Applications of Behavioral Change Theories and Models in Health Promotion Interventions: A Rapid Review

Health behavior change is considered to be central in health promotion, as it can amplify disease prevention and reduce morbidity and mortality at the individual, community, or population level. Behavioral epidemiology, an emerging field of epidemiology, emphasizes the development of integrated, theory-grounded, and evidence-based health promotion interventions. In this context, the present rapid review aims to explore and identify the application of behavioral change theories and models in health promotion interventions, which may address a wide range of topics and may target diverse population groups. The search was conducted in the PubMed and Scopus databases, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines for scoping reviews. The selected studies were published between 2014 and 2024. A total of forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the selected studies employed a combination of behavioral theories and/or models. Some studies were grounded in specific behavioral theories or models, while others developed emerging models. The results of this rapid review suggest that health promotion interventions grounded in behavioral theories/models indicate significant promise. However, further research is needed to pave the way for more effective and efficient health promotion interventions targeting in behavior change.