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Integrating social-psychological frameworks for health behavior research
1Leiden University, The Netherlands. Gebhardt@FSW.Leidenuniv.nl
Objective:
To review the social-cognitive theories that have predominated in research on determinants of healthbehaviors.
Methods:
Based on a literaturesearch,the theorieswere compared and critically analyzed.
Results:
Although the theories are somewhat successful in predicting health behaviors, the social-cognitive perspective is restricted to a unidirectional, nondynamic view of behavioral change and neglects the fact that individuals may differ with respect to the life goals they pursue.
Conclusion:
Health behavior research should adopt a more integrative approach, including insights from stage and goal theories. The health behavior goal model is described as an example of such an approach.