Behavior Change Theories

BCC Theories
• Behavior change theories can help understand why people act the
way they do and why behaviors change.

• SBCC theories can be helpful to guide SBCC program design and

help you focus on what or who to address in your program.

• Each theory or model has a different set of factors to explain

behavioral change and area of focus—the individual, their
intention to change their behavior or their surrounding
environment.
The Health Belief Model
• The Health Belief Model is a theoretical model that can be used
to guide health promotion and disease prevention programs.

• It is used to explain and predict individual changes in health

behaviors. It is one of the most widely used models for
understanding health behaviors.

• The Health Belief Model (HBM) posits that messages will

achieve optimal behavior change if they successfully target
perceived barriers, benefits, self-efficacy, and threat
Diffusion of Innovation Theory
• Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, developed by E.M. Rogers in
1962, is one of the oldest social science theories.

• It originated in communication to explain how, over time, an idea

or product gains momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a
specific population or social system