The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) is a way to help people make positive changes in their health (Schwarzer, Lippke, & Luszczynska, 2011). The approach combines the idea of taking action with what we know about how our minds work.
There are five important ideas in the HAPA:
1. Motivation and volition: This means that the process of changing health behaviors can be split into two parts. First, people decide they want to make a change (motivation), and then they actually start taking action (volition).
2. Two volitional phases: In the volition phase, there are two groups of people: those who are planning to take action but haven’t started yet (pre-intenders), and those who have already started making changes (intenders and actors).
3. Postintentional planning: People who have the intention to change but haven’t started yet might need some help planning how to do it. Planning can make it easier to turn intentions into actions.
4. Two kinds of mental simulation: Planning is divided into two parts. Action planning is about figuring out when, where, and how to take action. Coping planning is about anticipating and overcoming obstacles that might get in the way.
5. Phase-specific self-efficacy: Self-efficacy means believing in yourself and your ability to make changes. In the HAPA, self-efficacy is needed at every stage, but it might be different depending on where a person is in the process.
Researchers have found that using the HAPA approach can be helpful for different people depending on their individual characteristics. It can be tailored to fit each person’s needs and make it more effective in promoting positive health changes (Lippke et al. 2015; Schwarzer et al., 2011).
Lippke, S., Fleig, L., Wiedemann, A., & Schwarzer, R. (2015). A computerized lifestyle application to promote multiple health behaviors at the workplace: Testing its behavioral and psychological effects. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(10), e225.
Schwarzer, R., Lippke, S., & Luszczynska, A. (2011). Mechanisms of health behavior change in persons with chronic illness or disability: The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). Rehabilitation Psychology, 56, 161 170.
