Center for Health Behavior Research

The Center for Health Behavior Research (CHBR) tracks the development and progression of health-related behaviors, and develops and tests programs to improve health and social behaviors. As the CHBR builds evidence about what approaches succeed in improving these behaviors, it shares these best approaches with communities and researchers across the country.

The leading causes of death and disability are primarily the result of behavioral risk factors. Society can make major progress in reducing premature death and improving quality of life by changing everyday behaviors such as diet, tobacco use, and low physical activity.

CHBR is part of the Institute for Health Research and Policy housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The center works with more than 100 community-based organizations, nonprofit service-oriented organizations, health care providers, schools and public health departments. View our list of partners. 

Robin Mermelstein, professor of psychology, directs the center.

Researchers in CHBR aim to:

• Improve our understanding of the development of tobacco dependence by tracking 1,200 teens over several years to understand the different pathways to tobacco dependence and to identify key factors that may help improve interventions to reduce tobacco dependence.
• Reduce tobacco use among teens by evaluating the tobacco treatment programs available to them nationwide.
• Reduce diabetes by adapting a successful clinical intervention for use in community by community members.
• Improve support to youth by helping mentoring programs to use evidence-based decision making in their services.

As part of the University of Illinois at Chicago, CHBR nurtures and supports the development of researchers through all stages of their careers.