AIDSQuest: The HIV/AIDS Survey Library
Behavioral and Social Theories Commonly Used
in HIV Research

A. AIDS Risk Reduction Model

The AIDS Risk Reduction Model (ARRM) is one of several “stages of change” models. Developed by J.A. Catania, it posits that change is a process, and that individuals move from one step to the next as a result of a given stimulus. In the ARRM, an individual must pass through three stages:

1. Behavior labeling.

2. Commitment to change.

3. Taking action.

Interventions are more likely to be successful if they target the audience at the relevant stage.

The ARRM combines aspects of the Health Belief Model, the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory. Programs that use the AIDS Risk Reduction Model focus on:

• Clients’ risk assessment.

• Influencing the decision to reduce risk through perceptions of enjoyment or self-efficacy.

• Clients’ support to enact the change (e.g., access to condoms, social support).

Catania, J.A., S.M. Keggles, and T.J. Coates. 1990. “Towards understanding of risk behavior: An AIDS Risk Reduction Model (AARM),” Health Education Quarterly Spring: 53–72.