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Category: Project

Description: Background: To advance understanding of intervention effects, and improve theory development, a methodology for linking behavior change techniques (BCTs) to the processes through which they change behavior (i.e. their mechanisms of action (MoAs)) is required. Purpose: To triangulate evidence for hypothesized BCT-MoA links obtained in previous literature synthesis and expert consensus studies and present the results in an interactive, online tool. Methods: Two previous studies generated evidence on the frequency of links between the same 56 BCTs and 26 MoAs (1456 possible links). Concordance between the findings of the two studies were compared statistically. Uncertainties and differences between the two studies were reconciled by 16 behavior change experts using consensus development methods. Results: Multilevel models revealed agreement across the two studies for 25 of the 26 MoAs; the literature synthesis explained from 35.1% to 45.0% of variance in the expert consensus. The pre-set criteria for a link was achieved in both studies for 37 links and for 460 ‘non-links’. The reconciliation study resolved a further 55 links resulting in a total of 92 (37+55) BCT-MoA links covering 51 of 56 BCTs and 22 of 26 MoAs, and 465 (460+5) ‘non-links’. Conclusions: This triangulation of two distinct sources of evidence provides urgently needed guidance on how BCTs may affect the mechanisms that change behavior. The data are available online in an interactive Theory and Technique Tool (https://theoryandtechniquetool.humanbehaviourchange.org/). They provide a resource for behavior change intervention designers, researchers and theorists, supporting intervention design, research synthesis, and collaborative research.