Health behaviour refers to the actions individuals take that affect their health, including activities that promote or protect wellbeing and those that increase the risk of illness or injury. It encompasses practices such as dietary choices, physical activity, sleep, substance use, adherence to treatment and prevent…
Health behaviour refers to the actions individuals take that affect their health, including activities that promote or protect wellbeing and those that increase the risk of illness or injury. It encompasses practices such as dietary choices, physical activity, sleep, substance use, adherence to treatment and preventive measures, and health-seeking behaviour such as screening uptake and timely use of care. Within preventive medicine, health behaviour is a primary determinant of the burden of chronic and communicable disease, making its understanding and modification central to prevention and health promotion. Health behaviour is shaped by interacting influences operating at multiple levels, from individual knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and motivation to interpersonal relationships, community and cultural context, and the broader social, economic, and environmental conditions in which people live. A range of behavioural and psychosocial theories is used to explain how these factors drive behaviour and to inform interventions, including approaches based on behaviour modification, mentoring and coaching, and culturally tailored strategies. Such interventions are applied across diverse contexts, from managing overweight and obesity to encouraging preventive treatment and care-seeking in infectious disease. Effective change typically addresses both individual determinants and the structural barriers that constrain choice. Research on health behaviour examines its determinants, the theories that explain it, and the design and effectiveness of interventions to support healthier behaviour.
5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 5 articles above have been cited 15 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Health Behaviour, linking to each citing work.