The Influence Of Health Behavior Theory

Explain how each of the “stages of behavior change” from the transtheoretical model of change can be applied to the health behavior.

Health behavior can be defined as action of individuals, groups and organizations, as well as the determinants, correlates and consequences of these actions which include social change, policy development and implementation, improved coping skills, and enhanced quality of life.

The change models are change agents that could explain the ways of implementing a change process. These models explain the reason for the change, what to expect during the process and the way a change occurs. Thus, these models help one understand the various aspects of the change process (Agriculture & Life Sciences: Texas A & M University, n.d.). The transtheoretical model of health behavior change could explain my evidence-based practice (EBP) project implementation plan.

Thanks for the response. You make a lot of great points about change being hard for people. The transtheoretical model of health behavior change is a great example of how people move through behavior change. People move through five stages of when dealing with change. These include precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, adn maintance (Melnyk & Fineover-Overhalt, 2014). Individuals can move through the stages in order and they can also move backwards. I was at a conference a couple of years ago where they were talking about how people move through change and how to help people be successful in dealing with change. Change is very difficult to deal with. I found it interesting that people always say that it takes 21 days

Gather information from this person. How do they believe this behavior currently impacts their health? What do they believe about health risks of this behavior? Do they believe it will impact them individually, why or why not? What do they believe would happen if they changed their behavior? What do they perceive as benefits to making a change? What are possible barriers to making a change? What would influence them to make a change? This is just a starting list of questions, but you want to learn as much as you can about what influences this person's feelings and beliefs about this health behavior. Once you have gathered this information, write a summary about what you learned from this interview for paragraph 1. Refer to Chapter 4 for other questions you may want to ask to find out more about influences on health behaviors.

Which of your health-related attitudes or behaviors is causing you the most stress or discomfort? Why?

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is another theoretical model that has been used to design health coaching programs. SCT predicts, explains and facilitates change. The SCT model describes that environment, behavior and personal (cognitive and biology) influence behavior. These factors influence each other and can promote or be a barrier to change. Like motivational interviewing, self –efficacy is a central construct of the model. Behavior change is facilitated by observing other people’s behavior and setting short term, incremental

In the Public Field, we are constantly applying theories in order to better understand how the public works and to better assist the communities in different aspects of health. According to Glanz, Rimer, and Viswanath (2008), theories in which focus on beliefs and actions of individuals are the first theories of health behavior that are still being practiced around the world today. The individual theories either known as intrapersonal theories that are still being used today are the following: Health Belief Model (HBM), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Transtheoretical Model (TTM), and the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008). Each one of these individual theories can be applied to different scenarios and can also be incorporated into Public Health programs.

Both the health belief model (HBM) and theories of reasoned action/planned behavior (TRA/TPB) are two model that has their root from psychology. Both models rely on social cognition as a mechanism to change individuals’ behaviors. Opponent criticizes the models for being unable to target social influence outside of an individual and overlook difference between target audiences.

In the article “A Qualitative Study Exploring Facilitators for Improved Health Behaviors and Health Behavior Programs: Mental Health Service Users’ Perspectives,” in The Scientific World Journal, we learn that world wide there is an increased risk for clients with mental health issues to also have physical health issues. Ability and influence are crucial aspects to captivate mental health service clients in essential health management revisions and treatment commitment.

The Health Belief model is a psychological construct that is used to predict health behavior (see Figure 1). The two components of the model that are used to predict behavior are the perception of the threat and the perception of the benefits and barriers to taking action to reduce the threat. The perception of the threat is composed of two elements: the perception of seriousness of the threat and the perception of the susceptibility to the threat (Sharafkhani, et al. 30). As an example, if the individual believes that being overweight or obese will have a very negative impact on their health, then the perceived seriousness of the threat will be high. At the other end of the spectrum, if the individual believes that being overweight or obese will have little effect of their health, the perceived seriousness will be low. The perceived susceptibility to the threat is the extent to which the individual believes that the consequences of overweight or obesity applies to them personally (Sharafkhani, et al. 30). For example, if the individual believes that they are unlikely to become diabetic or to develop high blood pressure as a result of being overweight or obese, the perceived susceptibility is low. If, however, the individual has several family members who have been diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes, they would be more inclined to believe that they have a high susceptibility to the consequences of being overweight or obese.

The use of theories to explore the determinants of specific behaviour and to tailor an intervention accordingly is important for several reasons88,89. The use of health theories can: guide the assessment of facilitators and barriers; inform researchers about the interventions’ development and delivery; clarify moderating factors and causal mechanisms; and provide a better understanding of the generalizability and replicability of implementation interventions.

On individual level changes in health promotion and ecological approaches target and influence multiple health behaviors. This is because the individuals living in the environment are embedded in temporary change of behaviors. Therefore it is very important to consider ecological approaches, changing health behaviors and environmental factors while designing operational and supportable health promotion plans.

In the Public Field, we are constantly applying theories in order to better understand how the public works and to better assist the communities in different aspects of health. According to Glanz, Rimer, and Viswanath (2008), theories in which focus on beliefs and actions of individuals are the first theories of health behavior that are still being practiced around the world today. The individual theories either known as intrapersonal theories that are still being used today are the following: Health Belief Model (HBM), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Transtheoretical Model (TTM), and the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) (Glanz, Rimer, Viswanath, 2008). Each one of these individual theory is applied to different scenarios and may

Health belief model was one of the first and most widely recognized theories of health behavior. (Butts & Rich, 2011). This theory was formulated in an attempt to predict health behaviors by focusing on the attitude and beliefs of individuals. It is aimed to determine the likelihood of an individual to participate in health-promotion and disease prevention programs. (Kozier & Erb, 2011). This theory postulated that if a patient is well- motivated, there is a possibility that he will participate in these activities. Motivation can be derived by the individual's perceptions towards his condition. According to Becker (1974), individual perceptions include patient's perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness of the disease and perceived threat.