Health Behavior Change: Theories, Methods, and Interventions

Dear Colleagues,

Research has consistently linked the risk of noncommunicable, chronic illnesses and health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancers diabetes, obesity) with health-related behaviors (e.g., physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet). Large-scale epidemiological research has suggested that these behaviors are consistently related to all-cause mortality. Alongside the considerable human cost of noncommunicable disease, there is also a substantive economic cost of treating and managing chronic illness. Analogously, regular participation in health-promoting behaviors is associated with adaptive health outcomes, including reduced chronic disease risk and other indices of good health. Governments and health organizations have developed guidelines for many of these behaviors, outlining the optimal level of participation in these behaviors for good health and minimizing illness risk. Such organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of ramping up efforts to develop effective large-scale behavioral interventions that are effective in promoting population-level participation in health behaviors. Such efforts are focused on prevention with the ultimate goal of reversing the increasing trends in the incidence of chronic disease globally.

Governments have therefore sought to engage scientists from various disciplines in behavioral sciences to develop effective behavior change strategies aimed at increasing participation in key health-related behaviors for illness prevention and health promotion. Researchers in many fields, particularly psychology, but also behavioral medicine, sociology, behavioral economics, and implementation science, are foremost in contribution to research efforts on behavior change. Scientists in these disciplines have been primarily responsible for conducting research and disseminating evidence on behavior change, ranging from basic theory-based research on determinants and processes to translational research in which evidence-based strategies are leveraged to change behavior. This research has applied scientific principles to study behavior change with the goal of informing the development of effective behavioral solutions to the global health problems caused by noncommunicable illness and conditions. These researchers are at the forefront of the newly emerging science of behavior change.

As the science of behavior change enters the mainstream, the importance of continued development of behavior change theories, methods, and interventions is essential toward progressing optimally effective solutions to the large-scale health problems caused by noncommunicable disease. The aim of this Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences is to showcase research in the emerging science of behavior change and provide a platform for researchers in multiple disciplines in the behavioral and social sciences to provide high-quality research that contributes to advancing knowledge on behavior change. The Special Issue will begin with a series of articles from leading theorists and researchers in the field of behavior change that not only summarize the current state of the science in specific subfields of behavior change but also outline contemporary advances and new ideas that are gaining traction among researchers in the field and inspiring new lines of research in the pursuit of effective health behavior interventions. Importantly, the major part of the Special Issue will comprise research articles disseminating the latest findings of studies on behavior change from teams across the world. Articles are expected to be at the forefront of innovation in terms of theory application, methodological advances, and intervention design and incrementally move knowledge on behavior change forward. The Special Issue will also provide a forum for scholarly debate on priority ‘hot’ topics in the field of behavior change.

Suggested topics for articles eligible for this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

• Development and application of theories of behavior change
• Policy and practice of behavior change in health contexts
• Behavior change technique development
• Mechanisms of action of behavior change interventions
• Mediators and moderators of behavior change interventions
• Intervention design in behavior change
• Testing behavior change interventions
• Development of innovative behavior change methods
• Nudging and choice architecture
• Translation of behavior change interventions to practice
• Qualitative exploration of behavior change interventions
• Developments in measurement in behavior change

Prof. Martin S. Hagger
Dr. Kyra Hamilton
Guest Editors

Ms. Susette Moyers
Editorial Manager

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• health
• Behavior Change
• health theories
• health intervention