The Empirical Evidence Of Behavior

The Smoke Free campaign also uses the stages of change model. When an individual is trying to quit smoking they will go through the stages of change cycle. At the stage of pre-contemplation the individual who smokes does not have intention to change their behaviour, they may not be aware or not aware enough of the damage that smoking can cause to their body and their smoking problem. At the stage of contemplation the individual may start becoming aware that they have a problem with their smoking and they are seriously considering stopping smoking but they have not yet made commitment to do something about trying to quit smoking. At the preparation stage they are intending to do something about trying to stop smoking very soon, but they have not done anything yet. At the action stage the individual makes changes to their behaviour, so that they can overcome their smoking problem, for example completely stopping smoking, gradually cutting down on smoking, using nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum, inhalators etc. At the maintenance stage the individual will work to

The Transtheoretical is a theoretical model of behavior change that integrates model of key concepts from other theories. This model is widely used by professionals to effectively promote health behavior change. This model describes how an individual modifies a certain behavior – such as smoking. TTM uses the stages of change as the central concept that integrates the most powerful principles and processes of change from leading theories of counseling and behavior change. The stages of change are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. Studies related to change have found that individuals go through series of stages when modifying behavior. Processes of change work

In the United States, smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of morbidity and death (Bergen, 1999), and accounts for $300 Billion in health care costs and economic productivity loss (Jamal, 2015). While the national smoking rate is 16.8% (CDC, 2016), specific demographics are more susceptible to developing smoking habits: people who live below the poverty line (10.9% higher), disabled or with a limitation (6.2% higher), and males (4.7% higher) (Agaku, 2014).

The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) was created by Prochaska and DiClemente. It is based on “(1) the stages of change, (2) the decisional balance scale, (3) the strong and weak principle, (4) self-efficacy, and (5) the processes of change” (Kelly, 2008, p. 149). A person’s progression through the stages depends on their perception of the advantages of adopting a healthy lifestyle (Kelly, 2008).

The initial phase of the self-directed intervention consisted of baseline measurement of smoking behaviour. Baseline data was collected for a period of 7 weeks and a functional assessment was completed during this time. Upon starting the intervention phase, the final target behaviour of smoking cessation was broken down into smaller, short-term objectives lasting 2 weeks each.

This study by Naughton et al. (2014) was conducted to identify the effectiveness of the iQuit program, a self-help program supported by text messaging, as an adjunct to smoking cessation education offered in the primary care setting. The authors report smoking cessation offered in the primary care setting varies widely but research showed the added option of a self-help program for patients produces a cessation rate of as much as twice the rate of those patients who were given only in- office education (Naughton et al.).

Smoking was highly prevalent among the men and women in the manual group in Britain in 1946 with 82% which dropped to 55% in the 1970’s and has continued to fall rapidly in the middle 1990’s (ASH, 2007). Furthermore Health and Social Care Information Centre (2013) reported that there has been a drop in the manual groups from 33% in 1998 to 26% in 2010 but this group still smoke more than the social class, in 1998 for instance, non manual group smoked 22% compared to only 15% in 2010 which demonstrates a fall in the non-manual groups and shows there is a fall in their smoking but there is an urgent need to help, promote and support the

The community that I will be describing is the city of Long Beach. In this city there are many people of age and ethnicity. This city is very diverse in having many people of different cultures and backgrounds. Downtown Long Beach is where people go to eat, have fun and hang out near the Pike. At the Pike is where you’ll find a lot of young people going to the movies or shopping. In this city it is filled with young adults and they are the majority of the community. A lot of the young adults have jobs and there are some that are going to school. Younger adults are more prone to trying new things which sometimes can lead into a health issue. In this city I will be discussing a main health problem that might be relatable to other cities. The health problem that will be discussed is the use of tobacco products in young adults. Some products are cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, and hookah. These products are used daily by young adults in this community.

Egan's also goes on to explain that during smoking cessation a RT could follow the 5 A's, of smoking cessation “Ask if they are smoking, Advise to quit, Assess willingness to quit, Assist by providing a plan, Arrange a follow-up” (Kacmarek et al. 523). The Therapists role now begins to get further involved with the patient, and progresses to shift from educating the patient to counseling the patient. Thus building rapport with the patient and further reinforcing the idea of quitting

It is irrefutable that the formulation of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), has efficaciously contributed to current perspectives in health psychology, allowing for a greater understanding in facilitating healthy behaviour change (Adam & White, 2003). TTM is a comprehensive six-stage theory which logically describes behaviour change as a process rather than a single event, providing the pathway to a more enduring and successful outcome (Adam & White, 2003; Prochaska, 2008). These stages include: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance, which occur cyclically in the event of relapses, until temptation is no longer present, resulting in termination (Marshall & Biddle, 2001; Prochaska, 2008).

The Transtheoretical Model does not only consist of the stages of change. Self-efficacy, or one’s self confidence in engaging in action, also plays a huge factor in this theory. A person is less likely to engage in a positive health behavior if there self-efficacy is low. Decision balance is the balancing of pros and cons towards the behavior change the person takes into account. In early stages, such as precontemplation and contemplation, cons outweigh the pros, and a behavior change is unlikely. In contrary, the pros outweigh the cons in the later stages. Throughout all stage of the Transtheoretical Model, there are situational temptations, which are external triggers that can cause a person to relapse. These include negative emotions associated with the behavior change such as anger or sadness, and social

This 2013 study by Bullen, Williman, Howe, Laugesen, McRobbie, Parag, and Walker compares electronic cigarettes versus nicotine patches for smoking cessation. On the negative side, the methods for recruitment included newspaper ads and television program. These approaches may create a sampling bias because sampling only people with access to newspapers and television may not proportionately represent the population. Another concern is the limitation to only one brand of electronic cigarette and one level of nicotine in the patches. If the group included a wider variety of brands and nicotine levels the outcomes may vary. Another key point is all of the participants were offered behavioral support, but the use of the support was not included

The Transtheoretical Model is made for individuals to adapt to and maintain a heal behavior change. For example, an individual who has stopped smoking for the past six months has reached the maintenance stage in which chances of relapse are low. Although chances of relapse are low there is still a chance the person may fall back into their old behavior. However, if the individual has reached a stage where they have no temptation for their old habits and they have reached 100% self-efficacy then they have reached the termination stage. This is a very difficult stage to reach since at this stage the behavior change will remain permanently and where relapse does not occur.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or 1 of every five deaths. In 2015, about 15 of every 100 U.S. adults age 18 years or older currently smoke cigarettes. However, this is a decline from nearly 21 of every 100 adults back in 2005. One reason for the decline is due to smoking cessation programs developed within our communities. These programs are helping smokers to quit their habit, and improve their health and lifestyle. Let us look at what it takes to make a smoke cessation successful within ones’ community.

Tobacco use is one of the major public health threats in the world. It is responsible for killing six million people a year and trends predict that the number will increase to two million more yearly (El Hajj, Kheir, Al Mulla, Shami, Fanous, & Mahfound, 2017). Cessation of tobacco use is associated with many health benefits. Many smokers who wish to quit find it difficult to give up on their own without professional support, leading them to several quit attempts (Siddiqui, Huque, & Dogar, 2016).