The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions
- PMID: 21513547
- PMCID: PMC3096582
- DOI: 10.1186/1748-5908-6-42
The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions
Abstract
Background: Improving the design and implementation of evidence-based practice depends on successful behaviour change interventions. This requires an appropriate method for characterising interventions and linking them to an analysis of the targeted behaviour. There exists a plethora of frameworks of behaviour change interventions, but it is not clear how well they serve this purpose. This paper evaluates these frameworks, and develops and evaluates a new framework aimed at overcoming their limitations.
Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases and consultation with behaviour change experts were used to identify frameworks of behaviour change interventions. These were evaluated according to three criteria: comprehensiveness, coherence, and a clear link to an overarching model of behaviour. A new framework was developed to meet these criteria. The reliability with which it could be applied was examined in two domains of behaviour change: tobacco control and obesity.
Results: Nineteen frameworks were identified covering nine intervention functions and seven policy categories that could enable those interventions. None of the frameworks reviewed covered the full range of intervention functions or policies, and only a minority met the criteria of coherence or linkage to a model of behaviour. At the centre of a proposed new framework is a 'behaviour system' involving three essential conditions: capability, opportunity, and motivation (what we term the 'COM-B system'). This forms the hub of a 'behaviour change wheel' (BCW) around which are positioned the nine intervention functions aimed at addressing deficits in one or more of these conditions; around this are placed seven categories of policy that could enable those interventions to occur. The BCW was used reliably to characterise interventions within the English Department of Health's 2010 tobacco control strategy and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance on reducing obesity.
Conclusions: Interventions and policies to change behaviour can be usefully characterised by means of a BCW comprising: a 'behaviour system' at the hub, encircled by intervention functions and then by policy categories. Research is needed to establish how far the BCW can lead to more efficient design of effective interventions.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Use of the behaviour change wheel to improve everyday person-centred conversations on physical activity across healthcare.BMC Public Health. 2022 Sep 20;22(1):1784. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14178-6. BMC Public Health. 2022. PMID: 36127688 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Barriers and facilitators to clinical behaviour change by primary care practitioners: a theory-informed systematic review of reviews using the Theoretical Domains Framework and Behaviour Change Wheel.Syst Rev. 2022 Aug 30;11(1):180. doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-02030-2. Syst Rev. 2022. PMID: 36042457 Free PMC article.
-
How is the Theoretical Domains Framework applied in designing interventions to support healthcare practitioner behaviour change? A systematic review.Int J Qual Health Care. 2021 Jul 28;33(3):mzab106. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzab106. Int J Qual Health Care. 2021. PMID: 34279637
-
How is the theoretical domains framework applied to developing health behaviour interventions? A systematic search and narrative synthesis.BMC Public Health. 2019 Aug 28;19(1):1180. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7442-5. BMC Public Health. 2019. PMID: 31455327 Free PMC article.
-
Designing interventions to change eating behaviours.Proc Nutr Soc. 2015 May;74(2):164-70. doi: 10.1017/S0029665115000075. Proc Nutr Soc. 2015. PMID: 25998679 Review.
Cited by
-
Understanding the processes underpinning IMPlementing IMProved Asthma self-management as RouTine (IMP2ART) in primary care: study protocol for a process evaluation within a cluster randomised controlled implementation trial.Trials. 2024 Jun 4;25(1):359. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08179-6. Trials. 2024. PMID: 38835102 Free PMC article.
-
The power of animation: encouraging doctors to access support for psychological wellbeing.BMC Psychol. 2024 Jun 1;12(1):320. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01821-7. BMC Psychol. 2024. PMID: 38824554 Free PMC article.
-
Demystifying Open Science in health psychology and behavioral medicine: a practical guide to Registered Reports and Data Notes.Health Psychol Behav Med. 2024 May 29;12(1):2351939. doi: 10.1080/21642850.2024.2351939. eCollection 2024. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2024. PMID: 38817594 Free PMC article.
-
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among people who use drugs: a qualitative scoping review of implementation determinants and change methods.Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2024 May 30;19(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s13722-024-00478-2. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2024. PMID: 38816889 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) for Chinese populations in Australia.Arch Osteoporos. 2024 May 31;19(1):43. doi: 10.1007/s11657-024-01404-4. Arch Osteoporos. 2024. PMID: 38816651 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Grimshaw JM, Shirran L, Thomas R, Mowatt G, Fraser C, Bero L. et al.Changing provider behavior: an overview of systematic reviews of interventions. Medical care. 2001;39(8 Suppl 2):II2–45. - PubMed
-
- Summerbell C, Waters E, Edmunds L, Kelly S, Brown T, Campbell K. Interventions for preventing obesity in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005. p. CD001871. - PubMed
-
- Michie S, Ashford S, Sniehotta FF, Dombroski SU, Bishop A, French DP. A refined taxonomy of behaviour change techniques to help people change their physical activity and healthy eating behaviours. The CALO-RE taxonomy Psychology and Health. in press . - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous