Health Behavior Theory For Public Health: Principles, Foundations and Applications

In order to develop effective health intervention programs, Public Health professionals need to be able to effectively assess the needs of a population relative to their long-term adoption of health-protective behaviors. While a solid understanding of human behavior theory is an essential tool for designing and implementing successful health promotion programs, changing health behavior requires multiple skills beyond the ability to simply apply theory. This one-of-a-kind text book examines health behavior theory, through the context of the New Public Health . Health Behavior Theory will provide your students with a balanced professional education one that explores the essential spectrum of theoretical tools as well as the core practices. Divided into three sections, the book takes a unique ecological approach to learning about health behavior theory and its application. The reader will first gain a broad understanding of health, public health, health behavior and health promotion planning. This is followed by a straightforward and expansive look at the most commonly applied theories and approaches to public health research and programs. Students will come away with a clear understanding of how theory fits into the larger scope of public health research and practice. Finally, readers will learn about the essential tasks of measurement, evaluation, and translation through an examination a diverse set of application tools .