Health Behaviour

An action or pattern of action that affects an individual's health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

A health behaviour is an action or pattern of action that affects an individual's health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment. It may be a single act or a habitual pattern, and its defining feature is its bearing on health-related outcomes. Being an action or pattern of action with such effects is what a health behaviour is Because what people do bears so heavily on whether they stay well and how they use services, understanding and shifting health behaviour is a central concern of prevention and public health.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

A health behaviour affects an individual's health, their healthcare use, or their response to prevention and treatment. Through these channels, what a person does bears on their health-related circumstances. Affecting health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment is central to what makes an action a health behaviour Because what people do bears so heavily on whether they stay well and how they use services, understanding and shifting health behaviour is a central concern of prevention and public health.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

A health behaviour can be either a single action or a pattern of action, since it is defined as an action or pattern of action affecting an individual's health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment. A one-off act and a sustained habit alike may qualify. Covering both single actions and patterns is part of what a health behaviour is Because what people do bears so heavily on whether they stay well and how they use services, understanding and shifting health behaviour is a central concern of prevention and public health.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

A health behaviour is of interest because it affects an individual's health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment, so understanding and influencing such behaviour bears on health outcomes. What people do can shape whether they stay well or use services. This bearing on health-related outcomes is why health behaviour is studied Because what people do bears so heavily on whether they stay well and how they use services, understanding and shifting health behaviour is a central concern of prevention and public health.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.

A health behaviour is an action or pattern of action that affects an individual's health, healthcare use or response to prevention and treatment, while disease prevention is action taken to reduce the likelihood a disease will occur, progress or cause complications. Many health behaviours bear directly on whether disease is prevented. The two are connected, since changing health behaviour is a common route to disease prevention Because what people do bears so heavily on whether they stay well and how they use services, understanding and shifting health behaviour is a central concern of prevention and public health.

Source: Michie S, van Stralen MM, West R. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science. 2011;6:42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42.