“Reduction and prevention of morbidity and mortality in populations is a public health goal that can be achieved only by behavior change.” (Hovell, Wahlgren & Adams, 2009)
Background
Learning theories of behavior provide the theoretical orientation at CBEACH. Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning paradigms, and their extension to multi-level cultural reinforcement contingencies are fundamental to understanding the etiology of infectious and chronic disease. Learning theories complement medical models of health and wellness by providing a framework for understanding and changing behavior to improve health.
How we approach it
The Behavioral Ecological Model (BEM) is an extension of selectionist and environmental operant models of behavior. The BEM stresses the function of behavior (eg, consequences produced by the behavior) over the form or topography of behavior. It also stresses environmental influences on (i.e., consequences of) behavior. The BEM extends the understanding of populations’ behavior and culture by reliance on a hierarchy of interacting reinforcement contingencies. The BEM assumes an interaction among both physical and social contingencies to explain and ultimately control health behavior.
MPH Honoree Melbourne Hovell