Population Behavior Change: A Theory-Based Approach

Abstract

Behavioral science provides useful ideas about how programs of mass communication and community participation can produce synergistic influences on the lifestyles and policy decisions of populations and their representatives. Media campaigns featuring real-life behavior models and community networks mobilized to promote behavior change provide a theoretically sound paradigm for community-level activities to accelerate the diffusion of innovation in health. Illustrative case studies demonstrate how behavioral science concepts can be applied to preventing HIV infections and to promoting citizen lobbying against selected nuclear weapons systems.