This week’s assignments:
Assignment Details:
Here is the week 1 forum reply. 450 words, minimum of 2 scientific references. APA format.
This week, you will be introduced to different socio-behavioral theories
of change. Please select 2-3 theories, compare and contrast based on
each theory’s relevance to a specific public health topic of your
choice, pick the best theory and provide your rationale for selection.
For example, you can select healthy eating as a public health topic. Of
the theories discussed this week, which 2-3 are most applicable to
promoting healthy eating? Of these theories, which would you select as
the most appropriate and why?
Topic: Healthy Eating
Theories to compare: Health Belief Model, Transtheoretical Model, Theory of Planned Behavior
Selected theory: Health Belief Model
Rationale/Why: [Evidence from scholarly literature]
Please write about healthy eating.
Forum Reply 1 – 200 words – at least 1 academic source.
Please reply to the essay below.
Theory in breast cancer screening promotion
Using theory as a foundation for program planning is like having a
roadmap for studying problems, developing appropriate interventions and
evaluating their successes. Theory can also be used to help explain the
dynamics of health behaviors and help identify the most suitable
audiences and result. Researchers use theory to find answers to the
questions of “why”, “what”, and “how” health problems should be
addressed. Theory guides the search for reasons why people do or do not
engage in certain health behaviors. It helps identify what planers need
to know before they develop a program and how to reach target audiences
and have the desired outcome.
The topic I have selected to use is breast cancer screening promotion.
Cancer has been one of the leading cause of death among women. The
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the U.S. has set a
goal for healthy people by the year 2020 to reduce the rate of breast
cancer death in women, reducing the cancer phases, increasing women’s
participation in breast cancer screening. Breast cancer screening is
known to be the key to reducing deaths by early detection. If it is
detected early, treated in a timely manner, the chance of recovery is
increased significantly.
The Health Belief Model is the most widely used models to explain the
health behaviors such as screening. According to the HBM, women are more
likely to engage in preventive health behaviors such as screening if
they believe that action will lead to positive outcomes, and when the
barriers are outweighed by the benefits or to acknowledge that lack of
action may have serious consequences. Through education, women gain the
knowledge and become aware of pros and cons of going through the breast
cancer screening process. (PMC, 2018).
The other theory is Cognitive-social theory. Cognitive-social theory is a
health protective behavior, articulating a cognitive-social health
information processing model. This model comes from health protective
behavior which focuses on a person’s expectancies, affects, goals, and
values, self-regulatory competencies. They interact with each other by
processing relevant information cognitively. This is applied to analyze
finding on breast cancer screening so that they can make assessment and
interventions to enhance health-protective regimens, tailored to the
needs of the individual. (Suzan M., Yuichi S., and Karen H., 1996).
In my opinion, the Health Belief Method is the most appropriate to
promote breast cancer screening, although both seem very similar and
effective. HBM educates the target, provide information and resources so
that even though they may have barriers to screen for breast cancer,
the benefits outweigh the barriers or the consequences and that they are
afforded to make an informed, sounds decision to get screened.
References
Suzanne M. ,Yuichi, S., and Karen S., Applying cognitive-social theory
to health-protective behavior: Breast cancer screening, Psychological
Bulletin, Vol 119(1), Jan 1996 , http://psycnet.apa.org/
Abdulaziz A, and Parinaz A. Health Beliefs as Predictors of Breast
Cancer Screening Behavior, 2012, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4294534/
Forum reply 2 – 200 words – 1 academic source
Please reply to the essay below.
It is almost impossible to have meaningful health interventions without a
theory. The simplest way to understand theory is that it is a set of
interrelated concepts, definitions an propositions that presents a
systematic view of events or situations by identifying relations among
variables in order to predict and explain situation (Glanz et.al 2015).
Theory helps us to understand what is known about health behavior. Like
emergency disaster manager plan for emergency using foresight, Public
health professional need to engage in theory to understand the why, what
and how. (Glanz et. Al, 2015). Theories can be used to explain
behaviors and to identify potential solution to health problems.
The topic I choose to discuss is teenage pregnancy. According to the
Centers for Disease Control notes that in 2015 229,715 babies were born
to women aged 15-19 years of age CDC, 2017). Though this is considered a
drop in teen pregnancy rates, teen pregnanacy is still a problem
especially among minorities, but all races are affected. Unfavorable
socio-economic factors, including low education and low income of the
teens family may contribute to high teen birth rates. Teen pregnancy is a
problem because it leads to increased health care cost, increase high
school drop-out rates, increased incarceration of teen parents and a
continued lower educational achievement of children born of teen
mothers.
What factors lead to pregnancy? Lack of knowledge about sex, how
contraceptive work, low self stem , rape, barriers to access of
contraceptives, dusfunctional families and the media.
Social cognitive theory forms the basis that learning occurs in a social
context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of that person,
environment and behavior (LaMorte, 2016). Social cognitive theory is the
better to use at it relates to teenage pregnancy. People learn by
observation. However, learning is an internal process that may or may
not lead to behavior change. Cognitive theory can influence motivation
and well as learning. In this situation a teenager who is placed in a
better environment meaning access to reproductive care, stable family
life good self-esteem can reap the benefits of that environment.
The health belief model is not the best. Though it embraces various
aspects of including the perceived severity, how severe the consequences
of becoming a teenage mother and that engaging in activities lead to
pregnancy can also increase the likely of them becoming HIV positive as
well, it does not take into consideration how the impact of the
environment contributes to teenage pregnancy. The benefits of not being a
teen mom, having low educational level, low income and other social
ills does very little when the environment is still there. People tend
to learn and benefit from their environment.
References
Glanz, K., Rimer, B. K., & Viswanath, K. (2015). Health behavior:
Theory, research, and practice. 5th edition. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass. ISBN-13: 978-1118628980; ISBN-10: 1118628985
CDC, About Teen Pregnancy 2017. Retrieved on May 9, 2017 from https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm
Wayne LaMorte, 2106. The Social Cognitive Theory. Retrieved on May 9, 2017 from http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories5.html