Intervention model for health behaviour change: a tool to support practitioners in health promotion intervention development

Health promotion interventions on a local level are often being planned and implemented by practitioners not explicitly trained in health promotion intervention development. This project aimed to develop the intervention model for health behavior change on the individual or group level for supporting practitioners in health promotion. The intervention model was developed by the Public Health Institute at Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia) and tested within the Interreg BaltCityPrevention project (www.baltcityprevention.eu). The model was built upon existing frameworks on health interventions by applying a systematic multi-stage and user-centered approach when developing the model for health promotion practitioners. The model was reviewed and tested by 14 project partners – municipalities, NGOs, SMEs, and universities from the countries of the Baltic Sea Region: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and Germany. The intervention model included the planning phase consisting of “explore”, “design “, “operate”, and “test” stages followed by the implementation (“act”) and evaluation (“check”). In the model, both intervention design and development of a logic model were presented to ensure the intervention operates well into the practice. The model provided both conventional and e-tools for user needs assessment and behavioral change that might be selected when planning the intervention. The guidelines and visual e-learning tools were developed to support the health promotion practitioners to use the model. In general, the project partners – health promotion practitioners appreciated the model as a practical tool that can be useful for developing health promotion interventions. Collaboration between universities and local health practitioners can improve health promotion practice by translating academic and evidence-based knowledge into practice.