Integrating Multiple Health Behavior Theories into Program Planning

No single theory explains the broad scope of all health behaviors. A combination of theories may be necessary to explain variations in behavior. Applying and combining theoretical constructs to specific behaviors and populations is challenging due to the abstract definition of the theoretical constructs and the duplication of similar constructs across multiple theories. This session introduces the PER Worksheet, a planning tool that provides layman-term prompts for identifying health behavior antecedents. It encompasses eight common health behavior theories: Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory, Self Efficacy, an ecological model, Social Networks, Social Support, and the Transtheoretical Model. The PER Worksheet is organized into three columns: Predisposing, Enabling, and Reinforcing factors, terms of the PRECEDE/PROCEED model (Green & Kreuter, 2005). Planners use the worksheet to cluster similar concepts and organize one's understanding of the factors related to the target behavior. The results of this process provide professionals with a logical sequence to plan the appropriate use of health education, health communication, health engineering and health policy interventions to achieve population-level change in health behavior and health status. The PER Worksheet is useful for instructors of health behavior courses and also for training non-health educators about using theoretical concepts in program planning.