multiple levels of determinants of health and health behavior. We describe key types of theory and selected often-used theories and their key concepts, including the health belief model, the transtheoretical model, social cognitive theory, and the ecological model. This summary is followed by a review of the evidence about patterns and effects of theory use in health behavior intervention research. Examples of applied theories in three large public health programs illustrate the feasibility, utility, and challenges of using theory-based interventions. This review concludes by identifying cross-cutting themes and important future directions for bridging the divides between theory, practice, and research.
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“However, our findings, along with other studies, indicate that many interventions fail to explicitly incorporate theoretical frameworks in their design.35 36”
From Public-targeted interventions addressing antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review (2025) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“For example, Tsekleves et al (2023) in their study incorporated elements of behaviour change models like the transtheoretical model and the theory of planned behaviour.36”
From Public-targeted interventions addressing antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review (2025) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“There is increased recognition of the need for systematic and extensive application of theory to the design of interventions [18, 55–59]; this is reflected, for example, in the UK Medical Research Council’s framework for designing and evaluating complex interventions [21] and the Intervention Mapping framework [60] for planning health promotion programmes.”
In the citing paper
“Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) (187) share data across states and represent a policy tool targeted toward providers, the broadest level of intervention in the socio-ecological model (188, 189).”
From A Biopsychosocial Overview of the Opioid Crisis: Considering Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Health (2019) · cites this paper as [188]
In the citing paper
“This single cohesive framework considers the interdependency of the entire system, drawing its conceptual roots from socio-ecological models (188, 189) including Ecosocial Theory (23).”
From A Biopsychosocial Overview of the Opioid Crisis: Considering Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Health (2019) · cites this paper as [188]
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Nahum-Shani, I., Smith, S. N., Spring, B. J., Collins, L. M., Witkiewitz, K., Tewari, A., & Murphy, S. A. (2018) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9830-8 · Cited by 2,171
Bridging Research and Practice
Tabak, R. G., Khoong, E. C., Chambers, D. A., & Brownson, R. C. (2012) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.05.024 · Cited by 1,386
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Metadata
- Authors
- Glanz, K., & Bishop, D. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Minnesota Department of Health (US)
- ORCID
- Glanz, Karen
- Venue
- Annual Review of Public Health
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2010-03-01
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 399-418
- ISSN
- 0163-7525 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-2093
- OpenAlex
- W2122295735
- Cited by
- 2,336
- References
- 116
- Citations by year
- 2026: 101 · 2025: 135 · 2024: 172 · 2023: 186 · 2022: 235 · 2021: 266 · 2020: 269 · 2019: 148 · 2018: 166 · 2017: 135 · 2016: 139 · 2015: 128 · 2014: 87 · 2013: 72 · 2012: 55
- FWCI
- 5.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annual Review of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Public Health Policies and Education
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Keywords
- theory-based intervention, health behavior change, public health interventions, health promotion, Health Belief Model, transtheoretical model, social cognitive theory, ecological model, theory-practice gap, intervention design
- MeSH terms
- Behavioral Sciences, Humans, Models, Theoretical, Health Behavior, Public Health Practice
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