Health Nudge Unit’s Behavioral Toolkit for Health
HEALTHPUBLIC POLICY
This toolkit helps health policymakers and program designers systematically apply behavioural science to public health initiatives so they can increase program effectiveness and encourage healthier behaviours at the population level. It promotes a shift from focusing solely on clinical solutions to designing prevention-oriented, patient-centered interventions that reflect how people actually behave.
Created by:
The Health Nudge Unit of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (2022).
What’s inside:
A detailed playbook explaining both the rationale and practical steps for embedding behavioural insights into health policy design. It outlines a process for identifying priority health behaviours (such as vaccination uptake or healthy eating), diagnosing behavioural barriers (like present bias or misinformation), selecting suitable nudges or incentives, and testing their impact.
The toolkit includes real-world examples and case studies relevant to public health, such as strategies to increase clinic appointment attendance, boost preventive screenings, and improve medication adherence through reminders or default scheduling.
It emphasizes putting citizens and patients at the center of system improvements, ensuring that health policies are designed around real needs, mindsets, and decision environments. Practical checklists guide program teams to integrate behavioral insights at every stage of policy development. Although created for Saudi Arabia, the toolkit is designed to be useful for health nudge units and practitioners worldwide.