This document discusses ecological models of health behavior. Ecological models emphasize environmental and policy contexts of behavior while incorporating social and psychological influences. The core concept is that behavior has multiple levels of influences, including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, physical environmental, and policy levels. Effective interventions should target mechanisms of change at several levels to maximize behavior change by supporting healthful choices through environments, policies, and social norms. While broadening perspectives, ecological models also lack specificity about the most important influences and how variables interact across levels.

1. Unit: IV
ECOLOGICAL
MODEL
Mrs. D. Melba Sahaya Sweety RN,RM
PhD Nursing , MSc Nursing (Pediatric Nursing), BSc Nursing
Associate Professor
Department of Pediatric Nursing
Enam Nursing College, Savar,
Bangladesh.
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2. • Ecological modelsof healthbehavior isa Modelwhich
emphasizetheenvironmental andpolicycontextsof behavior,
whileincorporatingsocialandpsychological influences.
• Ecological modelsarebelievedtoprovide comprehensiveframeworksfor
understandingthe multipleandinteractingdeterminantsof health behaviors.
• Thecoreconceptofanecologicalmodelisthat behaviorhasmultiplelevelsof
influences,often includingintrapersonal(biological,psychological),
interpersonal(social,cultural), organizational, community,physical
environmental,andpolicy.
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3. Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Organizational
Community
Public Policy
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4. Level of influence Description
Intrapersonal
Individual, personal
Individual characteristics that influence
behavior: Knowledge, skills, self-efficacy
Interpersonal
Family, friends, peers
Interpersonal processes and groups
providing identity and support
Organizational Churches,
Temples, Mosques, stores,
community organization
Rules, regulation, policies, structures
constraining or promote behaviors
Community
Social networks
Community norms (community
regulations)
Public policy
Local, state, federal
Policies and laws that regulate or support
healthy practices/actions 4

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6. 
Therearemultipleinfluences onspecific health behaviors,including
factors at theintrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community,
andpublic policylevels.
Influences onbehaviorsinteract across thesedifferent levels.
Ecological models should bebehavior-specific, identifying the most
relevant potentialinfluences at eachlevel.
Multi-level interventions should bemosteffective in changingbehavior
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7. 
•  Theultimatepurposeofecological modelsofhealthbehavioristo
informthedevelopment ofcomprehensiveintervention approaches
thatcansystematicallytargetmechanismsof changeatseveral levels
of influence.
•  Behavior changeisexpectedtobemaximizedwhen environments
andpoliciessupport healthful choices, when socialnormsandsocial
supportforhealthfulchoicesarestrong, andwhenindividuals are
motivatedandeducatedtomakethosechoices 7

8. 
Strength
Focus onmultiplelevels of influence that broadens optionsfor
interventions.
Policy andenvironmental interventionscanestablish setting and
incentives that canpersist in sustaining behavior changes.
Helpingtosolvetheproblemthat theeffectsof many
individually directedinterventionsarepoorly maintained.
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9. 
Weakness
 Lackof specificityaboutthe most important hypothesizedinfluences.
 Lackinformation abouthowthebroader levels of influence operate or how
variablesinteract across level.
 Themodelhasbroaden perspectives withoutidentifying specific variablesor
providingguidanceabout howtouseecological model to improveresearch
or interventions.
 Needsophisticatedoperationalmodels that leadto testable hypotheses
anduseful guidancefor intervention. 9

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