bedtime reading: NICE: Behaviour change at population, community and individual levels, October 2007

NICE public health guidance 6

Can be downloaded from www.nice.org.uk/PH006

Summary - the guidance highlights the need to:

• Plan carefully interventions and programmes aimed at changing behaviour, taking into account the local and national context and working in partnership with recipients. Interventions and programmes should be based on a sound knowledge of community needs and should build upon the existing skills and resources within a community.


• Equip practitioners with the necessary competencies and skills to support behaviour change, using evidence-based tools. (Education providers should ensure courses for practitioners are based on theoretically informed, evidencebased best practice.)


• Evaluate all behaviour change interventions and programmes, either locally or as part of a larger project. Wherever possible, evaluation should include an economic component.