Analysis and Evaluation of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The Theory of Planned Behavior was developed to explain human behaviors. The theory has been broadly applied to health-related behaviors in nursing science but has not been examined in depth based on a critical nursing framework. This article systematically analyzes and evaluates the theory based on Fawcett and DeSanto-Madeya's 2013 framework. The theory reflects nursing metaparadigm concepts and has both social and theoretical significance as well as pragmatic adequacy, and its testability is supported by abundant empirical evidence. However, the theory's internal consistency and clarity could be improved with use of consistent terms for its concepts and relationships.