Week #1 Questions
1. Discuss the difference between the Public Health Model and the Medical Model.
The Public Health Model and the Medical Model are two different perspectives of what health is, as well as the means of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Public Health Model or Ecological Health Model, as it's more appropriately called, takes into account the various external forces that can afflict or benefit a person's health. On the other hand, the Medical Model focuses on the internal forces that affect a person's health. 2. What is self-efficacy, and why is it important in making a behavior change?
Self-efficacy can be described as the level self-confidence that a person has when they try to do something. It is important in making a behavioral change because people need to envision themselves succeeding.
3. In the Stages of Change Model (Prochaska & DiClemente) what is the difference in the Contemplation Stage and the Preparation Stage?
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. 4. On page 11
Prochaska and DiClemente(1984) deals with intentional behavioural change and views change as a process rather than an event.The change process is characterised by six stages of change.These include the precontemplation,contemplation,preparation,action,maintenance and relapse which can occur at any stage in any part of the cycle.
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" (1920, C.E.A. Winslow). This therefore infers public health is the preventing and controlling of disease within communities, to prolong life and promote health through organised society. The keys aspects of public health …
According to Alligood, there are several characteristics of the transition process including awareness, engagement, change, time, and critical points and events, as well as factors that may enable or hinder the process and positive outcome of transition can be personal, community, or societal (2014). Awareness is a major characteristic of transition, so to be in transition, a person must be aware of changes happening (Meleis, 2010). Engagement or involvement in the process of transition may include pursuing and obtaining information and assistance. It is important to recognize that without awareness, engagement will not occur. It is also important to recognize that transition involves change, another characteristic of transition, although change may not necessarily mean transition (Meleis, 2010). A person who goes through the process of transition will go through changes and may view the world from a much different perspective than they previously did.
step, relapse, but for the sake of this assignment, five will be used as per the text. During the pre-contemplation stage the client is not thinking about change; they are unaware or under-aware that there is a problem. At the contemplation stage the client is ambivalent about change, and not likely considering making a change within the next thirty days. The preparation stage is when the client has made some progress with change and attempting to change further. The action stage is when the client has been performing a new behavior from ninety days to six months. The maintenance stage in involves the client making a commitment to achieving the desired change, and typically takes place after six months and up to five years (University of Arizona C.A.T.S. Life Skills Program, 2016).
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.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Actually, I am familiar with the stages of change as I have personally applied it, about four years ago, to break some bad health habits caused by difficult life circumstances. Although the term transtheoretical model is new to me, perhaps at that moment, I was more focused on how to take “action”, a behavior that can be identified to belong to the preparation stage. After several unused gym memberships, and the feeling of being eternally stuck in the preparation stage, but with a lot of determination, I was able to progress to my current stage of change, which is the maintenance change.
Preparation: This change is when the individual’s attitude and self-regulation begins to increase at this stage. It could also include the contemplation stage since both are increasing commitment.
In Lewin’s 1951 change process, the first stage, unfrezzing is where change occurs and for people to let go of the old ways to adapt the new ways. The moving stage involves the change process where “thoughts, feelings, behavior, or all three, that is in some way more liberating or more productive than doing things the old way (Kaminski, 2011).” The last stage is known as the freezing stage because change is incorporated into the new routines making it the new standard operating procedure.
The final stage of the model is the refreezing phase, where the new approach is implemented stabilized and established. It will be accepted as the new norm or status quo, ensuring that people do not revert back to the old ways of thinking or doing. All of the three phases are important for successful change.
The next stage in the model is change intervention, this is where the actual behaviour and work practice is changed. Sniff and Scurry changed their behaviour as well as their work practice as a natural cause of the unfreezing stage (McWilliams & Williams, 2014). Haws process is longer, and he goes through seven different phases of change, shown by his written wall notes.
This stage is when the change is called a new habit or process in place.
Self-efficacy is concerned with a person's estimate of their personal capabilities. Successful performance of a behavior leading to a positive experiences leads to a high level of self-efficacy, failures diminish the level of self-efficacy.
For me in module 5, the part I found most valuable was Janssen’s Model of Change. I enjoyed learning about the four different states. Comfort (Stage 1), Denial (Stage 2), Confusion (Stage 3), and Renewal (Stage 4). The stages state different feelings a person will feel during the change process. During the Comfort stage, the person is in their normal routine. They feel comfortable because it is what they are used to. Denial takes place when situations force a change on the individual. Often they may feel overwhelm, not wanting to confront the issue, or wishing to stay in their comfort stage. An important note regarding the denial stage is that contrary to what people think, that resisting change brings less stress, the opposite is true. Denying change causes the person more stress, and it is at this stage they spend more energy. Confusion sets in once the person has accepted to change, and is about to begin the journey from the known comfort to the unknown. Renewal, the last stage of change, is where you have accepted the change. The change may not necessarily be something you like, but you have accepted it. With time you will return to the first
What is the difference between medicine and public health? Medicine saves one life at a time, yet public health saves millions of lives at a time. In the result of a zombie apocalypse, you never know what will happen. The role of the director of health is to be prepared for all possible contingencies. He prevents the spread of diseases, responds to disasters and assists communities in recovery, and assures the quality and accessibility of health services. In addition, he communicates with patients and the public to decrease risks of being infected in a zombie apocalypse. This is a step by step plan on how different scenarios should be handled.
Self-efficacy is the confident feeling about yourself, or the unshakable belief that one can hold. It reminds me of a statement made by Prof.Lee Peng Yee who teaches mathematics at the National University of Singapore: "If you believe you can catch a bus, you will run for it". Even if the statement is extremely inspirational and helpful, it only works for the people who actually have an understanding about themselves to a certain degree and ready to make the difference.