Recontextualizing the social norms construct as applied to health promotion

• An increasing number of health promotion/behavior change programs focus on changing social norms. • However, in current usage, norms are typically not linked to the underlying social and cultural context (decontextualized). • The use of social norms to change health behavior could be improved if norms were understood as culturally embedded. • Social norms may represent underlying cultural meanings and values, power configurations, or shared cultural models. • Social norms may serve as cultural tools for the exercise of individual agency. • There may be multiple and competing normative options in a given situation. • Social norms can be public or private, and norms change over time for many reasons. • There are ways to use social norms in health promotion programs that can help reconnect norms to cultural context. • These are described in the article along with a revised definition of social norms.