Behaviour plays a central role in our physical and mental wellbeing. Physical activity is especially important (Penedo & Dahn, 2005). As medical students, we are acutely aware of this but are also particularly vulnerable as the stress involved in meeting the responsibilities of becoming a physician may adversely affect the exercise habits of students (Rao 2012).
A multitude of factors determine the formation of health behaviours, making the process of changing these patterns a challenging and complex task. The first challenge is to decide which socio-ecological lens through which to view the issue; community, interpersonal or individual (Sallis et al., 2015).
In the context of physical activity, the evidence suggests that a range of individually-tailored
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There are three major theories used to model behaviour change at the individual level. The Health Belief Model (Becker et al 1997) is a motivation-based framework that uses the desire to avoid negative health outcomes to promote positive health actions. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen 1985) suggests that intention is the most important determinant of behaviour, and can be influenced by both attitudes and subjective norms. The final model is the Trans-theoretical Model (TTM), which I will use to critically assess my own proposed health-behaviour change.
The TTM focuses on decision making abilities (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997) and centers on the concept of individuals moving through stages of ‘change readiness’. Each stage is characterized by specific psychosocial and behavioural changes (fig.1). These identifiable markers make the TTM ideal for stage-specific interventions targeted for advancement through phases of change readiness toward lasting behaviour modification.
In my first semester, my physical activity decreased dramatically during exams. This behaviour change had a significant impact on my physical and mental wellbeing. Following extensive reflection, I have outlined below my proposed behaviour modifications in the context of the
Lets make it quite clear that change doesn’t happen overnight nor is it ever a process easy. To make a proper and healthy life-style behavior change, you must be dedicated to put in the time and effort that’s necessary for accomplish any goal. When I first began to become engage in exercising and becoming more physically fit I found that the Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory demonstrated the progression that I have made throughout my change. To begin you do not need to try and follow through the steps provided in any given model or a theory, the reasoning behind that statement is that everyone is different so our stages of change will all differ from one another. For me, once I decided that I wanted to begin attending group-fitness classes I found that through the Health Belief Model I had to understand the perceived benefits of my change, I had to
A of his current state of health and lifestyle behaviours (Harris, Nutbeam, Wise, 2004). For example, the model explores 6 behavioural stages; pre-contemplation, contemplation, determination, action, maintenance and termination. These stages focus on the individual’s experience, behavioural changes and processes as opposed to an event which has determined a behaviour change. Evidently, the transtheoretical model determines that Mr. A is at the pre-contemplation stage (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). Due to Mr. A experiencing this stage, he is not planning change to his current lifestyle choices. Although Mr. A is not planning changes in the foreseeable future, the transtheoretical model in conjunction with an education campaign can inform Mr. A about different behavioural stages that he may experience. However, understanding this behaviour change model of health cannot determine why Mr. A’s his current lifestyle and behaviour (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). Fortunately, inclusion of maslow’s hierarchy of needs psychology theory (Donovan, Egger, Spark, 2005) used in conjunction with the transtheoretical model of health, can identify barriers that are stopping Mr A from actively using information from health education campaigns to change his behaviour (Harris, Nutbeam, Wise,
The Health Belief Model (HBM) comes from the psychological and behavioral theorists. The premise is that there are two parts involved in health related behavior. “People are more inclined to engage in a health behavior when they think doing so can reduce a threat that is likely and would have severe consequences if it occurred.” (Brewer & Rimer, 2008, p. 152). The patient believes that a specific health action will prevent or cure the illness. How the individual responds depends on the perceived benefits and barriers of that health behavior.
The association between health beliefs and intentions or actual performance of health behaviours has been examined extensively within the theoretical framework of social cognitive models such as the Health Belief Model (e.g. Rosenstock, 1974), and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (e.g. Ajzen, 1985). These theoretical approaches have a number of overlapping constructs (Norman & Conner, 1996), and personal models also have similarities with elements of social cognition theories. However, personal models are unique in that they are empirically based, originating in studies of patients. Focusing on Illness cognition within the con...
The key concept of the health belief model includes threat perception (perceived threat), behavioral evaluation, self-efficacy and other variables. The threat perception has very great relevance in health-related behaviors. This perception are measured by perceived susceptibility (the beliefs about the likelihood of contacting a disease) and perceived severity (the feeling about the seriousness of contacting an illness and leaving it untreated). The behavioral evaluation is assessed by the levels of perceived benefits (the positive effects to be expected), perceived barriers (potential negative aspects of a health behavior), and cues to action (the strategies to activated one’s readiness). The self-efficacy key concept was not originally included in of the health belief model, and it was just added in 1998 to look at a person’s belief in his/her ability to take action in order to make a health related change. The other variables that are also the key concepts of the model include diverse demography, sociopsychology, education, and structure. These factors are variable from one to another and indirectly influence an individual’s health-related behavior because the factors influence the perception...
Rosen, C. S. (2000). Is the sequencing of change processes by stage consistent across health problems? A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 19(6), 593-604.
Human behavior is a vital component in the sustainment of health and the prevention of illness. For some decades now there has been an increasing attention to the contribution of psychological and social components to improving and changing health. Health specialists have used the help of models of behavior change in order to reduce health risks. Through all these years psychosocial models have been a leading influence in predicting and explaining health behaviors. The most accustomed are the social cognition models. A central principle of social cognition is that people’s social behavior is comprehended by examining their perceptions about their own behaviour
Children’s behaviour is constantly changing and evolving as they learn about themselves and construct their own identities within different environments. The sociocultural theory acknowledges that social interactions are central to these continuous changes in thoughts and behaviour, varying significantly from one culture to the next. The key focus of this essay is to determine what behaviour is, with the consideration that behaviour is a socio-cultural construct and whether "Children’s capacity to choose appropriate behaviour is influenced by their developmental ability, temperament, interactions, life experiences and environmental factors” (Government of South Australia, 2004).
I chose the transtheoretical model as my theory to help my behavior change. Transtheoretical theory was originally developed by Prochaska and DiClemente in 1984 to help explain smoking cessations. It has been modified over the years to show that behavior changes are ...
Most people have an aspiration to get rid of a certain unhealthy behaviour or to employ a new health behaviour that would benefit their wellbeing. Some examples include a wish to stop smoking, eating a balanced diet or getting rid of a sedentary lifestyle. Many psychologists have been trying to find a model that would help people fight these kinds of unwanted health behaviours. One of such is the Transtheoretical model of behavioural change (TTM) which will be the main focus of this essay. Specifically, how one’s sedentary lifestyle can be changed by bringing out a systematic exercising routine using TTM.
The behavior change I pursued included running 3 miles a day for three days of the week. In this analysis I explore how my perceptions fit within the Theory of Planned Behavior, overview specific methods of change, evaluate pitfalls, social support, and identify potential areas of improvement.
The Transtheoretical Model is used to understand how individuals change health behaviors. Use of this model aids in developing interventions, appropriate for each stage of the change process. The model includes a total of six stages of change, which are: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2015). During the precontemplation stage, individuals have no intentions of taking action to change their behaviors within the following six months. During the contemplation stage individuals have an intention to change their behavior within the next six months. Individuals of the preparation stage, intend to take action to change the health behavior within the next 30 days. Action
... wants their patients to start eating healthier it could help give them ideas on how to change their patient’s intentions. The health care provider could help the patient realize that the important people in their life want them to eat healthy, and this could help change their behavior. They could educate them on the effects of eating healthier and ultimately change their attitude about eating healthy. For example, the patient does not have to cut junk food out completely; they just have to eat it in moderation. This is just one situation were the theories could help in the health care field. There are many other ways these theories are useful. It is important to understand these theories in order to understand that behavior is affected by someone’s intentions. This makes it easier to understand what affects a person’s intentions and how they can be changed.
Since I believe in certain ideas that can ultimately affect my decisions. The last model that helped me through my process of change was that transtheoretical model of change. The transtheoretical model of change is an effective tool to look at when in the contemplation stage of behavior change. The transtheoretical model of change focuses on pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, stable behavior, and relapse. This model allowed me to work through the stages of change gradually, and helped me achieve my goal for behavior
There exists various lifestyles and behaviours, ranging from amount of nutrition intake, mental well-being, to the amount of physical activity engaged individually. Weighing the abundance of factors, this essay primarily aims to focus on the aspect of physical activity in relevance to how it possibly affects one's lifestyle. By cross-referencing to other lifestyles and behaviours, this essay will also demonstrate the importance of physical activity in possibly alleviating the issues raised pertaining to other lifestyles as well. Throughout this essay, there will be frequent references to the socio-ecological framework in examining the aforementioned factors.