Some of the most persistent public health challenges have a behavioural component. For example, suboptimal vaccination or cancer screening uptake, low compliance with protective pandemic or sexual behaviours, poor adherence to treatment for chronic diseases, overuse and misuse of antibiotics, and alcohol and tobacco consumption all centre around human behaviour. Such behaviours have great implications for people’s health and well-being and for the burden on the already overstretched health systems.

It is well established that such behaviours are complex. Effectively enabling and supporting them requires a good understanding of the sociocultural context as well as possible structural and health systems barriers and factors related to individual motivation or health literacy.

Still, the growing body of evidence and robust methods available to understand, enable and support health behaviour are underutilized in public health. Member States have asked WHO to provide technical support in advancing this area of work. In response, WHO works together with public health authorities across the Region to:

• conduct research, engage with experts and those affected and review available data and evidence to explore the barriers to and drivers of health behaviours;
• use the insights gained to inform health policies, services and communication, tailoring them to the needs and circumstances of people and communities; and
• evaluate the effect of these interventions using robust methodology.

To guide this work, WHO/Europe has developed the guidance document titled A guide to tailoring health programmes: using behavioural and cultural insights to tailor health policies, services and communications to the needs and circumstances of people and communities.