The Precaution Adoption Process Model
The precaution adoption process model (PAPM) is a theory for understanding how people come to take actions to prevent illness, injury, or other types of harm. Its underlying assumption is that people must pass through a series of six qualitatively different stages on the path from ignorance to action (plus one stage that does not lead to action). This chapter explains the key assumptions underlying stage theories, describes and provides justification for the stages in the PAPM, reviews some of the research evidence for the PAPM stages, and discusses the advantages of a stage theory as compared with a continuum theory of change. The factors that determine movement to a stage closer to action vary from one stage to the next and may vary depending on the precaution under consideration. One key distinction in the PAPM is the difference between deciding to take action and actually enacting that decision.