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Modeling health behavior change: How to predict and modify the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors
Analyzing health-compromising behaviors
This research article addresses the complexities of changing health-compromising behaviors, such as physical inactivity and poor dietary habits, which are often resistant to modification. It critiques the predominant reliance on intention as the primary predictor of behavior change, noting that individuals frequently fail to act in accordance with their intentions due to unforeseen barriers and temptations. To address this discrepancy, the article emphasizes the necessity of incorporating proximal factors—such as perceived self-efficacy and strategic planning—that can facilitate the translation of intentions into action. The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) is introduced as a framework that differentiates between preintentional motivation processes, which foster behavioral intentions, and postintentional volition processes that actualize health behaviors. The article reports on seven studies investigating the impact of volitional mediators on the initiation and adherence to five specific health behaviors: physical exercise, breast self-examination, seat belt use, dietary behaviors, and dental flossing. The overarching objective is to evaluate the applicability and universality of the HAPA model across varied health behaviors, utilizing diverse measures and samples from multiple countries.
Year: 2008
