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In pursuit of principles that are practical: Lessons learned navigating the interplay between theory and interventions to promote healthy behavior.

Author: Amy Juhnke | Image: Amy Juhnke

Colloquium: In pursuit of principles that are practical: Lessons learned navigating the interplay between theory and interventions to promote healthy behavior.

Dr. Alexander J. Rothman
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota

head shot of Alex J. Rothman taken outdoors.
Dr. Alex J. Rothman, professor of psychology, University of Minnesota.

How can we optimize the design and delivery of interventions to promote healthy behavior? (Social) psychological principles have the potential to specify the factors that guide people’s behavior and delineate the conditions under which they operate. Looking across several programs of research, I examine how we have pursued linkages between theory and interventions; reflect on the disconnect between our theories and our interventions that, too often, constrain these efforts; and consider what can be done to cultivate and capitalize on the opportunities afforded by advances in psychological science.

Alex Rothman is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. His research program is comprised of a synthesis of basic research on how people process and respond to health information with the development and evaluation of theory-based interventions to promote healthy behavior. Working across a broad array of health domains, Dr. Rothman and his colleagues have contributed to our understanding why and when different health communication strategies are most effective, the decision processes that underlie the initiation and maintenance of behavior change, and the development of strategies for putting theory into practice. Dr. Rothman has been a leading advocate for work that links theories of health behavior and intervention practices and policies.