Health behaviour change interventions

Health behaviours, such as physical activity, should be encouraged for primary and secondary prevention of non-communicable diseases. Community-based interventions delivered in non-clinical settings may serve to promote such health behaviours while capitalising on existing infrastructures. Such interventions can cater to the needs and preferences of specific community groups and hence have the potential to be accessible, appropriate, and appealing when designed and implemented appropriately. To design sustainable community-based interventions, it is important to outline the parameters of the intervention setting and establish and maintain stakeholder engagement. However, inequalities may exist whereby some effective interventions either do not reach or are less effective for population sub-groups. Thus, interventions may require adapting, tailoring, or targeting to reach across the social spectrum. The effectiveness and sustainability of community-based health behaviour change interventions require alignment between the target population, key stakeholders, and public health policy.