The social-ecological model is useful in understanding the reasons as to why we behave the way we do; however, the model still possesses limitations. For example, the model may tell us what factors are contributing to a certain situation, the model does not give insight into how much an effect has over another. This makes it hard for families to uncover which aspect of the model they can focus more on to make a change in their environment or personal actions. Implementation of the social ecological model into communities can be difficult because of cost. For example, it will be difficult to implement violence prevention programs in cities that have high crime and violence rates.

Limitations of the Social Ecological Model include:

• Lack of motivation for change in the environment
• Changing lifestyles can be extremely difficult
• Not all diseases can be prevented
• Many people are in denial and do not believe they are at risk