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28 - Behavior Change in Community Contexts

from Part II - Methods and Processes of Behavior Change: Intervention Development, Application, and Translation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

By
Edison Trickett  and
Susan Paterson
Edited by
Martin S. Hagger ,
Linda D. Cameron ,
Kyra Hamilton ,
Nelli Hankonen  and
Taru Lintunen
Martin S. Hagger
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Linda D. Cameron
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Kyra Hamilton
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Nelli Hankonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Taru Lintunen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä
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Summary

Individuals’ behavior change is affected by the environments in which they live. This chapter takes an ecological perspective on how interventions in community contexts can change individual behaviors related to physical and psychological outcomes. The chapter first outlines the concept of ecology before applying it to three approaches to changing behavior in the community context: (1) social norms; (2) social settings; and (3) social policy. Examples of community behavior change programs and research are given for each approach. In terms of social norms, the chapter discusses how research on interpersonal violence, sexual health, and alcohol use on college campuses has incorporated norms-based interventions to change people’s views of their own and others’ behavior. In terms of social settings, the chapter outlines a range of settings and highlights research on creation of food pantries as a community-based example of a means to combat food insecurity. With regard to social policy, examples are provided of community efforts to target changes in local policy. Last, suggestions for future research on behavior change interventions at the community level are provided. The lack of attention paid to ripple effects, the relationship between ecological levels, and methodological issues that make gathering data on community change challenging are discussed.

Keywords

environmental influencecommunity contextecological perspectivesocial normssocial settingssocial policynorm-based interventions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Handbook of Behavior Change , pp. 401 - 415
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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