PRECEDE Theory of Lawrence W. Green

B = f (PF,RF,EF)	B = Behavior f = function of PF = Predisposing Factors RF = Reinforcing Factors EF = Enabling Factors
Predisposing factors are intellectual and emotional “givens” that tend to make individuals more or less likely to adopt healthful or risky behaviors or lifestyles or to approve of or accept particular environmental conditions. Some of these factors can often be influenced by educational interventions. They include: ·         Knowledge . You’re more likely, for instance, to avoid sunburn if you know it can lead to skin cancer than if you don’t. ·         Attitudes . People who have spent their youth as athletes often come to see regular exercise as an integral part of life, as necessary and obvious as regular meals. ·         Beliefs . These can be mistaken understandings – believing that anything low in fat is also low in calories – or closely held beliefs based on religion or culture – the Bible says “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” so it’s important to physically punish your children for mistakes or misdeeds. ·         Values . A value system that renounces violence would make a parent less likely to beat a child, or to be physically abusive to a spouse or other family member. ·         Confidence . Many people fail to change risky behavior simply because they don’t feel capable of doing so.
Enabling factors are those internal and external conditions directly related to the issue that help people adopt and maintain healthy or unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles, or to embrace or reject particular environmental conditions. Among them are: ·         Availability of resources . People with mental health problems, for instance, are much more likely to get help if services are readily available. ·         Accessibility of services . Services do no good if they have waiting lists that run into years, or aren’t physically accessible to those who need them. (For more on availability and accessibility of services, see Chapter 24, Section 7: Developing and Increasing Access to Health and Community Services.) ·         Community and/or government laws, policies, priority, and commitment to the issue . Government laws and policies can both force changes in behavior or environment, and underline the importance of those changes. (See Chapter 25: Changing Policies, particularly Section 1: Overview of Tactics for Changing Policies; see also Chapters 30-35 on advocacy, which also deal with policy change, especially Chapters 33: Conducting a Direct Action Campaign, and 34: Media Advocacy.) ·         Issue-related skills . People who start out with a work ethic and an understanding of the workplace, for instance, are apt to benefit from job placement programs.
Reinforcing factors , are the people and community attitudes that support or make difficult adopting healthy behaviors or fostering healthy environmental conditions. These are largely the attitudes of influential people: family, peers, teachers, employers, health or human service