Efforts to modify health-related behaviors have been dominated by health education perspectives

Abstract

Efforts to modify health-related behaviors have been dominated by health education perspectives. Recently, more ecological views have evolved stating that health-related behavior is also regulated by habitual processes and, especially in terms of behavioral prevalences, environments (meta-/macro-contingencies). Obegosenic environments are a well-known case in point, Thus, while it is evident that health psychologists (nor the populations concerned) do not have direct control over environmental variables, they have to organize collaboration with economic, political and media actors who impact environments. This is a role health psychologists are neither trained nor prepared for, and will have to learn to take up professionally.