HEALTH EDUCATION AND BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

A review of the theoretical and experimental literature on school health education indicates a dilemma facing the field. Although extant theoretical models of program design are excellent, they are seldom used to develop comprehensive programs. That is, most health education programs have focused on health knowledge as the outcome of primary interest, despite conflicting information on the ultimate impact of knowledge-based programs on health behaviors. Two types of interventions that have been neglected, environmental engineering to support health behaviors and reinforcement contingencies, are of particular interest to behavior analysts. The present review examines the possible contributions that behavior analysts can make to health education and proposes interventions worth pursuing in future research.