Health-related behavior change processes

Health-related behavior change processes refer to the motivational, volitional and action-based mechanisms by which individuals abandon health-compromising behaviors in favor of adopting and maintaining health-enhancing ones. These include stages such as unawareness → awareness → contemplation → planning → initiation → continued action → maintenance. Theories like the Transtheoretical Model ("stages of change"), COM-B model (Capability–Opportunity–Motivation–Behavior), Social Cognitive Theory and others provide structured frameworks for understanding how people initiate and sustain changes in areas like diet modification, physical activity increase or smoking cessation. These models inform public health interventions aimed at reducing risk factors for major chronic diseases by promoting healthier lifestyles at individual or population levels. However, these "processes" do not represent discrete molecular targets suitable for drug development—they are conceptual tools used primarily in psychology and public health research/practice.

Other names

Health behavior changeBehavior change processesBehavior modification processesStages of change (in some contexts)Transtheoretical model (related framework)