Health behavior can have a significant impact on empowering people with physical and cognitive disabilities to take greater control of their own health. The current state of practice in most health behavior programs is to educate participants about the benefits of the various components of health promotion, which can include anything from cancer prevention screening (e.g., breast and prostate exams), to spirituality, stress management, exercise and proper nutrition.

The Transtheoretical Model is the most widely used stage model in health psychology. The model uses the phrase "stages of change" to integrate change processes through a variety of intervention strategies. There are 5 primary stages, which range from people who are not even thinking about making a change (precontemplation), to people who have changed a behavior and are working to maintain the new behavior and prevent relapse (maintenance). In between, people can be thinking about making a change in the next 6 months (contemplation), getting ready to make a change in the next 30 days (preparation), or be in the first 6 months of a behavior change (action).

Implementation of the Transtheoretical Model in health promotion programs for people with physical and cognitive disabilities is a viable approach to assuring better outcomes. Intervention strategies should be tailored to the stage of change that the person is currently in and that will serve as a useful guide for moving the individual to the final stage of Maintenance. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a greater likelihood of successful adherence to health promotion programs when the program is tailored to the needs, interests and comprehension level of the individual learner.