Understanding the Science of Behavior Change to Improve Heart Health

Changing behavior or habits is daunting for anyone. In fact, 50-80% of people struggle to make meaningful, long-term changes to improve their health. However, thanks to years of research by scientists, we now know what helps people make positive changes to their health habits AND how to help them make those changes stick!

How does it work?

There are several different techniques designed to help people change their health behavior. What they all have in common is they focus on the parts of their health that they have the power to change and improve. In the case of heart health, people have the power to improve the multiple risk factors for heart disease like diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, alcohol, and smoking. Even small changes can often make a big impact. For example:

• Regularly getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night cuts heart disease risk
• Losing just 5% of a person’s weight can boost heart health
• A 10mmHg lower blood pressure cuts heart disease risk by 20%

The health behavior technique that ALYKA’s heart health app is built upon to help lower heart disease risk and improve overall well-being, is called the Health Belief Model. Behavior health experts created the Health Belief Model based on the idea that how much a person feels an illness or a disease is a threat combined with that person’s belief in the effectiveness of a recommended health behavior or action (like walking 30 minutes five times a week) predicts the likelihood that they WILL change their behavior and become healthier! These are the key components of this technique:

• Perceived Susceptibility: Thoughts about the risk of acquiring an illness or disease.
• Perceived Severity: Feelings on the seriousness of contracting an illness or disease (or leaving the illness or disease untreated).
• Perceived Benefits: Thoughts about the effectiveness of the different ways to reduce or cure the threat of illness or disease.
• Perceived Barriers: Feelings about the obstacles one may face to performing a recommended health behavior, such as increasing the amount of time they exercise.
• Cue to Action: The stimulus needed to trigger the decision-making process to accept a recommended health action.
• Self-Efficacy: A person’s level of confidence in his or her ability to successfully perform a behavior.

The Health Belief Model helps us understand what it takes to change behavior but on its own, it isn’t enough. Today, people want to access their health information and wellness tools using their phones or other mobile devices. They also want all their health data in one place along with reminders, notifications, and alerts. And they expect an experience that mirrors consumer applications. The most effective solutions weave together all the pieces of the Health Belief Model with:

• Individuals’ real-time health data
• Personalized insights and goals
• Multimedia education based on proven consumer engagement strategies
• Incentives and rewards
• A user-friendly mobile experience

This approach has been shown to help deliver up to a 10% reduction in blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Learn more about the challenges of improving heart health in America and how the right solution can have a big impact in this infographic.