Moffat, Abby;
Cook, Erica Jane;
Chater, Angel Marie;
(2022)
Examining the influences on the use of behavioural science within UK local authority public health: Qualitative thematic analysis and deductive mapping to the COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework.
Frontiers in Public Health
, 10
, Article 1016076. 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016076.
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Abstract
Background: Behavioural science and its contribution towards improving public health is receiving increased recognition. Yet, the translation of these insights into public health practice is under-researched. This study explored the factors influencing the use of behavioural science within public health at a local authority level. Methods: Fourteen local authority staff (n = 13 female) in the south of England participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analysed inductively to identify key themes. These were later mapped deductively to the COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework. Findings: Nine themes were identified as factors that influence the use of behavioural science in local authority public health: (1) “Limited past experience,” (2) “Narrow understanding,” (3) “Perceived value of behavioural science,” (4) “Translational gap from theory-to-practice,” (5) “No protected time,” (6) “Old ways of working,” (7) “Political influence and organisational culture,” (8) “Relationships with key stakeholders,” (9) “Access to behavioural science resources”. Deductive mapping of these themes revealed that five of the COM constructs (excluding Physical Capability) and eleven of the TDF domains influenced behavioural science use, with “Social influences” and “Knowledge” being the most prominent. Discussion: Use of behavioural science within local authority public health practice is limited and inconsistent. For it to be successfully implemented, there must be an understanding of its role and value, alongside strategies to overcome a translational gap from theory to practice. Public health teams would benefit from protected time to enable application and strategies to break old habits of using a common-sense approach. System-wide buy-in, particularly related to senior leadership and system partners is needed, which would benefit from organisational and political culture change. Training opportunities, practical resources and expert in-house support should be considered a priority across public health teams.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Examining the influences on the use of behavioural science within UK local authority public health: Qualitative thematic analysis and deductive mapping to the COM-B model and Theoretical Domains Framework |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016076 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016076 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2022 Moffat, Cook and Chater. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, behavioural science, public health, local authority, Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), COM-B, Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), evidence-based practice, DATA SATURATION, SAMPLE-SIZE, INTERVIEWS, SYSTEMS |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10162495 |
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