Efficacy of Behavioural Change Targets: A Meta-Analysis

This comprehensive review article synthesizes numerous meta-analyses to identify the determinants of human behavior and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions targeting these factors to induce change. The authors categorize determinants as either individual (like knowledge, attitudes, and habits) or social-structural (such as norms, incentives, and access). Their findings reveal a hierarchy of intervention efficacy, suggesting that approaches focusing on altering access and habits tend to be more impactful than those targeting knowledge or general attitudes, with similar patterns observed for health and environmental behaviors. Ultimately, the authors advocate for policymakers to prioritize high-efficacy interventions and caution against relying on correlational data to guide behavioral change strategies.