Analyzing data to obtain information to design targeted interventions

The utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a predictor of condom use behaviours is investigated and a revised integrative behavioural prediction model is suggested. According to the revised model, there are five immediate determinants of condom use intentions: Attitude, subjective norm, partner norm, perceived behavioural control and the mean of weighted control beliefs. An analytic strategy for testing this model and for identifying critical beliefs to be targeted for behaviour change interventions is described. The analytical approach involves five steps necessary to identify key determinants of a given behaviour in a given population. Step 1, the 'correlational analysis' investigates whether the elicited beliefs do in fact underlie the theoretical factors that are assumed to represent the direct psychosocial determinants of intention, and whether those determinants do predict condom use intentions. The 'direct determinant' regression analysis investigates the extent to which the five theoretical factors differentially contribute to our understanding of intention. For those direct determinants that independently explain intention, the underlying behavioural, normative and control beliefs are investigated in step 3, 'the individual indicator analysis'. In step 4, the critical targets for an intervention are identified and, in step 5, a method to identify alternate targets for an intervention is presented.