Behavioral strategies

In this chapter, we argue that behavioral models of learning and their inherent principles, constructs, and processes are critical in understanding, explaining, altering, and predicting the onset, development, and maintenance of health and health-related behaviors in the primary care setting. We propose that the persistence and repetitiveness of health-specific behaviors, and their inherent habit strengths, are primarily influenced by the presence of unique environmental stimuli, direct and vicarious learning influences, and environmental contingencies\u27 that constitute, shape, and maintain the unique health behavior histories of patients. Across individuals, these differential environmental influences account for individual differences in behavior and health risk patterns. We present a behavioral model of health behavior by reviewing the critical role of learning in human behavior, the importance of behavioral principles in shaping and maintaining health behaviors, and the value of the behavioral model in explaining, predicting, and altering health risks. Our focus will be on important theoretical issues, assessment methods, and the application of behavioral interventions designed to preserve health and reduce health risks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter