SeCOM-B: an integrated model for understanding human behaviour change in wicked socio-ecological problems

Abstract

The COM-B model, widely adopted in behaviour change research, systematically explores and categorises the behavioural barriers and facilitators to inform intervention design. The model highlights that where the right mix of barriers and facilitators, in the broad categories of capability, motivation, and opportunity exist, a given behaviour is more likely to be enacted. However, for wicked problems, applying the COM-B model becomes challenging due to complexity, uncertainty, manageability challenges, and the interpretative opacity of the systems that influence behaviour. This paper introduces a combined framework (SeCOM-B) that integrates the Socio-ecological model (SEM) and the COM-B model, highlighting its potential application in co-designing behaviour change interventions to address wicked problems, which often involve non-scientific stakeholders and interdisciplinary team members. Drawing on three case studies of practical behaviour change projects taking place in Australia (2) and Vietnam (1) between March 2022 and July 2023, the paper further illustrates the application of the SeCOM-B model in analysing the drivers and barriers of behaviours, and exploring the implications for intervention design.