Chronic Disease Prevention
About the UPenn PRCQ & A
What are the challenges in creating messages that persuade people to take up healthy behaviors?
Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH: The key is to ultimately get people to embrace the idea that changing their behavior is something they want to do. If you scare them or pressure them into changing, it usually will not lead to a lasting change, so the central challenge is to help them see the benefits that are associated with that particular change in behavior.
Featured Publication


Philadelphia Communities Conquering Cancer
Health systems, cancer centers, stakeholders, and community members discussed concerns about cancer in Philadelphia and charted a path forward to reduce disparities in our city.
We created a new list featuring our PC3 partners, so that we can follow their latest efforts in fighting cancer in Philadelphia - join us! https://t.co/Z7Lu5CG2y8
— UPenn Prevention Research Center (@UPennPRC) July 11, 2023
The University of Pennsylvania Prevention Research Center (UPenn PRC) is a community-engaged research center that was founded in 2014. The UPenn PRC’s mission is to improve the health of people in Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and beyond by preventing, reducing, and treating chronic diseases. The center’s primary focus for future years will be on implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve patient and provider communication to optimize clinical and community-based management of cancer in diverse older adults.