Behavioural and Social Science

The Behavioural and Social Science Section will provide a collaborative platform to integrate behavioural insights into public health strategies, advancing both research and application.

The aims of the Section are:

1. Foster cross-national and interdisciplinary research that integrates behavioural science into public health, generating high-quality evidence to inform policy and practice.
2. Facilitate partnerships between behavioural scientists at national public health associations, WHO/Europe, the European Commission, and the European Parliament to enhance the role of behavioural science in public health.
3. Provide training, workshops, and networking opportunities to strengthen the capacity of public health professionals in behavioural science applications.
4. Promote collaboration with other EUPHA Sections, particularly in areas such as chronic diseases, infectious diseases, health promotion, and health policy, to ensure behavioural science is integrated across multiple domains.
5. Advocate for the integration of behavioural science in European public health policies, supporting evidence-based strategies to enhance health outcomes.

The Behavioural and Social Science Section was established in November 2025. The Section recognises that behavioural science is a cross-cutting theme and thus aims to work closely with related sections to coordinate the behavioural science efforts on behalf of EUPHA.

The growing importance of behavioural science in public health is underscored by key WHO resolutions, including the WHA76.7 resolution (WHO, 2023) and the Regional Framework for Behavioural and Cultural Insights for Health, 2022–2027 (WHO, 2022), both adopted by its 194 Member States. These policies reinforce the critical role of behavioural science in shaping effective health strategies and guiding policy implementation. As part of these efforts, countries have committed to engaging with behavioural and cultural insights for better health (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control & WHO, 2023). The WHO European Programme of Work (EPW) has recognised behavioural science as a flagship initiative and will continue to prioritise its integration in EPW 2 (WHO, 2022).