Taxonomy of barriers to healthy behavior among the working population (in Russian)

Abstract

The article presents a taxonomy of psychological barriers to healthy behavior of a working person using a multi-level approach. Scientific interest in this topic is associated with the lack of systemic studies in the Russian psychological research field devoted to barriers to healthy behavior of working people, notwithstanding their high importance for the prevention of non-communicable diseases and maintaining professional longevity. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to systematize the available domestic and foreign data and present a taxonomy of barriers to healthy behavior based on a multi-level approach. Method. The review includes studies published from the 1980s to 2025, mainly meta-analytical and systematic reviews, as well as empirical work on samples of employees of various
professional groups. The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 65 years, with special attention paid to middle-aged working people as a critical period of health changes. Due to the weak representation of the phenomenon of barriers to healthy behavior in Russian science, data from foreign studies were analyzed. Findings. The article clarifies the concept of barriers to healthy behavior as obstacles that a person encounters on the path to achieving a healthy lifestyle and are potential triggers for unhealthy behavior. It is revealed that the barriers are complex and interrelated, which makes the reductionist approach (which is limited to the individual level of consideration of barriers to healthy behavior) insufficient. It is also proposed to take into account the interpersonal, institutional (organizational)
and state levels. The authors see the prospect of research in a detailed consideration of barriers to healthy behavior on a sample of specific specialists. Implementation in practice. From a practical point of view, the proposed approach allows developing comprehensive health and well-being programs that
take into account the cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics of the employee, the social context, organizational culture and state health promotion strategies.