The Health and Behavior Research Project
(HBRP) is a group of studies examining applications of social psychology theory to health behavior—e.g.,
substance use, risky sex, sun exposure, exercise, nutrition, etc. Our research
consists of experimental studies in controlled laboratory settings as well as
field studies (surveys), interventions, and preventive-interventions, outside
the lab. It is conducted with African American, Hispanic and White
participants-- college students, adults, adolescents, and children (as young as
10)-- in their homes, schools, clinics, and where they work (e.g., highway
workers in the Department of Transportation in garages) and play (e.g., San
Diego beaches).
Most of the research is
based on a social-reaction model of adolescent health-risk behavior, which
contends that adolescents’ health decision-making strategies often do not
follow the planful sequence outlined by most current theories. The
Prototype/Willingness (PW) model was designed to address the social nature
of health-related risk behaviors and maintains that behaviors are often reactions
to risk-conducive situations, rather than planned activities.
The Health
& Behavior Research Project is associated with the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Social and Behavioral
Research at Iowa State University.
The project is funded by grants from the National
Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Center for Disease Control, and National Cancer Institute.
Please feel
free to contact us for more information:
Health & Behavior Research Project
Department of
W112
Ames
phone: (515) 294-8686
fax: (515) 294-1159