science

Intervention mapping

Intervention mapping is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intervention mapping rather than just read about it. In short: Intervention Mapping is an approach for developing theory-based and evidence-based health promotion programs. Intervention Mapping describes the process of health promotion program planning in six steps: the needs and assets assessment based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model the definition of intervention outcomes and objectives based upon scientific analyses of health problems and problem causing factors; the selection…

Key takeaways

Intervention mapping belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intervention mapping to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intervention mapping from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

the needs and assets assessment based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model the definition of intervention outcomes and objectives based upon scientific analyses of health problems and problem causing factors; the selection of intervention methods and translating them into practical applications to change (determinants of) health-related behavior; the intervention design and production; the anticipation of adoption, implementation and sustainability; and the anticipation of process and effect evaluation. Intervention Mapping is characterized by three perspectives: an ecological approach, participation of all stakeholders, and the use of theories and evidence. Although Intervention Mapping is presented as a series of steps, the authors see the planning process as iterative rather than linear. Program planners move back and forth between tasks and steps. The process is also cumulative: each step is based on previous steps, and inattention to a particular step may lead to mistakes and inadequate decisions.

Brief history and purpose of the approach Intervention Mapping was first developed and introduced in 1998 by L. Kay Bartholomew, Guy S. Parcel & Gerjo Kok, with an article in Health Education & Behavior. In 2001 the first edition of the book followed, with Nell H. Gottlieb as 4th author. In 2006, the 2nd edition was published, and in 2011, the 3rd edition, with Maria E. Fernández as 5th author. The 4th edition appeared in 2016, authored by L. Kay Bartholomew Eldridge, Christine M. Markham, Robert A.C. Ruiter, Maria Fernández, Gerjo Kok & Guy S. Parcel. This was the last edition led by L. Kay Bartholomew Eldridge, who died in February 2016. Intervention Mapping was developed as a reaction to a lack of comprehensive frameworks for health promotion program development. Intervention Mapping aims to help health promoters develop the best possible intervention. The key words in this approach are planning, research, and theory. Intervention Mapping provides a vocabulary for intervention planning, procedures for planning activities, and technical assistance with identifying determinants and methods for change. Intervention Mapping can also help in adapting existing interventions to new populations and settings, and provides a taxonomy of behavior change methods that can be used to develop interventions. In the health promotion field, Intervention Mapping has successfully been applied in various settings, to a wide range of different behaviors and populations. It may help planners develop theory- and evidence-based interventions to promote healthy behavior. More specifically, Intervention Mapping ensures that theoretical models and empirical evidence guide planners in two areas: (1) the identification of behavioral and environmental determinants related to a target problem, and (2) the selection of the most appropriate theoretical methods and practical applications to address the identified determinants. Intervention Mapping has been described as elaborate. However, this is crucial to bring the development of interventions to a higher level, indicating that advantages outweighed disadvantages. Intervention Mapping is developed in the health promotion field but can easily be applied in other fields, such as promoting energy conservation.

Steps and tasks Are the following:

Step 1: Needs and Assets Assessment Establish a planning group Conduct a needs assessment and assets assesment Describe the context for the intervention including the community, population, and setting State intervention goals Step 2: Intervention Outcomes and Objectives State desired behavioral and environmental outcomes Specify performance objectives for behavioral and environmental outcomes Select determinants for behavioral and environmental outcomes Construct matrices of change objectives Step 3: Methods and Practical Applications Generate intervention ideas with the planning group Choose theory- and evidence-based change methods Select or design practical applications to deliver change methods Step 4: Intervention Design and Production Define intervention structure (themes, components, scope, and sequence) Plan intervention messages, materials, and activities Produce intervention materials, activities, and protocols Pretest, refine, and finalize materials, activities, and protocols Step 5: Implementation Mapping Conduct an implementation needs and assets assessment and identify program implementers Identify implementation performance objectives and determinants to create matrices of change objectives Choose change methods and design implementation strategies Produce implementation protocols and materials Evaluate implementation outcomes Step 6: Evaluation Plan Review the logic model of change, matrices, and implementation plan to guide process and effect evaluation Develop process evaluation questions and identify measures Develop effect evaluation questions, select a design, and identify measures Pilot test the intervention and finalize evaluation plan Plan when and how to report evaluation findings

See also Behavior change (public health) Behavioural change theories Health psychology

References and bibliography

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intervention mapping

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intervention mapping claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intervention mapping before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intervention mapping ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intervention mapping

In research: Intervention mapping appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intervention mapping in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intervention mapping is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Health promotion, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intervention mapping outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intervention mapping in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intervention mapping means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intervention mapping out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intervention mapping in simple terms?

Intervention Mapping is an approach for developing theory-based and evidence-based health promotion programs. Intervention Mapping describes the process of health promotion program planning in six steps: the needs and assets assessment based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model the definition of interventi…

Why does Intervention mapping matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intervention mapping?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intervention mapping.