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Targeting behavioral interventions based on past behavior: Evidence from vaccine uptake

Ilana Brody et al.

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104465article
FT50AJG 4ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

• The effectiveness of behavioral interventions depends on past behavior. • Interventions targeting follow-through are effective for people with prior adoption. • Interventions targeting intentions are not effective for people with prior adoption. • More research needed to effectively change behavior of those without prior adoption. • Assess transferability across online, field, and nationally scaled settings. Behavior change interventions are widely used, but for whom are they most effective? We examine whether past behavior shapes the effectiveness of interventions designed to either (1) provide information to shift intentions or (2) help people follow through on existing intentions. We focus on encouraging flu vaccinations. In online experiments (Study 1; N = 2,602), a video correcting misconceptions about flu vaccines increased vaccination intentions more effectively among people who had not been vaccinated in the prior flu season than those who had. In a field experiment with health systems (Study 2; N = 14,760), the same information intervention increased vaccination intentions and uptake for people who had not been vaccinated in the prior season but it did not have a significant impact on those previously vaccinated, though the difference between these subgroups was not statistically significant. In contrast, in the same field experiment, a follow-through intervention designed to make vaccination salient and convenient increased vaccine uptake only among those previously vaccinated. In a large-scale field experiment where streamlined adaptations of these interventions were delivered by a pharmacy (Study 3; N = 2,980,249), the follow-through intervention was again more effective for prior adopters than for previously unvaccinated individuals, while the information intervention had no impact for either subgroup. Collectively, these findings suggest that people’s past behavior may indicate whether insufficient intentions or follow-through challenges are the more relevant impediments to behavior change. Organizations can use this insight to decide whether and how to invest resources in behavior change interventions.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104465

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@article{ilana2026,
  title        = {{Targeting behavioral interventions based on past behavior: Evidence from vaccine uptake}},
  author       = {Ilana Brody et al.},
  journal      = {Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2025.104465},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.