Leveraging applied behavior analysis research and practice in the service of public health

Normand and colleagues wrote a position paper. They asked: how can ABA help whole towns, not just one kid at a time?

The team reviewed past work and mapped ways to move our field into public-health jobs like stopping smoking or boosting vaccine use.

They found no legal wall stops BCBAs from working with health departments.

The paper lists tools we already own—task analysis, data sheets, rapid graphs—that can make city-wide programs cheaper and stronger.

Napolitano et al. (2025) pick up the same idea but aim it at lawmakers. They say, “Don’t just partner with health staff—write the actual laws.” The 2025 paper is the next chapter, not a clash.

Szabo et al. (2020) show one live example. They repackaged tiny parent kernels as “superpower” drills and sent them to families locked down during COVID. Their mini-lessons echo Normand’s call for low-cost, wide-reach tools.

Plessas et al. (2019) stretch the plan further. They warn that public-health ABA will flop if it ignores culture. Using Māori mental-health gaps, they add the rule: co-design every program with the people it serves.

You don’t need a new degree to join the next health campaign. Offer your data skills to the local vaccine clinic. Graph their turnout by zip code, run a quick task analysis on the sign-in flow, and watch lines shrink. One afternoon can expose thousands to fluent ABA.