The behavior I would like to change is the management of chronic stress. Chronic stress is a precursor for most health problems in today’s society. If we look at the start of most health problems, we can likely trace it back to chronic stress. Chronic stress releases levels of cortisol higher than normal. Cortisol is a hormone released from someone with chronic stress, which can which can negatively affect the body’s ability to function.
Getting sick is another negative factor of being overly stressed. Chronic stress compromises your immune system and stress hormones affect the body’s ability to fight off illness due to the fact that thymus’s ability to stimulate and coordinate the white blood cell activity.
Chronic stress may be a factor in cases of heart disease and obesity. Due to the type of hormones in the body being released or restricted Cholesterol levels have been known to increase in individuals with chronic stress. A person’s relationship with food can increase their chances of heart disease and obesity. When people are experiencing high levels of stress they may use food as a way to feel satisfied temporarily- whether they are hungry or not.
Unmanageable stress can cause depression. Never getting a chance to focus on yourself and always being busy may cause you to be over stressed. Taking time to prioritize life’s obligations and allowing time to take care of yourself is a way to prevent feelings of being tired, sad, anxious, or depressed.
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 ...
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...nagement behaviors. Individuals can move through a series of stages of readiness in the change of a healthy behavior or managing stress. If you cope with change, you'll be valued as a person to yourself and to others.
Works Cited
Cambell, L. C., Ed.D, Eichhorn, K. C., PhD, Early, C., Caraccioli, P., & Greeley, A. E., .S.T. (2012). Applying the transtheoretical model to improve social media use in the health care industry. American Journal of Health Studies, 27(4), 236-244.
Lutz, R. S., Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Bartholomew, J. B. (2010). Exercise caution when stressed: Stages of change and the stress- exercise participation relationship. Psycology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 560-567.
Pekmezi, D., Ph.D., Barbera, B., M.A., & Marcus, B. H., Ph.D. (2010). Using the transtheoretical model to promote physical activity. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 14(4), 8-1
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 Transtheoretical Model is used to evaluate individuals at the various stages of change in order to implement applicable behavior theories to create a desired response and behavioral change towards a healthier lifestyle. This model was further evolved and examined while studying people attempting to quit smoking. This study demonstrated that people would only quit when they are ready. Based on this information, the TTM is centralized around the concept of intentional change or cognitive choice to make a change in behavior. The TTM model has been used not only in smoking, but also in domestic abuse, alcoholism, and diet. Also, there has been success in multiple settings from primary care to schools.
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 stages of change according to the Transtheoretical Model of Change consist of precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. The Transtheoretical model of change includes flexible stages. This means that an individual could be in the maintenance stage one week, relapse the next week and be back in the precontemplation stage. The stages of change are not stagnant and an individual could go up/down a stage or stages of change depending on their development of self-efficacy. Ted goes through all of these stages of change on his journey to sobriety.
The philosophy that is most parallel with my personal views of health education is the social change philosophy. While examining the uses and goals of the five predominant health philosophies, I noticed a majority of their disciplines revolved around changing a patient or student’s behavior or outlook of a particular health action. Although these approaches of health enhancing behaviors may work in simplified or less addictive cases, I firmly believe that most individuals will not be able to or willing to stop a particular behavior unless social, economic, and political laws are enacted. For example, even with a continuous thread of factual information and content based solely on the health hazards of smoking, such as with the cognitive based philosophy, an individual may still find it difficult or nearly impossible to break their smoking habit. Furthermore, an individual who smokes may make personal goals or behavioral contracts for themselves in the hopes...
James Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClemente developed the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change. This model of behavior change consists of five stages, which are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. With this model, an individual gradually moves throughout the stages when engaged in a new behavior. For my handout, my target audience is individuals who are in the contemplation stage. A person in this stage is aware of their problem behavior and is ambivalent about changing. In my handout, I displayed both the benefits of getting enough sleep and the effects of sleep deprivation. In doing this, I have shown the audience the pros and cons of getting enough sleep in hopes of moving them to the preparation
Suppression of the Immunity System: stress causes the immune system of the body to be weakened because it fights of the stress from the stressor. This makes the body even more vulnerable to certain infections, like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. It has been discovered that stress slows the body’s rate of recovery from infections.
The first chapter outlines an approach to promoting behavioral change that will be expanded upon throughout the rest of the book. It introduces this approach by outlining three facts about change that many of us would not know or find to be surprising. The first is what looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. The second is what looks like laziness is often exhaustion. The third is what looks like a people problem is often a situational problem. Chip Heath along with his brother Dan Heath believes in a basic three-part framework when it comes to behavioral change. Direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and shape the path. When used the right way this framework can be very important to individuals who want to make changes in their
This can often be because the individual is unaware that their current behaviour is going to cause detriment to their health (Boston University School of Public Health, 2013). The pros of behavioural change can often be miscalculated and individuals in this stage can often stress too much over the cons to behavioural change (Boston University School of Public Health, 2013). The second stage of the model is contemplation. In this stage the individual is intending on starting to adjust their behaviours to healthy ones within the next 6 months (Boston University School of Public Health, 2013). He or she has now recognised that their behaviour is causing negative effects on their health and is now placing equal weight on the pros and cons of behavioural change. In this stage the individual may still feel hesitant to change their behaviour explains Boston University School of Public Health (2013). Boston University School of Public Health (2013) continues by stating that preparation is the third stage of the transtheoretical model, where the individual is ready to make behavioural changes in the next 30
The objective of this paper is trying to analyze how effective in terms of utilizing the model, and how much did it contribute to the grand scheme of learning health behaviors.
Oliver, Georgina., Wardle, Jane. (1999). Percieved Effects of Stress on Food Choice. Physiology & Behavoir, Volume 66(Issue 3), Pages 511-515. Retrieved from
Our health depends on our mental being. “Mind over matter.” I noticed that people who have less stress in their lives, live a healthier and longer life. Stress can alter memory functions, and make you susceptibility to diseases. Emotional distress is often a factor in illness, mental issues, and disability. Illness, mental issues, and disability is often related to emotion, social, and cultural factors.
We analyzed the food choices made by the participants receiving the acute stress using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA; Table 1). The results showed no significant main effect of acute stress on food choice, F (1,29)=1.331, p=. 2580. We also looked at chronic stress and found there also was no significant main effect of chronic stress on food choice, F(1,29)=.019, p=.8899. Lastly, there was no significant interaction between acute and chronic stress on food choice, F(1,29)=.002, p=.9627 (Figure 1).
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.
First, self-made change is necessary in order to break an old habit. Maude Muse, a professor at a graduate school of education, health, and psychology in New York, emphasized to her students, “It takes time and numerous repetitions with a well defined goal, to fix a desirable habit” (Muse). Before one can take action to change a habit, he or she must set a specific, realistic goal and be willing to work towards that goal persistently. Once the goal is created and a pledge of commitment is formed, one must alter their environment to successfully alter their habits. Specifically, in an NPR interview with Charles Duhigg’s, Duhigg recommends, "If you want to quit smoking, you should stop smoking while you're on a vacation--because all your old cues and all your old rewards aren't there anymore. So you have this ability to form a new pattern and hopefully be able to carry it over into your life" (Duhigg). To relate the simplicity of the actions needed to discontinue a standard addiction, Duhigg illustrates a behavioral habit common to an “estimated 36.5 million adults in the United States” (“Current Cigarette Smoking”). Due to this example, it is easy to see how environment directly causes the repetition of habits in one’s life and how a change of environment allows for a smoother alteration of unconscious behavioral habits. Additionally, habit reversal therapy, a form of therapeutic habit reversal “helps people become more aware of the cues that set their habits in motion and develop competing responses” (Glasofer and Steinglass). With this approach, individuals can identify the trigger and change their routine, exemplifying that recognition and alteration of bad habits results in obtainable success. Whether a neurological, individual, or therapeutic method is employed, bad habits can successfully be broken and altered to