Glossary
Physical capability
What is physical capability?
Physical capability is the physical capacity needed to perform a particular behavior, including relevant skills, strength, or stamina. It is one component of capability in COM-B.
How it fits the framework
Capability is assessed relative to the specific action and setting. Capability, opportunity, and motivation can interact.
Illustrative example
Imagine someone who wants to chop ingredients but cannot grip a standard knife handle securely. Observing the task could reveal a mismatch between the person’s grip and the force or dexterity the handle requires. An adapted handle might reduce that demand without changing the person’s underlying strength. This hypothetical example shows how physical capability and equipment design interact: the physical opportunity provided by a different tool can make a behavior more feasible. It does not establish which adaptation would be safe for that person or rule out other capability, opportunity or motivation factors.
Why it matters
Wanting to perform an action does not supply the strength or dexterity it requires. At the same time, a different tool can change what the task demands.
The original Behaviour Change Wheel paper provides this definition and the relationships between categories. Its empirical checks concerned how reliably people could classify interventions.