Behavior Change Techniques and Their Mechanisms of Action: A Synthesis of Links Described in Published Intervention Literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite advances in behavioral science, there is no widely shared understanding of the "mechanisms of action" (MoAs) through which individual behavior change techniques (BCTs) have their effects. Cumulative progress in the development, evaluation, and synthesis of behavioral interventions could be improved by identifying the MoAs through which BCTs are believed to bring about change.

Purpose

This study aimed to identify the links between BCTs and MoAs described by authors of a corpus of published literature.

Methods

Hypothesized links between BCTs and MoAs were extracted by two coders from 277 behavior change intervention articles. Binomial tests were conducted to provide an indication of the relative frequency of each link.

Results

Of 77 BCTs coded,

SUBMITTER: Carey RN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6636886 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature