Role of Policy in Behavior Change. Contents of the Lecture

Health Education and Promotion Department

Umm Al-Qura UniversityFaculty of Public Health and Health Informatics

By: Dr. Ahmed Abdullah

Role of Policy in Behavior Change

Definition of Policy

The Behavior Change Wheel

Principles for Developing Interventions

The Role of Policies

Barriers To Public Health Policies

Contents of the Lecture

Definition of Policy

• Are the decision made by the authorities concerning interventions.


• It composed of three level:1. The sources of the behavior2. Interventions functions3. Policy categories



• Opportunity: Social, Physical.• Capability: Physical, Psychological,

Automatic• Motivation: Automatic, Reflective

1- The sources of the behavior:


• Education• Persuasion• Incrimination• Coercion• Training

•Enablement•Modeling•Environmental restricting•Restriction

•g

2- Interventions functions


1. Communication and marketing 2. Guidelines3. Fiscal measures 4. Regulation5. Legislation6. Environmental or social planning7. Service provision

3- Policy categories:

Principles for Developing Interventions Based on Models

1. Identify the audience groups and the target behaviour.

2. Identify the relevant behavioral models.3. Select the key influencing factors to

work on.Use these to design objectives in a draft

strategy for the intervention.


4. Identify effective intervention techniques which have worked in the past on the influencing factors selected

5. Engage the target audience for the intervention in order to understand the target behaviour and the factors influencing it from their perspective.


6. Develop a model intervention based on the learning from working with the actors. Cross-check this against appropriate policy frameworks and assessment tools.

7. Start the intervention and monitor continuously.


8. Evaluate impacts and processes.9. Give feedback learned from the

evaluation.

The Role of Policies To Enable The Interventions

• Seven policies are displayed in the outermost circle. They enable particular interventions and are outlined below.


1. Communication and marketing 2. Guidelines3. Fiscal measures 4. Regulation5. Legislation6. Environmental or social planning7. Service provision

3- Policy categories:


1- Communication and marketing involves using print, electronic media, telephone or broadcast media.

For example: in order to achieve broad political commitment for the prevention of childhood obesity, there should be a representative of the MOH in the local council and this representative should hold appropriate documents that explain the situation.


2- Guidelines: it may involve documents that explain the practice.

3- Fiscal measures (money): involve the use of the tax system to reduce or increase the financial cost of certain activities that might affect the health problems.


4- Regulation: it involves establishing rules or principles of behavior or practice.

5- Legislation: involves making or changing laws. Laws aim to change behavior in a non-voluntary manner. An example is the Public Health law.


6- Environmental or social planning:It involves designing and/or controlling the

physical or social environment. An example is giving attention to the design of the organizational structure that is friendly with the environment.


7- Service provision: It involves delivering services. Examples

include provision of the specific training courses for volunteers to prevent diseases.

Barriers To Development And Implementation Of Public Health Policies

1. Limited resources for public health.2. Lack of awareness of the health

problems. 3. Public health is not a dominant policy

domain.4. Lack of political support. 5. Generally the health is very

unattractive to invest on it.

• Thank you

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Role of Policy in Behavior Change. Contents of the Lecture