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Abstract Issue/problem The need for behavioural insights in disease prevention and health promotion could hardly be over-emphasised. Health behaviours constitute the foundation of good physical and mental health. It is well-know that people acquire a chronic disease because of a poor quality diet, physical inactivity, overindulgence in alcohol and tobacco use, but also because of non-adherence to the treatment regimen and adverse psychosocial influences such as negative affect, depression, or loneliness. Description of the problem Yet, how can we explain the chasm between knowledge about health determinants and action? Why we are not able to close the gap between what we know and what we put into practice to improve people's health? Maybe part of the answer is that we should break the silos and apply knowledge and expertise from also other fields and disciplines; and based on the synergistic use of knowledge from multiple sources to obtain new useful knowledge elements. Results One of the most promising knowledge fusions lie in behavioural insights that combine lessons from behavioural economics, psychology, neuroscience, and social science with empirically-tested results to provide a better understanding of how people behave and make decisions. The opportunities that behavioural insights may offer to fight chronic diseases have recently been acknowledged by several leading public health institutions and organisations. For instance, ‘Healthier choices: Incorporating behavioural insights' is one of the four flagship initiatives of the WHO's European Programme of Work 2020-2025. Lessons The potential benefits of behavioural insights are multiple as they are often very low cost, scalable, and light touch. This is especially relevant within the context of overstretched healthcare systems. What is needed is capacity building in order to broaden our understanding of measures that have originated from behavioural sciences and have a lot to offer to public health.
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