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The role of feedback in the process of health behavior change
C C DiClemente1, A S Marinilli, M Singh
1Psychology Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore 21250, USA. diclemen@umbc.edu
Objective:
To offer a taxonomy of types of feedback and describe potential mechanisms of action particularly in the area of addictive behaviors.
Method:
Reviewed the literature to examine support for types-Generic, Targeted, and Personalized-and for mechanisms of feedback.
Results:
Although it is not clear how it works, feedback is thought to offer important information, to create a sense of caring and helping relationship, to reach more directly decisional considerations, to increase engagement in the materials, to increase motivation, or to provide social comparison and norms.
Conclusions:
Avenues for future research in search of the most effective manner of using feedback to promote health behavior change are discussed.