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"Is there nothing more practical than a good theory?": Why innovations and advances in health behavior change will arise if interventions are used to test and refine theory
Open accessAbstract
Theoretical and practical innovations are needed if we are to advance efforts to persuade and enable people to make healthy changes in their behavior. In this paper, I propose that progress in our understanding of and ability to promote health behavior change depends upon greater interdependence in the research activities undertaken by basic and applied behavioral scientists. In particular, both theorists and interventionists need to treat a theory as a dynamic entity whose form and value rests upon it being rigorously applied, tested and refined in both the laboratory and the field. To this end, greater advantage needs to be taken of the opportunities that interventions afford for theory-testing and, moreover, the data generated by these activities need to stimulate and inform efforts to revise, refine, or reject theoretical principles.
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“The number and heterogeneity of potential theories that might be used to guide implementation research poses a challenge to researchers wanting to assess and identify theory-based factors underlying healthcare professional behavior [22,28-30].”
From Discriminant content validity of a theoretical domains framework questionnaire for use in implementation research (2014) · cites this paper as [29]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Rothman, A. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rothman, Alexander J
- ORCID
- Rothman, Alexander J
- Venue
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
- Published
- 2004-07-27
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 11-11
- ISSN
- 1479-5868 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC514573
- OpenAlex
- W2151997300
- Cited by
- 322
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 13.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS038441)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- health behavior change, theory testing, theory refinement, intervention research, dynamic theory, persuasion, theory-practice integration
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