Health action process approach: A research agenda at the Freie Universitat Berlin to examine and promote health behavior change

Health Psychology at the Freie Universität Berlin is devoted to research and teaching in the entire field of health psychology, including stress, coping, social support, self-efficacy, personality, quality of life, and health behavior change. In this article, we briefly describe one theory that represents our line of thinking (the Health Action Process Approach), followed by examples of longitudinal and experimental studies on health behavior change. A major finding is that interventions to improve physical activity, healthy nutrition, and dental hygiene are most effective when matched to three stages of change. Moreover, we address the field of health self-regulation across the life span: We are involved in the consortium Autonomy Despite Multimorbidity in Old Age (AMA), co-investigating the project Health Behaviors and Multiple Illnesses in Old Age (PREFER), and we are the home institution of the project Fostering Lifelong Autonomy and Resources in Europe: Behaviour and Successful Aging (FLARE-BSA).