How does the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) bridge the intention-behavior gap? An examination of the model's causal structure

Abstract

The health action process approach (HAPA) is attracting increasing interest from researchers who want to predict, explain, and change health-related behaviors. The main aim of this commentary is to examine the causal structure of the continuum version of the HAPA (HAPA-C), and, in particular, to consider the implications of this structure for the claim that the theory helps to bridge the intention-behavior gap. The article discusses, in turn, mediators of the intention-behavior relationship, additional proximal determinants of behavior, moderators of the intention-behavior relationship and implications for intervention. The commentary may contribute to a better understanding of the HAPA-C and to its further development. © 2007 International Association for Applied Psychology.