Table 1 Definitions of interventions and policies

Education

Increasing knowledge or understanding

Providing information to promote healthy eating

Persuasion

Using communication to induce positive or negative feelings or stimulate action

Using imagery to motivate increases in physical activity

Incentivisation

Creating expectation of reward

Using prize draws to induce attempts to stop smoking

Coercion

Creating expectation of punishment or cost

Raising the financial cost to reduce excessive alcohol consumption

Training

Imparting skills

Advanced driver training to increase safe driving

Restriction

Using rules to reduce the opportunity to engage in the target behaviour (or to increase the target behaviour by reducing the opportunity to engage in competing behaviours)

Prohibiting sales of solvents to people under 18 to reduce use for intoxication

Environmental restructuring

Changing the physical or social context

Providing on-screen prompts for GPs to ask about smoking behaviour

Modelling

Providing an example for people to aspire to or imitate

Using TV drama scenes involving safe-sex practices to increase condom use

Enablement

Increasing means/reducing barriers to increase capability or opportunity¹

Behavioural support for smoking cessation, medication for cognitive deficits, surgery to reduce obesity, prostheses to promote physical activity

Policies

Communication/marketing

Using print, electronic, telephonic or broadcast media

Conducting mass media campaigns

Guidelines

Creating documents that recommend or mandate practice. This includes all changes to service provision

Producing and disseminating treatment protocols

Fiscal

Using the tax system to reduce or increase the financial cost

Increasing duty or increasing anti-smuggling activities

Regulation

Establishing rules or principles of behaviour or practice

Establishing voluntary agreements on advertising

Legislation

Making or changing laws

Prohibiting sale or use

Environmental/social planning

Designing and/or controlling the physical or social environment

Using town planning

Service provision

Delivering a service

Establishing support services in workplaces, communities etc.