Facilitating Health Behavior Change: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Over the past decade, research applying self-determination theory (SDT) in the health domain has been prolific, arguably more so than in any other applied domain. This chapter reviews the evidence, both empirical and meta-analytic, on the application of SDT to promote health outcomes and behaviors. These behaviors range from simple and infrequent (e.g., receiving vaccinations) to complex behaviors repeated or abstained from over long periods of time (e.g., consuming healthy foods, engaging in physical activity, abstaining from smoking and excessive alcohol use). The chapter also reviews a recent classification system of motivation and behavior change techniques (MBCTs), and discusses the use of rewards to incentivize health behaviors and the significance of interventions shifting from in-person, face-to-face delivery to digital delivery formats. Numerous suggestions are offered for future theoretical and applied research, spanning conceptual, empirical, and methodological issues.