Translating Lessons Learned from HIV Behavioral Interventions to Health Behavior Interventions for People with Mental Disorders
Concept Clearance — July 2005
Presenter
William T. Riley, Ph.D.
Chief, Behavior Change Research Program
Health and Behavior Research Branch
Division of AIDS and Health and Behavior Research
Description
Much has been learned from research investigating behavioral interventions to prevent the spread of HIV and its numerous health consequences. Some of the lessons learned in HIV behavioral research, such as targeting multiple risk factors, integrating behavioral interventions with medical treatments, and intervening at multiple system levels (e.g., individual, community, organization, socio-cultural), could inform research to develop efficacious health behavior interventions for people with mental disorders. Although HIV has a clearly defined etiology while mental disorder etiologies are complex and less will understood, behavioral interventions for HIV could serve as a model to stimulate innovative research on health behavior change related to the function, disability, morbidity, and mortality of people with mental disorders. The purpose of the RFA is to encourage innovative research in health behavior change among those with mental disorders that is informed by research in behavioral interventions for HIV/AIDS.
Behavioral interventions for primary and secondary prevention of HIV were derived from health behavior theory and research but were adapted to address issues unique to those at risk for HIV or who are HIV-positive. Similar adaptation is anticipated to address health behavior issues such as smoking, poor nutrition, and sedentary activity levels of those with mental disorders. HIV behavioral risk reduction research could potentially be used as a model to facilitate theory-driven research on the development of behavioral and psychosocial interventions-prevention and treatment-aimed at changing health behaviors and improving functional outcomes of those with mental disorders. The research should identify potent, modifiable risk and protective health behavior factors amenable to intervention, and to translate the results of such studies into initial tests of theory-driven prevention and early intervention strategies aimed at improving function and decreasing health disability, morbidity, and mortality among people with mental disorders.
Comments
Submit comments to Jean Noronha at jnoronha@mail.nih.gov.
