Theory-driven behavioral intervention research for the control of diarrheal diseases

Essentially all methods to reduce diarrheal morbidity and mortality require behavioral change. Research is required to design, implement and evaluate behavior-modifying interventions. Accumulated experience in the many involved disciplines should serve as a basis for this research. However, each of these disciplines is associated with different research perspectives and analytic assumptions; thus integration of these varied but potentially complementary experiences has been elusive. In the present paper, arguing that such perspectives and assumptions are embodied in discipline-based theory, we have developed a generic framework for the conduct of theory-based behavioral intervention research. We illustrate the application of this framework through two vignettes applying two of the theories and models to the development of hypothetical handwashing interventions.