A premise for this research is that decisions on preventative care--from simple safety steps, such as wearing seat belts, to more elaborate diet and exercise regimes, vaccinations, and medical screenings--are typically subject to a variety of psychological influences. Among these are emotional triggers, advice from friends and family, advertising campaigns, and consumers’ personal experiences with particular diseases. These decisions are also subject to a variety of cognitive biases. To achieve the best results from prevention programmes, healthcare providers and public health policy makers should be aware of these influences when devising public health campaigns and making medical recommendations.
In addition to exploring the range of influences on consumers’ preventative care decisions, this report outlines the types of messaging about preventative healthcare, and the types of policies and strategies aimed at influencing behaviour, that are most likely to be effective. The report includes examples of interventions that have supported preventative healthcare goals -- and others that have failed -- and offers advice on how to create interventions that deliver results.
The report is based on a combination of desk research and in-depth interviews with scientists, physicians, and other experts in the field.
A webinar on the content of the report was held in July 2018 and can be viewed here.
