Theories Project:
Improving Theories of Health Behavior

The goal of the Theories Project is to identify and carry out activities that will help develop improved theories of health behavior. Its focus is on actions that individuals can take to prevent cancer and speed its early detection.

The literature on health behavior is large, but progress in understanding health behaviors and in learning how to encourage such actions is not always apparent. Among the activities that may be considered are training in theory development and testing for health behavior researchers who lack such training, recruiting scientists with strong theory orientations to cancer behavior research, development of state-of-the-art summaries of theory-relevant topics when these are lacking, and better communication of opportunities for theory-focused research among current types of NCI grants.

Current and Future Activities

• 2008 Advanced Training Institute on Health Behavior Theory (July 2008)
• Health Behavior Constructs: Theory, Measurement, and Research Web Resource
• Reviews of the Link Between Perceived Risk and Health Behavior

Recent Activities

• Advanced Training Institute on Health Behavior Theory
• Workshop on Conceptualizing (and Measuring) Perceived Risk
• Workshop on State of Theory Development

Recent Report

• Theory at a Glance

For more information about the Theories Project contact:
Sarah Kobrin, PhD, MPH
National Cancer Institute
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
6130 Executive Blvd, Room 4096
MSC 7311
Bethesda, MD 20892-7331
301-435-1505
Email: sk445u@nih.gov