How many stages are described in the stages of health behavior model?

• A. Four
• B. Five
• C. Six
• D. Seven

Answer: (B)

The question tests knowledge of the Transtheoretical Model of health behavior change, which describes how people move through stages as they adopt a healthier behavior. There are six stages journeying from not ready to change to maintaining the new behavior long-term: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. The final stage, termination, represents a point where the new behavior is fully integrated and relapse is no longer a threat. Some sources mention relapse as a common process that can move someone back to earlier stages, but it isn’t counted as a separate stage in the classic model.

Therefore, the number of stages described is six. If a version lists five, it’s likely omitting the final termination stage.