Abstract
Evidence-informed health intervention planning that incorporates theoretical and empirical evidence and engages key stakeholders and community members or patients in the planning process results in interventions that are more effective. Nevertheless, exactly how and when to use evidence, theory, and community-based participation during planning represents a challenge. In this Perspective, we describe Intervention Mapping (IM), a framework for theory- and evidence-based health promotion program planning that addresses this challenge by providing a systematic and stepwise approach to planning interventions. IM has been used to develop health promotion interventions and implementation strategies in community and clinical settings globally, with over 1000 published articles employing the framework. In this Perspective, we also highlight recent and innovative applications of IM described in the articles of the Frontiers in Public Health Special Topic on IM. We conclude by discussing new directions in the application of IM including novel methods for identifying determinants of behavior and environmental conditions, the application of IM for planning implementation strategies, and IM for adaptation of evidence-based programs in new settings.
Highlights
The development of effective health promotion interventions often requires reviews of the relevant literature, application of theories, collection of new data, and involvement of experts, community members, and stakeholders in the planning process
Intervention Mapping (IM) is a planning framework that provides a systematic process and detailed protocol for effective, step-by-step decision-making for intervention development, implementation, and evaluation
This paper provides an example of how IM can be useful in adapting evidence-based interventions so that they can be delivered through different platforms
Summary
The development of effective health promotion interventions often requires reviews of the relevant literature, application of theories, collection of new data, and involvement of experts, community members, and stakeholders in the planning process. Applying information from these varied sources to inform intervention development presents a challenge for even well-trained health promotion practitioners. IM is a planning framework that provides a systematic process and detailed protocol for effective, step-by-step decision-making for intervention development, implementation, and evaluation It is grounded in community based participatory research methods to ensure that the intervention matches priority population needs and intervention contexts.
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