scholarly journals Delivering Behaviour Change Interventions: Development of a Mode of Delivery Ontology

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta M. Marques ◽  
Rachel N. Carey ◽  
Emma Norris ◽  
Fiona Evans ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Intervention Evaluation ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Expert Review ◽  
Ontology Language ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Upper Level

Background: Investigating and improving the effects of behaviour change interventions requires detailed and consistent specification of all aspects of interventions. An important feature of interventions is the way in which these are delivered, i.e. their mode of delivery. This paper describes an ontology for specifying the mode of delivery of interventions, which forms part of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, currently being developed in the Wellcome Trust funded Human Behaviour-Change Project. Methods: The Mode of Delivery Ontology was developed in an iterative process of annotating behaviour change interventions evaluation reports, and consulting with expert stakeholders. It consisted of seven steps: 1) annotation of 110 intervention reports to develop a preliminary classification of modes of delivery; 2) open review from international experts (n=25); 3) second round of annotations with 55 reports to test inter-rater reliability and identify limitations; 4) second round of expert review feedback (n=16); 5) final round of testing of the refined ontology by two annotators familiar and two annotators unfamiliar with the ontology; 6) specification of ontological relationships between entities; and 7) transformation into a machine-readable format using the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and publishing online. Results: The resulting ontology is a four-level hierarchical structure comprising 65 unique modes of delivery, organised by 15 upper-level classes: Informational, Environmental change, Somatic, Somatic alteration, Individual-based/ Pair-based /Group-based, Uni-directional/Interactional, Synchronous/ Asynchronous, Push/ Pull, Gamification, Arts feature. Relationships between entities consist of is_a. Inter-rater reliability of the Mode of Delivery Ontology for annotating intervention evaluation reports was a=0.80 (very good) for those familiar with the ontology and a= 0.58 (acceptable) for those unfamiliar with it. Conclusion: The ontology can be used for both annotating and writing behaviour change intervention evaluation reports in a consistent and coherent manner, thereby improving evidence comparison, synthesis, replication, and implementation of effective interventions.

scholarly journals Delivering Behaviour Change Interventions: Development of a Mode of Delivery Ontology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta M. Marques ◽  
Rachel N. Carey ◽  
Emma Norris ◽  
Fiona Evans ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Intervention Evaluation ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Expert Review ◽  
Ontology Language ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Upper Level

Background: Investigating and improving the effects of behaviour change interventions requires detailed and consistent specification of all aspects of interventions. An important feature of interventions is the way in which these are delivered, i.e. their mode of delivery. This paper describes an ontology for specifying the mode of delivery of interventions, which forms part of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, currently being developed in the Wellcome Trust funded Human Behaviour-Change Project. Methods: The Mode of Delivery Ontology was developed in an iterative process of annotating behaviour change interventions evaluation reports, and consulting with expert stakeholders. It consisted of seven steps: 1) annotation of 110 intervention reports to develop a preliminary classification of modes of delivery; 2) open review from international experts (n=25); 3) second round of annotations with 55 reports to test inter-rater reliability and identify limitations; 4) second round of expert review feedback (n=16); 5) final round of testing of the refined ontology by two annotators familiar and two annotators unfamiliar with the ontology; 6) specification of ontological relationships between entities; and 7) transformation into a machine-readable format using the Web Ontology Language (OWL) language and publishing online. Results: The resulting ontology is a four-level hierarchical structure comprising 65 unique modes of delivery, organised by 15 upper-level classes: Informational, Environmental change, Somatic, Somatic alteration, Individual-based/ Pair-based /Group-based, Uni-directional/Interactional, Synchronous/ Asynchronous, Push/ Pull, Gamification, Arts feature. Relationships between entities consist of is_a. Inter-rater reliability of the Mode of Delivery Ontology for annotating intervention evaluation reports was a=0.80 (very good) for those familiar with the ontology and a= 0.58 (acceptable) for those unfamiliar with it. Conclusion: The ontology can be used for both annotating and writing behaviour change intervention evaluation reports in a consistent and coherent manner, thereby improving evidence comparison, synthesis, replication, and implementation of effective interventions.

scholarly journals Specifying who delivers behaviour change interventions: development of an Intervention Source Ontology

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Emma Norris ◽  
Alison J. Wright ◽  
Janna Hastings ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Neil Boyt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Ontology Development ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Occupational Role ◽  
Key Steps

Background:  Identifying how behaviour change interventions are delivered, including by whom, is key to understanding intervention effectiveness. However, information about who delivers interventions is reported inconsistently in intervention evaluations, limiting communication and knowledge accumulation. This paper reports a method for consistent reporting: The Intervention Source Ontology. This forms one part of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, which aims to cover all aspects of behaviour change interventions. Methods: The Intervention Source Ontology was developed following methods for ontology development and maintenance used in the Human Behaviour-Change Project, with seven key steps: 1) define the scope of the ontology, 2) identify key entities and develop their preliminary definitions by reviewing existing classification systems (top-down) and reviewing 100 behaviour change intervention reports (bottom-up), 3) refine the ontology by piloting the preliminary ontology on 100 reports, 4) stakeholder review by 34 behavioural science and public health experts, 5) inter-rater reliability testing of annotating intervention reports using the ontology, 6) specify ontological relationships between entities and 7) disseminate and maintain the Intervention Source Ontology. Results: The Intervention Source Ontology consists of 140 entities. Key areas of the ontology include Occupational Role of Source, Relatedness between Person Source and the Target Population, Sociodemographic attributes and Expertise. Inter-rater reliability was found to be 0.60 for those familiar with the ontology and 0.59 for those unfamiliar with it, levels of agreement considered ‘acceptable’. Conclusions: Information about who delivers behaviour change interventions can be reliably specified using the Intervention Source Ontology. For human-delivered interventions, the ontology can be used to classify source characteristics in existing behaviour change reports and enable clearer specification of intervention sources in reporting.

scholarly journals Representation of behaviour change interventions and their evaluation: Development of the Upper Level of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Michie ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
Emma Norris ◽  
Alison J. Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Delivery Outcome ◽  
Relationship Types ◽  
Upper Level

Background: Behaviour change interventions (BCI), their contexts and evaluation methods are heterogeneous, making it difficult to synthesise evidence and make recommendations for real-world policy and practice. Ontologies provide a means for addressing this. They represent knowledge formally as entities and relationships using a common language able to cross disciplinary boundaries and topic domains. This paper reports the development of the upper level of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO), which provides a systematic way to characterise BCIs, their contexts and their evaluations. Methods: Development took place in four steps. (1) Entities and relationships were identified by behavioural and social science experts, based on their knowledge of evidence and theory, and their practical experience of behaviour change interventions and evaluations. (2) The outputs of the first step were critically examined by a wider group of experts, including the study ontology expert and those experienced in annotating relevant literature using the initial ontology entities. The outputs of the second step were tested by (3) feedback from three external international experts in ontologies and (4) application of the prototype upper-level BCIO to annotating published reports; this informed the final development of the upper-level BCIO. Results: The final upper-level BCIO specifies 42 entities, including the BCI scenario, elaborated across 21 entities and 7 relationship types, and the BCI evaluation study comprising 10 entities and 9 relationship types. BCI scenario entities include the behaviour change intervention (content and delivery), outcome behaviour, mechanism of action, and its context, which includes population and setting. These entities have corresponding entities relating to the planning and reporting of interventions and their evaluations. Conclusions: The upper level of the BCIO provides a comprehensive and systematic framework for representing BCIs, their contexts and their evaluations.

scholarly journals Development of an Intervention Setting Ontology for behaviour change: Specifying where interventions take place

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Norris ◽  
Marta M. Marques ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
Alison J. Wright ◽  
Robert West ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Ontology Development ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Ontology Language

Background: Contextual factors such as an intervention’s setting are key to understanding how interventions to change behaviour have their effects and patterns of generalisation across contexts. The intervention’s setting is not consistently reported in published reports of evaluations. Using ontologies to specify and classify intervention setting characteristics enables clear and reproducible reporting, thus aiding replication, implementation and evidence synthesis. This paper reports the development of a Setting Ontology for behaviour change interventions as part of a Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, currently being developed in the Wellcome Trust funded Human Behaviour-Change Project. Methods: The Intervention Setting Ontology was developed following methods for ontology development used in the Human Behaviour-Change Project: 1) Defining the ontology’s scope, 2) Identifying key entities by reviewing existing classification systems (top-down) and 100 published behaviour change intervention reports (bottom-up), 3) Refining the preliminary ontology by literature annotation of 100 reports, 4) Stakeholder reviewing by 23 behavioural science and public health experts to refine the ontology, 5) Assessing inter-rater reliability of using the ontology by two annotators familiar with the ontology and two annotators unfamiliar with it, 6) Specifying ontological relationships between setting entities and 7) Making the Intervention Setting Ontology machine-readable using Web Ontology Language (OWL) and publishing online. Results: The Intervention Setting Ontology consists of 72 entities structured hierarchically with two upper-level classes: Physical setting including Geographic location, Attribute of location (including Area social and economic condition, Population and resource density sub-levels) and Intervention site (including Facility, Transportation and Outdoor environment sub-levels), as well as Social setting. Inter-rater reliability was found to be 0.73 (good) for those familiar with the ontology and 0.61 (acceptable) for those unfamiliar with it. Conclusion: The Intervention Setting Ontology can be used to code information from diverse sources, annotate the setting characteristics of existing intervention evaluation reports and guide future reporting.

scholarly journals Representation of behaviour change interventions and their evaluation: Development of the Upper Level of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Susan Michie ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
Emma Norris ◽  
Alison J. Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Delivery Outcome ◽  
Relationship Types ◽  
Upper Level

Background: Behaviour change interventions (BCI), their contexts and evaluation methods are heterogeneous, making it difficult to synthesise evidence and make recommendations for real-world policy and practice. Ontologies provide a means for addressing this. They represent knowledge formally as entities and relationships using a common language able to cross disciplinary boundaries and topic domains. This paper reports the development of the upper level of the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO), which provides a systematic way to characterise BCIs, their contexts and their evaluations. Methods: Development took place in four steps. (1) Entities and relationships were identified by behavioural and social science experts, based on their knowledge of evidence and theory, and their practical experience of behaviour change interventions and evaluations. (2) The outputs of the first step were critically examined by a wider group of experts, including the study ontology expert and those experienced in annotating relevant literature using the initial ontology entities. The outputs of the second step were tested by (3) feedback from three external international experts in ontologies and (4) application of the prototype upper-level BCIO to annotating published reports; this informed the final development of the upper-level BCIO. Results: The final upper-level BCIO specifies 42 entities, including the BCI scenario, elaborated across 21 entities and 7 relationship types, and the BCI evaluation study comprising 10 entities and 9 relationship types. BCI scenario entities include the behaviour change intervention (content and delivery), outcome behaviour, mechanism of action, and its context, which includes population and setting. These entities have corresponding entities relating to the planning and reporting of interventions and their evaluations. Conclusions: The upper level of the BCIO provides a comprehensive and systematic framework for representing BCIs, their contexts and their evaluations.

scholarly journals A behaviour change intervention to reduce home exposure to second hand smoke during pregnancy in India and Bangladesh: a theory and evidence-based approach to development

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena A. Satyanarayana ◽  
Cath Jackson ◽  
Kamran Siddiqi ◽  
Prabha S. Chandra ◽  
Rumana Huque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Delphi Survey ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
At Home

Abstract Background Home exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is highly prevalent amongst pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh. The literature on the efficacy of behaviour change interventions to reduce home exposure to SHS in pregnancy is scarce. Methods We employed a theory and evidence-based approach to develop an intervention using pregnant women as agents of change for their husband’s smoking behaviours at home. A systematic review of SHS behaviour change interventions led us to focus on developing a multicomponent intervention and informed selection of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) for review in a modified Delphi survey. The modified Delphi survey provided expert consensus on the most effective BCTs in reducing home exposure to SHS. Finally, a qualitative interview study provided context and detailed understanding of knowledge, attitudes and practices around SHS. This insight informed the content and delivery of the proposed intervention components. Results The final intervention consisted of four components: a report on saliva cotinine levels of the pregnant woman, a picture booklet containing information about SHS and its impact on health as well strategies to negotiate a smoke-free home, a letter from the future baby to their father encouraging him to provide a smoke-free home, and automated voice reminder and motivational messages delivered to husbands on their mobile phone. Intervention delivery was in a single face-to-face session with a research assistant who explained the cotinine report, discussed key strategies for ensuring a smoke-free environment at home and practised with pregnant women how they would share the booklet and letter with their husband and supportive family members. Conclusion A theory and evidence-based approach informed the development of a multicomponent behaviour change intervention, described here. The acceptability and feasibility of the intervention which was subsequently tested in a pilot RCT in India and Bangladesh will be published later.

scholarly journals Estimating the reproducibility & transparency of smoking cessation behaviour change interventions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Norris ◽  
Yiwei He ◽  
Rachel Loh ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Susan Michie
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Conflict Of Interest ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Smoking Behaviour ◽  
Funding Source ◽  
Behaviour Change Intervention ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Introduction: Activities promoting research reproducibility and transparency are crucial for generating trustworthy evidence. Evaluation of smoking interventions is one area where vested interests may motivate reduced reproducibility and transparency. Aims: Assess markers of transparency and reproducibility in smoking behaviour change intervention evaluation reports.Methods: One hundred evaluation reports of smoking behaviour change intervention randomised controlled trials published in 2018-2019 were identified. Reproducibility markers of pre-registration, protocol sharing, data-, materials- and analysis script-sharing, replication of a previous study and open access publication were coded in identified reports. Transparency markers of funding and conflict of interest declarations were also coded. Coding was performed by two researchers, with inter-rater reliability calculated using Krippendorff’s alpha.Results: Seventy-one percent of reports were open access and 73% pre-registered. However, only 13% provided accessible materials, 7% accessible data and 1% accessible analysis scripts. No reports were replication studies. Ninety-four percent of reports provided a funding source statement and eighty-eight percent of reports provided a conflict of interest statement.Conclusions: Open data, materials, analysis and replications are rare in smoking behaviour change interventions, whereas funding source and conflict of interest declarations are common. Future smoking research should be more reproducible to enable knowledge accumulation.

scholarly journals Behaviour change techniques: the development and evaluation of a taxonomic method for reporting and describing behaviour change interventions (a suite of five studies involving consensus methods, randomised controlled trials and analysis of qualitative data)

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (99) ◽  
pp. 1-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Michie ◽  
Caroline E Wood ◽  
Marie Johnston ◽  
Charles Abraham ◽  
Jill J Francis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Consensus Methods ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Intercoder Reliability ◽  
Effective Interventions

BackgroundMeeting global health challenges requires effective behaviour change interventions (BCIs). This depends on advancing the science of behaviour change which, in turn, depends on accurate intervention reporting. Current reporting often lacks detail, preventing accurate replication and implementation. Recent developments have specified intervention content into behaviour change techniques (BCTs) – the ‘active ingredients’, for example goal-setting, self-monitoring of behaviour. BCTs are ‘the smallest components compatible with retaining the postulated active ingredients, i.e. the proposed mechanisms of change. They can be used alone or in combination with other BCTs’ (Michie S, Johnston M. Theories and techniques of behaviour change: developing a cumulative science of behaviour change.Health Psychol Rev2012;6:1–6). Domain-specific taxonomies of BCTs have been developed, for example healthy eating and physical activity, smoking cessation and alcohol consumption. We need to build on these to develop an internationally shared language for specifying and developing interventions. This technology can be used for synthesising evidence, implementing effective interventions and testing theory. It has enormous potential added value for science and global health.Objective(1) To develop a method of specifying content of BCIs in terms of component BCTs; (2) to lay a foundation for a comprehensive methodology applicable to different types of complex interventions; (3) to develop resources to support application of the taxonomy; and (4) to achieve multidisciplinary and international acceptance for future development.Design and participantsFour hundred participants (systematic reviewers, researchers, practitioners, policy-makers) from 12 countries engaged in investigating, designing and/or delivering BCIs.Development of the taxonomyinvolved a Delphi procedure, an iterative process of revisions and consultation with 41 international experts;hierarchical structureof the list was developed using inductive ‘bottom-up’ and theory-driven ‘top-down’ open-sort procedures (n = 36);trainingin use of the taxonomy (1-day workshops and distance group tutorials) (n = 161) wasevaluatedby changes in intercoder reliability and validity (agreement with expert consensus);evaluatingthe taxonomy for coding interventions was assessed by reliability (intercoder; test–retest) and validity (n = 40 trained coders); andevaluatingthe taxonomy for writing descriptions was assessed by reliability (intercoder; test–retest) and by experimentally testing its value (n = 190).ResultsNinety-three distinct, non-overlapping BCTs with clear labels and definitions formed Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). BCTs clustered into 16 groupings using a ‘bottom-up’ open-sort procedure; there was overlap between these and groupings produced by a theory-driven, ‘top-down’ procedure. Both training methods improved validity (bothp < 0.05), doubled the proportion of coders achieving competence and improved confidence in identifying BCTs in workshops (bothp < 0.001) but did not improve intercoder reliability. Good intercoder reliability was observed for 80 of the 93 BCTs. Good within-coder agreement was observed after 1 month (p < 0.001). Validity was good for 14 of 15 BCTs in the descriptions. The usefulness of BCTTv1 to report descriptions of observed interventions had mixed results.ConclusionsThe developed taxonomy (BCTTv1) provides a methodology for identifying content of complex BCIs and a foundation for international cross-disciplinary collaboration for developing more effective interventions to improve health. Further work is needed to examine its usefulness for reporting interventions.FundingThis project was funded by the Medical Research Council Ref: G0901474/1. Funding also came from the Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care.

Social marketing benchmark criteria use in health behaviour change interventions in pacific islands populations: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah T. Ryan ◽  
Katharina Elisabeth Kariippanon ◽  
Anthony D. Okely ◽  
Rebecca M. Stanley ◽  
Gade Waqa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Predictors Of Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Social

Purpose Social marketing has been widely used to effectively and voluntarily change behaviours worldwide. The social marketing benchmark criteria offer a framework to apply this approach. This paper aims to examine the extent of use and predictors of success of social marketing benchmark criteria in changing the health behaviours of Pacific Islands populations. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of studies designed to change health behaviours among Pacific Islands populations. Studies were assessed against the social marketing benchmark criteria to determine the extent to which the reported intervention used a social marketing approach; and whether the use of the social marketing benchmark criteria led to more effective interventions. Findings In total, 22 studies were included. In total, 13 were conducted within the Pacific Islands and 9 were aimed at Pacific Islands populations living in America, New Zealand or Hawaii. The most common criteria used were behaviour change, insight and customer orientation. Theory criterion was least commonly used. There was no clear indication of which criterion or combination of criteria, resulted in more effective interventions. Research limitations/implications Further empirical evaluations of social marketing interventions within the Pacific Islands context are required to appropriately assess effective predictors of success for this population group. Studies of social marketing interventions targeting non-Pacific Islands populations in non-Pacific Island countries and territories may have limited applicability to Pacific Islanders living in Pacific Island countries and territories. Originality/value While similar studies have been conducted, this is the first study to review all behaviour change interventions by applying a social marketing lens in the Pacific Islands. While globally this may have been reviewed, the Pacific Islands has a unique context that needs to be considered, rather than assuming a one size fits all approach. This study offers a comprehensive overview of existing health behaviour change interventions in the Pacific Islands and a call to action to move social marketing forward within the Pacific Islands.

scholarly journals Ontologies relevant to behaviour change interventions: a method for their development

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison J. Wright ◽  
Emma Norris ◽  
Ailbhe N. Finnerty ◽  
Marta M. Marques ◽  
Marie Johnston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Ontology Development ◽  
Development Method ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Scientific Terminology ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Detailed Method ◽  
Principles Of Good Practice ◽  
Scientific Fields

Background: Behaviour and behaviour change are integral to many aspects of wellbeing and sustainability. However, reporting behaviour change interventions accurately and synthesising evidence about effective interventions is hindered by lacking a shared, scientific terminology to describe intervention characteristics. Ontologies are knowledge structures that provide controlled vocabularies to help unify and connect scientific fields. To date, there is no published guidance on the specific methods required to develop ontologies relevant to behaviour change. We report the creation and refinement of a method for developing ontologies that make up the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO). Aims: (1) To describe the development method of the BCIO and explain its rationale; (2) To provide guidance on implementing the activities within the development method. Method and results: The method for developing ontologies relevant to behaviour change interventions was constructed by considering principles of good practice in ontology development and identifying key activities required to follow those principles. The method’s details were refined through application to developing two ontologies. The resulting ontology development method involved: (1) defining the ontology’s scope; (2) identifying key entities; (3) refining the ontology through an iterative process of literature annotation, discussion and revision; (4) expert stakeholder review; (5) testing inter-rater reliability; (6) specifying relationships between entities, and; (7) disseminating and maintaining the ontology. Guidance is provided for conducting relevant activities for each step.  Conclusions: We have developed a detailed method for creating ontologies relevant to behaviour change interventions, together with practical guidance for each step, reflecting principles of good practice in ontology development. The most novel aspects of the method are the use of formal mechanisms for literature annotation and expert stakeholder review to develop and improve the ontology content. We suggest the mnemonic SELAR3, representing the method’s first six steps as Scope, Entities, Literature Annotation, Review, Reliability, Relationships.

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