Although research on Health Behavior Theory
(HBT) is being conducted at a rapid pace, the
extent to which the field is truly moving forward
in understanding health behavior has
been questioned. This issue is examined in the
current article. First, we discuss the problems
within the HBT literature. Second, we discuss
the proliferation of HBT and why theory
comparison is essential to this area of research.
Finally, we reflect on ways that the field might
move forward by suggesting a new agenda for
HBT research. It is argued that increased
recognition of the similarity of health behavior
constructs as well as increased empirical comparisons
of theories are essential for true
scientific progress in this line of inquiry.