Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: introducing a thematic series on the theoretical domains framework
Open accessAbstract
Behaviour change is key to increasing the uptake of evidence into healthcare practice. Designing behaviour-change interventions first requires problem analysis, ideally informed by theory. Yet the large number of partly overlapping theories of behaviour makes it difficult to select the most appropriate theory. The need for an overarching theoretical framework of behaviour change was addressed in research in which 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour were identified and grouped. The resulting Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) appears to be a helpful basis for investigating implementation problems. Research groups in several countries have conducted TDF-based studies. It seems timely to bring together the experience of these teams in a thematic series to demonstrate further applications and to report key developments. This overview article describes the TDF, provides a brief critique of the framework, and introduces this thematic series.In a brief review to assess the extent of TDF-based research, we identified 133 papers that cite the framework. Of these, 17 used the TDF as the basis for empirical studies to explore health professionals' behaviour. The identified papers provide evidence of the impact of the TDF on implementation research. Two major strengths of the framework are its theoretical coverage and its capacity to elicit beliefs that could signify key mediators of behaviour change. The TDF provides a useful conceptual basis for assessing implementation problems, designing interventions to enhance healthcare practice, and understanding behaviour-change processes. We discuss limitations and research challenges and introduce papers in this series.
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The TDF was the subject of a thematic series appearing in Implementation Science.
“The TDF has been applied across a wide range of healthcare settings and clinical behaviours and was the subject of a thematic series appearing in Implementation Science (http://www.implementationscience.com/series/TDF) [23].”
From A guide to using the Theoretical Domains Framework of behaviour change to investigate implementation problems (2017) · cites this paper as [23]
The TDF has been applied across a wide range of healthcare settings and clinical behaviours.
“The TDF has been applied across a wide range of healthcare settings and clinical behaviours and was the subject of a thematic series appearing in Implementation Science (http://www.implementationscience.com/series/TDF) [23].”
From A guide to using the Theoretical Domains Framework of behaviour change to investigate implementation problems (2017) · cites this paper as [23]
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Cites
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- Authors
- Francis, J. J., O’Connor, D., & Curran, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- Monash University (AU)
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Francis, Jill J
- Venue
- Implementation Science
- Published
- 2012-04-24
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 35-35
- ISSN
- 1748-5908 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3444902
- OpenAlex
- W2103125760
- Cited by
- 484
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 40 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 43.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Implementation Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- City Research Online (City University London) (acceptedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- uO Research (University of Ottawa) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- Funders
- Scottish Government
- Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- National Health and Medical Research Council (606726)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Sciences Research and Education
- Keywords
- Theoretical Domains Framework, behaviour change theory, implementation research, implementation problems, behaviour change interventions
- MeSH terms
- Diffusion of Innovation, Health Services Research, Humans, Models, Psychological, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Health Behavior, Guideline Adherence, Evidence-Based Practice
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