The TTM has been used by a number of
investigators to design successful interventions to
change health behaviors, including smoking, emotional
distress, alcohol abuse, weight loss, and
mammography screening (Prochaska & DiClemente,
1992). The success of these previous
interventions has been dependent upon two
assumptions of the model. First, movement
between stages in the model is linear, although
movement back and forth between stages is
common before a permanent transition to the next
stage, and, ultimately, movement to the maintenance
stage is realized. The second assumption is
that individuals' present stage of change has
implications for the types of intervention that will
assist them in progressing through the model
toward the maintenance stage.