The NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Interventions in Aging: Development, Maturation, Impact, and Opportunities for Advancement

The National Institute of Health (NIH) Stage Model provides a systematic framework for advancing behavioral intervention science. It uniquely bridges basic research with the development and dissemination of interventions that are scientifically rigorous and scalable. This manuscript examines the evolution and key features of the NIH Stage Model, its incorporation of iterative and mechanism-focused methodologies, and its impact on behavioral science, particularly in aging research. We provide examples of how the model's flexibility, iterative design, focus on mechanisms of behavior change, and emphasis on scalability are significantly influencing intervention development in aging. We describe how the National Institute of Aging (NIA) Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translational Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences of Aging have become engines of intervention development and testing according to the NIH Stage Model by funding behavioral trials across the NIH Stage Model while simultaneously supporting the development of training opportunities and scientific networks immersed in this approach. We conclude with a discussion of strategies, fully aligned and compatible with the NIH Stage Model, to further achieve the model's ultimate goal: the swift translation of interventions, including aging interventions, into clinical, community, home, or other "real-world" settings to benefit those that need them.