The RANAS approach to systematic behavior change

All behavior is based on processes in people’s minds. Knowledge is activated, beliefs and emotions rise to the fore, and an intention to perform a particular behavior emerges, eventually resulting in observable behavior. In other words, these processes, which we term behavioral factors, determine behavior. To change behavior effectively, these behavioral factors have to be targeted by intervention programs. The Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, and Self-regulation (RANAS) approach to systematic behavior change is an established method for designing and evaluating behavior change strategies that target and change the behavioral factors of a specific behavior in a specific population. In brief, it is an easily applied method for measuring behavioral factors, assessing their influence on behavior, designing tailored strategies that change behavior and measuring the effectiveness of these. Although it was originally developed to change behavior in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) sector in developing countries, it is applicable to a range of behaviors in various settings and populations. The RANAS approach to systematic behavior change involves four phases (see figure): First, identify possible behavioral factors; second, measure the behavioral factors identified and determine those steering the behavior; third, select corresponding behavior change techniques (BCTs) and develop appropriate behavior change strategies; and fourth, implement and evaluate the behavior change strategies. In the following we briefly describe these four phases.