This book presents a framework for development optimization and evaluation of behavioral
biobehavioral and biomedical interventions. Behavioral biobehavioral and biomedical
interventions are programs with the objective of improving and maintaining human health and
well-being broadly defined in individuals families schools organizations or communities.
These interventions may be aimed at for example preventing or treating disease promoting
physical and mental health preventing violence or improving academic achievement.This volume
introduces the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) pioneered at The Methodology Center at
the Pennsylvania State University as an alternative to the classical approach of relying
solely on the randomized controlled trial (RCT). MOST borrows heavily from perspectives taken
and approaches used in engineering and also integrates concepts from statistics and behavioral
science including the RCT. As described in detail in this book MOST consists of three phases:
preparation in which the conceptual model underlying the intervention is articulated
optimization in which experimentation is used to gather the information necessary to identify
the optimized intervention and evaluation in which the optimized intervention is evaluated in
a standard RCT. Through numerous examples the book demonstrates that MOST can be used to
develop interventions that are more effective efficient economical and scalable.Optimization
of Behavioral Biobehavioral and Biomedical Interventions: The Multiphase Optimization
Strategy is the first book to present a comprehensive introduction to MOST. It will be an
essential resource for behavioral biobehavioral and biomedical scientists statisticians
biostatisticians and analysts working in epidemiology and public health and graduate-level
courses in development and evaluation of interventions.
