Early Intervention in Health Behaviors (EARLINT)

Research Collaboration Early Intervention in Health Risk Behaviors (EARLINT)

Scientific evidence supports the high relevance of disease prevention for increasing life ex-pectancy and quality of life in the population. However, prevention research in Germany needs further development.

Besides existing, legal measures, interventions to increase healthy behaviors in the population are important facets of prevention.

Extensive research revealed broad knowledge about the relevance of behavioral risk factors, e.g., tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight und physical inactivity. However, applicable behavior-change interventions, which are capable to increase life expectancy and quality of life in the population, are lacking.

For this reason, the aim of the EARLINT-collaboration is to promote population-based early interventions. Early intervention aim to motivate people to engage in healthy behaviors at the long-term.

Key parts of the intervention research in the EARLINT-Collaboration

Population focus

The EARLINT-collaboration acts according to the principles of Public-Health Impact (c.f., Glasgow, 1999). Following these principles, developed interventions should follow four aims:

  1. the majority of the population should be reached,
  2. the interventions have to be effective,
  3. the interventions have to be applicable and implemented in health care,
  4. the interventions should be maintained at the long-term.  

To achieve high Public-Health Impact, interventions need to show social impact, as well. This implies that particularly individuals with low socio-economic status are reached and moti-vated to participate in interventions, and that these interventions are effective. This is of high importance as many preventive interventions mainly reach those parts of the population that might have engaged in healthy behaviors with lower or even without any support.

Long-term research process

The EARLINT-collaboration follows the principle of intervention development as thorough and long planned process. In a first step, pilot studies to reach populations, e.g., in settings like medical practices or job agencies, and pilot studies to test interventions are conducted. Pilot-ing is followed by successively optimizing the intervention approach until realisation of ran-domized controlled trials to evaluate its effectivity. Subsequently, implementation studies aim to improve the routine application of the intervention in the population.

Theory base

To inform intervention development, internationally established theories for disease preven-tion, e.g., the Transtheoretical model of intentional behavior change (TTM, Prochaska & Velicer 1997), are applied. We use this conceptual framework to explain und support behavior change. TTM enables the inclusion of large parts of the population in prevention efforts: Be-sides individuals who are already preparing or trying to change their behavior, this approach also includes individuals who are not intended to change or feel undecided about change.

Involved research facilities

Past achievements

The EARLINT-collaboration started 2000. Since then, more than 30 third-party funded research projects were conducted. EARLINT is funded by public resources only.

Publications

Publications, last update February 2024

Current projects

Finished projects

EARLINT - Projects related to risky alcohol consumption

EARLINT – Projects related to tobacco smoking

  • Population impact of a counselling approach to quit tobacco smoking
  • Efficacy of a text messaging system (i.e., SMS) based smoking cessation intervention for adolescents and young adults
  • Expert system-based motivational interviewing for smoking cessation in general medical practices
  • Expert system-based motivational interviewing for smokers in the general population
  • Expert system-based motivational interviewing for smokers in inpatient rehabilitation
  • Expert system-based motivational interviewing for smokers without intention to change
  • Implementation of early interventions in general practice patients
  • Reaching families at their homes for an intervention to reduce tobacco smoke exposure (GESA)
  • Motivational interviewing for women using hormonal contraceptives (BRISC)
  • Motivational interviewing for post-partum women from the general population
  • Material bonuses for quitting smoking during pregnancy (MARS)

EARLINT – Projects related to drug addiction

  • Study on guideline use „Drugs – harmful use and addiction”

EARLINT - Projects related to behavioral addictions

EARLINT - Projects related to multiple unhealthy behaviors

  • Prevalence of gambling, media, cannabis and alcohol use in adolescents and young adults in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Fit4job)
  • Burden, Expectancies, Perspectives of Addicted individuals’ Significant others (BEPAS)

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