Today at ISBNPA 2009, professor Ken Resnicow gave his key note address: Moving beyond linear models of behavior change; embracing complexity and chaos.
His key note was very thought provoking. He argued that that the behavioral nutrition and physical activity field has been guided by a cognitive, rationale paradigm, described in health behavior models and theories such as the Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Trans Theoretical Model.
Dr. Resnocow claimed and presented preliminary evidence that we may need a paradigm shift to move the field forward, a shift towards embracing chaos theory and complex dynamic systems in our field. Key principles from these perspectives described by Dr. Resnicow are:
1. Behavior change is often quantum rather than linear
2. Behavior change is a chaotic process that is highly variable and difficult to predict
3. Behavior change is a complex dynamic system that involves multiple component parts that interact in a non-linear way
4. Behavior change is sensitive to initial conditions
Dr. Resnicow has published his line of thinking in two published papers, one in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical activity, and one in the American Journal of Public Health. Click here for the IJBNPA paper and here for a reaction by Tom Baranowski and here for one by myself. The reference to the more recent paper by Resnicow in AJPH can be found here.
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