The Media's Influence on Health Essay

Mass media is one of the main approaches used in health promotion and its lack of success may be due to its oversimplification or segmented view of health and well-being.

The Contemplation Stage and Preparation Stage of the Stages of Change Model vary greatly. In the Contemplation Stage, a person reflects on their own behavior, their ability to change, and the outcome it would bring compared to their current behavior. After a person has moved on from the Contemplation Stage, they take a step forward and begin test their ability to change by taking small steps like foreshadowing the difficulties that they will face and like the name of the stage suggest, prepare for them.

The intrapersonal model focuses on health promotion and health education efforts in order to increase awareness of health-related issues among individuals, such as knowledge, attitudes, personal beliefs, and the individual’s skill set (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). This is important because it zeros in on the individual and what they know and can do in order to allow for change. One of the many models within the intrapersonal theory is the transtheoretical model, also known as the stages of change model. The transtheoretical model’s constructs are that the individual goes through incremental stages when changing a behavior instead of making big changes all at the same time (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). The first construct is the precontemplation stage, where the individual has not yet thought about changing their behavior. Next, is the contemplation stage, where the individual is actively thinking about the pros and cons of change. Then the next stage is preparation, where the individual is thinking about a plan of action. Next, is the action stage, where the change is taking place in the individual’s behavior. Finally, the maintenance stage, where the change becomes a permanent change in the individual’s lifestyle. (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). The importance in this model is the ability

The more I read Chapter Eleven on this topic of health presence in the media, the more I realized how the social comparison theory manifested itself in different ways for my sister Monica. The role models she admired also came from our own family circle. One of our cousins, Elena, looked like a model in that she was beautifully shaped and got plenty of complements from the opposite sex whenever we would go out to the pool or beach in the summers. I realize now that my sister would consult her on fashion trends and would try to emulate her eating habits.

The precontemplation stage is when people do not have any intention to take action in the future which is defined in the next six months. Most people in this stage because they are disheartened from earlier failed attempts at changing. Usually in this stage people undervalue the positives of changing and worry too much about the negatives of the changing behavior. The second stage in this change model is called contemplation.

The following media analysis will review a media article that has recently been published. The report will refer to both the media article and the social determinants of health to discuss how obesity can potentially be the cause of several health issues, with appropriate evidence to support this.

This model represents a gradual process toward behavior change by which the individual enters through various stages toward behavior stage (National Cancer Institute, 2005). For example a person who is overweight may not be interested at all in changing their dietary habits, therefore the strategy would be to increase this person’s awareness of the risks for not doing so, and the benefits of doing so. As the person contemplates making a change, they may say that they will change their diet in the next 6 months or so. This is where a motivational strategy may be put into plan (National Cancer Institute,

This model consists of five different stages that include the following: Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance (DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004).The main tenant of this model’s theory is that at any point in time, an individual is in a specific stage in relation to behavioral change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1982). This model also suggests that there will always be continuity and discontinuity throughout the process of change and that the progression of stages is not always linear. In fact, it is possible for a person to go from stage one to stage three, and then back to stage one, depending on the individual’s willingness and readiness to change (DiClemente, Schlundt, & Gemmell, 2004). Therefore it is fundamental to keep in mind that although these stages of recovery are listed as numbers one through five, not all individuals going through recovery will go through these stages linearly.

Popular culture in today’s society is capable of reaching out to more people than ever before at ease. Growing up, popular culture affected us even if we may not have realized it happening. Everything from who your favorite sports team is, to your favorite television when you were younger, directly relates to pop culture. Although most people do not realize this phenomenon taking place it is not surprise that mass media has a firm grip on what they want children to believe and think when they are going through one of the most important stages of their lives. The messages that they convey are the thoughts that children reproduce, and the personas that they build of themselves are all relative to how popular culture has effected them.

It suggests that behavioral change does not occur rapidly or in a straightforward manner, but rather it occurs continuously in a cyclical process. It additionally divulges that at any given time for any given behavior, an individual is in one of the five stages of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The theory follows the assumption that progression through these five stages requires affective, cognitive, and evaluative processes, however, at any given stage, a potential for relapse is probable, thus resulting in resurgence to a previous stage.

Within this stage, many people do not take action for what is yet to come. They are most of the time unaware that their behavior can have negative results. They either underestimate themselves or try to achieve more than they can handle at once. The second stage of the model is contemplation. Within this stage, people are thinking about starting a healthy behavior in the future. At this time people tend to realize that their behavior may be a problem. They become more practical towards the pros and cons of their behavior. However, just because they are aware of this putting a damper on things, does not mean they change their behavior. The third stage of the model is preparation. Within this stage, people are finally ready to start changing their lifestyle. This process usually starts in the next 30 days. They start making small leaps to begin changing their behavior. The fourth stage of the model is action. Within this stage, people's behavior has changed and they plan to keep it this way. The fifth stage of the model is maintenance. Within this stage, people have balanced out their behavior and they want to continue it. People who are in this stage work to prevent a relapse in the other

The process of change describes how people change. These processes of change are divided into two categories; cognitive and behavioral. Cognitive is the thinking process of change and behavioral is the action process of change. The transtheoretical model suggests that people use different strategies, techniques or different amounts of each at different stages in their change process. Self-efficacy refers to confidence and an individual’s experience with confidence to perform specific behaviors in specific situations. Self-efficacy is a good predictor of behavior change. An individual with higher self-efficacy may be more likely to change a behavior even if the situation doesn’t have any positive reinforcements (Campbell, Eichhorn, Early, Caraccioli, Greely, 2012).

Health promotion and disorder prevention from the perspective of Social cognitive theory. This theory posits a multifaceted causal shape wherein self-efficacy ideals function in concert with goals, outcome expectations, and perceived environmental impediments and facilitator within the law of human motivation, movement, and properly being. Perceived self-efficacy is a key factor in the causal structure because it operates on motivation and action both directly and through its effect on the other determinants. The area of overlap of cognitive determinants with the absolute most generally connected psycho-social models of health are distinguished. Social cognitive theory addresses the socio structural determinants of health as well as the personal

Health behavior theory is a conceptual framework of key factors or variables hypothesized to influence health behavior. An established theory is logical, supported by evidence, and underpins behavior change plans and strategies. The different models and theories consist of the Social Cognitive theory, Health belief model, and the stages of change model. According to IHealth The Social Cognitive Theory is the theory that is based on the principle that behavior is dynamic depending on individual and environmental factors, all of which influenced one another simultaneously. The Social Cognitive Theory was created by Albert Bandura. Social Cognitive Theory holds that the interactions among the individual,environment, and behavior are complex, but

Douglas Cater, a journalist and practitioner of government power, once said, “The communications media in America carry on an enterprise more fundamental even than formal education to the well being of an open society.” In the last 50 years media influence has grown significantly with the advance of technology. There are so many ways in which to communicate including telephone, email, and television. Perhaps the most fundamental element of our education is through the use of TV, most notably with America’s children. Nowadays the most likely place to find an adolescent is in front of the TV screen rather than outside playing. The media’s influence on an open society is