Exploring refinements in targeted behavioral medicine intervention to advance public health

Background Similar to other fields, a targeted behavioral medicine perspective can aid decision-making related to participant-intervention matching. Purpose To present one potentially useful definition of intervention targeting activity; describe potential targeting domains of particular relevance to behavioral medicine; discuss different statistical approaches to aid the targeted intervention development process; and discuss the challenges and opportunities accompanying the incorporation of targeted intervention development methods into behavioral randomized clinical trial (RCT) research. Methods Drawing from recent conceptual work by the MacArthur group and other scientists in the field, methods and approaches to undertaking moderator analysis are discussed. Results Examples of moderator analyses are provided which reflect the different statistical methods and variable domains that may serve as moderators of intervention success. Conclusions The recommended exploratory work can help to make the most efficient use of RCTs to identify the best paths for subsequent RCT development in a resource-constrained era.