title: Use of Health Behavior Theory in Funded Grant Proposals: Cancer Screening Interventions as a Case Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interventions using theory should change behavior and identify both mechanisms of effect and necessary conditions. To date, inconsistent description of "use of theory" has limited understanding of how theory improves intervention impact.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe the use of theory in health behavior intervention development by coding grant proposals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed an abstraction tool to characterize investigators, interventions, and theory use and identified seven core elements describing both how and how much theory was used. We used the tool to review and code NCI's funded cancer screening intervention R01 proposals, 1998-2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 116 proposals, 38 met criteria; all but one described a conceptual model unique to the proposed research. Few proposals included plans to identify mechanisms of effect or conditions necessary for intervention effectiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cancer screening intervention grant proposals rarely use theory in ways that advance behavioral or theoretical sciences. Proposed core elements may classify and synthesize the use of theory in behavioral intervention research.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. kobrins@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobrin
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Office of Disease Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral and Communication Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiro
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: The Emmes Corporation, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Dikla
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shmueli-Blumberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rothman
mesh_terms: D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012107:Research Design; D012109:Research Support as Topic
keywords: Behavioral theory; Cancer screening; Grant proposal; Use of theory