Assessing Two Decades of Progress in Health Behavior Research: A Comparative Analysis of Published Research in 2003 and 2023

Purpose: To assess changes in publications of health behavior research in leading journals across a 20-years period. Design: Systematic comparative descriptive snapshot analysis of all primary research-based articles published in the 2003 and 2023 issues of five leading health behavior journals. Setting: Document review. Sample: Articles (n = 1207) published in the following journals in 2003 and 2023: American Journal of Health Promotion, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Health Education & Behavior, and Health Psychology. Analysis: T-tests and chi-squared tests were used to assess differences in publication characteristics between the 2 years. Results: The number of published studies more than doubled between the two time points. Significant changes were seen between the health behavior of interest, methodology, setting, and the use of large data sets. Conclusions: Compared to 2003, there were twice as many articles published in 2023. Sample sizes were larger, but cross-sectional studies still predominated. Theoretical frameworks have greatly expanded, and there were no clear preferred theories. Critical Limitations: Papers were only abstracted from five journals across 2 years. Comparisons of other journals and other volumes may yield different results.