Objectives: To examine the application of behavioral science theories to explain the voting behavior of legislators for public health policies.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that examined factors associated with legislator support, intention to vote, or actual votes on public health policies, emphasizing those grounded in behavior science theory.
Results: Twenty-one papers met our inclusion criteria, and 6 were explicitly grounded in a behavioral science theory.
Conclusions: Behavioral science theories, and the theory of planned behavior in particular, provide a framework for understanding legislator voting behavior and can be used by advocates to advance pro-health policies.