Changing Health Behaviors

HEALTH BELIEF MODEL

Factors influencing Healthy behavior
• Demographic factors
• Early socialization to healthy habits
• Economical factors
• Access to health care system
• Cognitive factors

1• GENERAL HEALTH VALUE: Assumption that we have some interest and concern for our health and maintenance.

2• PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ILLNESS: Perception of health threat depend on our general knowledge about a particular disease and how it can be connected to us.

5• SELF EFFICACY: Originated by Bandure, it is a perception of whether or not we actually have what it takes to carry out a behavior. Self efficacy can lead us to develop healthy habits.

6• PERCEIVED BARRIERS AND BENEFITS: We do a cost benefit analysis to weigh the cost of changing health behavior against perceived benefits. One can overcome the barriers only if they feel that the outcome overweighs the behavior.

7• CUES TO ACTION: Events or messages that act as a triggers people to adopt healthy behaviors. Our own or someone else’s positive or negative experiences can lead to change in the behavior.

LIMITATION OF THE MODEL :

• Not all studies have found supportive results and most investigations have found partial support

• Some critics have argued that the model does not explain precisely the expected relationship among variables that influence health behavior.

THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

Ajzen 1991

THREE BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS

1• Attitude Towards Behavior -

* Beliefs about consequences
* Evaluations of consequences

3• Perceived Behavior Control -

* Individuals Perception of control over specific behavior.
(influence by self- efficacy)

TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL

Developed by Prochaska and DiClementc

(1983,1986)

•Stage 1.
PRECONTEMPLATION
-Not aware
-Uninformed
-No intention to change

•Stage 2.
CONTEMPLATION
-Aware problem exits
-Are thinking of making change within next 6 months.

•Stage 5.
MAINTENANCE (After 6 months)
-Have made modifications.
-Prevent relapse.
Eg. Ex –smoker try to stay quit.

•Stage 6
TERMINATION
-100% self –efficiency
-No temptation to return to the problem behavior .

RESEARCH.

-Conducted by-Prochaska, DiClemente Velicer and Rossi(1993).

-To determine:whether programs matched to stage of change were more effective than other smoking cessation programs.
-Assigned 756 smokers to four different conditions.

STRESS, COPING
AND
SOCIAL SUPPORT

STRESS AND COPING

Stress experts have examined the process of stress and coping so as to help understand the source of stress in their lives and manage stress effectively

Lazarus and Folkman defined Stress as “a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well being”

3. Coping –thoughts, feelings, and behavior that people engage in when trying to reduce stress

a. Consistent with experience of stress is an individual phenomenon
b. People differ in Coping strategies they use

> Effective coping – reduce the negative effects of stress

> Ineffective coping – does not reduce the negative effects, might make it worse also affecting Health

HOLMES AND RAHE (1967) – SOCIAL READJUSTMENT RATING SCALE

Include positive and negative events that require people to adjust or make lot of changes
People who have experience high number of major life events : more likely to develop health problems

Study – Minor annoyance also subjected to on a daily basis can cause stress and not just big events only
LAZARUS AND COLLEGUES- relatively minor stressors that characterize everyday life can lead to negative health Outcomes

Characteristics of events that make them more likely to be perceived as stressors

• Negative events are more likely to elicit stress than positive outcomes.
• Events that are more unpredictable or uncontrollable are ore likely to be seen as stressful than predicted or controllable events.

SOCIAL SUPPORT

Given by Lafreniere and Colleagues’ (1997)

Results-
- From the perspective of cancer patients minimization of the problem , empty reassurances and forced cheerfulness were unhelpful behavior, as was misplaced empathy, that is, having people without cancer tell them ,’’ I know how you feel’ ’probably the most hurtful behavior reported by cancer patients.