Behavior Change as a Strategy of Health Promotion in the Country - Research Paper Example

Health promotion al affiliation) Introduction Health promotion is the process of improving individual’s health as well as having control over their health. It moves beyond a wide range of environmental and social intervention and focuses on individual behavior with an intention of boosting people’s health. Health promotion strategies have been initiated in various social institutions such as schools, churches and mainly hospitals with an aim of changing individual’s behavior and the need to live healthy. Despite increased provision of health services by many social institutions in the country, there is continued need to inform people that the key to better health is practicing responsible behaviors (Van Den Broucke, 2014). This research paper will focus on hospitals as the main social institution that will advance the concept of responsible behavior as well as the impacts that positive behavior changes will have on the overall health status of the country. Behavior change as a strategy of health promotion in the country Behavior change is one of the health strategies that are effective in improving the health of people. Various models and theories have put in place to help promote the health of people. Health belief model for example plays a critical role in helping individuals adopt various behavior change strategies. Health belief model states that for people to practice recommended physical activity behaviors, their benefits of actions and perceived threats must outweigh their perceived threat to action. Transtheoretical models states that in adopting behaviors that are considered healthy such as eliminating unhealthy behavior for example smoking and adopting behaviors that can promote health for example practicing regular physical activities, people tend to progress through five stages which entails pre-contemplation stage, contemplation stage, preparation stage, action stage and maintenance stage. Relapse prevention model is often beneficial to individuals who have begun avoiding a certain behavior such as smoking and help them to anticipate barriers that can result to relapse (Syme, 2012). The approach often enables individuals to change their behavior completely and avoid relapsing. Information processing paradigm model is another approach based on impact of communication that is considered persuasive and aims at emphasizing behavior change. Behavior change campaigns are often mediated by three phases of processing messages and include comprehension of the content, acceptance of the content and attention to the message. Health institutions often offer some outreach programs with an intention of passing health information to the people and help them change behaviors that can predispose them to disease and injuries. Social cognitive theory states that change in health behaviors is often as a result of relationship of an individual with the attributes of the behavior, personal factors and environmental factors. Self efficacy is one of the most vital aspects that determine behavior change (Speers, 2009). The theory of planned behavior asserts that individuals’ perceived control over resources, opportunities and skills tend to affect the behavioral intentions. For the health institutions to be able to improve the health of the people in the United States of America, then they have to utilize the above health promotion models and theories to help in understanding how behavior change can be initiated. Most of the behavior change strategies are in line with the goals of the health people 2020. The healthy people 2020 offer a comprehensive set of ten year national objective and goals for improving health for all the American citizens. Nearly half of the topics that are contained in the healthy people 2020 targets behavior prevention strategies. Great strides have been registered since its inception; rate of death from stoke and coronary heart disease has decreased, life expectancy at birth has increased yet other diseases and conditions that can be prevented through change in behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, obesity and diabetes are still persisting. This calls for a more comprehensive strategy that will target all health facilities around the country to focus on promotion and emphasis on behavior change as a remedy towards control of preventive disease conditions and health (Peacock, Gelman & Lutins, 2012). The American citizens should not continue to pay for sick care when wellness and healthy care remains the cost effective alternatives. Robert wood Johnson foundation’s James S. Mark stated that the likelihood of suffering an injury or becoming ill is about whether someone smokes, whether they are active, what and how they eat, the safety of the neighborhood, microbes, toxins and conditions that people are exposed to when they learn, work, live and play. This shows that some diseases and conditions that affect the American population can only be prevented by emphasizing on behavior change strategies. Why it is difficult to change unhealthy behaviors Many people thing about behaviors changes that they would like to make in their lives. In medical recommendation we are often aware of the drill; keeping the body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9, exercise most days of the week, keep up with medical screening for blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, eat a variety of nutritious diet, get Pap smear and mammograms at recommended intervals, limit alcohol to seven drinks in a week and avoid smoking. Improving relationships, reducing stress, and developing new hobbies and interests also contribute to healthy living. Making healthy changes in individual lifestyles affect not only the way people feel today and their risk for diseases but also their ability to function in an independent manner. Adopting a new healthy habit or breaking an old and bad behavior has proved to be a big challenge for individuals especially those people who abuse drugs. Experts who study behavior belief that long lasting changes can take place when it is rooted in positive thinking and is self motivated. Effective change strategies should focus on arousing regret and fear in individuals who are attempting to make changes. Change is considered a process and not an event. Individuals who have health problems such as smoking, drug abuse and alcohol tend to go through various states during the change process (Miller & Tricker, 2012). A drug addict at the pre-conception stage may not even have reasons or thoughts of changing his behaviors as compared to when they will be in the action stages. Behavior change strategies and their impact towards American Currently, the main risks targeting health are the impact of engaging in risk behavior. Risk behaviors includes engaging in unsafe sex, abusing drugs, maintaining an healthy life style, escalating interpersonal conflicts and seeking treatment for treating psychiatry disorders. Some of the behavior change strategies will focused on maintaining a healthy weight, emphasis on physical activity, healthy eating, limiting consumption of alcohol, avoiding exposure to tobacco, health screening and wearing of seatbelts (MCQUEEN, 2013). Physical activity Emphasis on regular physical activities will help promote the quality of life of the American people and aid the elderly to maintain their functional independence. Stressing on physical activities such as exercise will help to manage and prevent high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stress, obesity, diabetes, mental health problems and anxiety. Physical activities have been associated with reduced rates of breast and colon cancer and of stroke, and it may help improve depression as well as reduce back injuries. Physical exercise has been known to improve endurance, balance, endurance, self esteem and bone density. Lack of time has always been cited as one of the factors that hinder initiation of physical activities. Health practitioners should be able to advice patient on effective strategies that the can utilize to tackle the issue of physical activity with the aim of maintaining their health. Emphasis on practicing physical activities will be of essence on the American population as it will help improve the health of people and reduce the amount of money that is spend on sick care. Physical exercise will help improve the well being of people around the country and the health sector should organize outreach activities with the aim of encouraging people to practice it (DEAN & MCQUEEN, 2011). Being physically active can help lower the risk of back pain, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, depression, falling, cardio vascular diseases as well as breast cancer, stroke, mobility problems, loss of independence, liver diseases, injuries and high blood pressure. Maintaining a healthy weight Having a healthy body weight helps prevent unnecessary stress on the lungs, the heart, the kidney, liver and other organs. A health weight of the body reduces pressure on the bones and joints of the body. An individual with a normal body weight sleeps better, moves well and has more energy. Maintaining the body weight within the normal range of body mass index i.e. 18.5 to 24.5 improves the health of an individual especially as the person develops. Obesity is the second leading cause of deaths that can be prevented by initiating behavior changes in the United States of America. It is responsible for increasing the risks of nearly thirty medical conditions including reducing mobility. Additionally, the social stigma that is related to obesity can affect community interactions and employment opportunities leading to depression and isolation (Odotei , 2013). The good news is that obesity can be prevented by behavior changes that targets maintenance of a normal body weight through exercise and emphasis on other physical activities. Maintaining a healthy body weight can help reduce the risk of kidney stones, depression, dementia, leg injuries, respiratory problems, hernias, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and high blood pressure. Health practitioners have a mandate of ensuring that people get information on the benefits of maintaining a normal body weight through community outreaches and promotion of health both in the hospital and in the community. Individuals will be educated during through health education on healthy living and the need to change their lifestyle behavior foe the better. Limiting alcohol use Even though alcohol may have a small health benefit, it is a mood altering drug that may affect the judgment of individuals and the ability to accomplish routine tasks by individuals. Such cases are often reported when the drink is taken in large quantities. Even moderate use of alcohol can lead to increased risks of injuries that are termed accidental (Daykin et al, 2012). In the country for example, alcohol is rated to 70% of assaults, 25% of boating accidents, 30% of suicide deaths and 30-40% of traffic crashes. Over forty percent of traumatic injuries that are treated in the United States hospitals have been associated with consumption of alcohol. Therefore, behavior change strategy that is aimed at preventing or limiting consumption of alcohol can reduce the number of accidents and hospital admissions. Reducing the consumption of alcohol can help reduce cases of injuries, cirrhosis, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and traffic crashes. According to Dr. Tom Frieden, a CDC director, ‘ excessive utilization of alcohol has a negative impact on families, communities and individuals, additionally it causes diseases, injuries, death and costs the society billion of money through increased criminal justice expenses, reduced work productivity and higher health care costs. Effective behavior change programs can help individuals to make wise decision targeting the consumption of alcohol” Healthy eating Healthy eating is another behavior change strategy that is effective in promotion of health. Fresh foods, vegetables, grains, poultry and fish, dairy products offer variety of texture and flavor as well as complete nutrition. Home cooked meals can be low in calories, sodium, fat and higher in fiber and nutrients than food processed at the restaurant. Eating a healthy diet can help prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure, fatigue, osteoporosis, uterine fibroids, type II diabetes and cervical cancer. Consumption of large amounts of unhealthy foods such as snacks, soda and sugar contributes to tooth decay, obesity and poor nutrition. Health facilities should be able to educate people on the need to consume foods that are healthy in order to improve their healthy. It is sad to find out American youths acquire 13% of their calories from soda consumption (Van Den Broucke, 2014). People should be encouraged to consume more vegetables and fruits which offer essential nutrients for better life. Health screenings The amount of money utilized in prevention of diseases is less as compared to staggering personal and social costs of managing, treating and living with chronic illness. The effect of chronic diseases can be reduced effectively by behavior change about health and earlier detection of diseases at earlier stages of development. Health screening involves blood pressure checks, cholesterol test, cancer screening and body mass index measurement. Health facilities should encourage people to visit hospitals for screening tests (Daykin et al, 2012). Avoiding exposure to tobacco Studies have indicated that there is no level of tobacco exposure that is considered safe. The added chemicals and the nicotine that is added to tobacco are both mentally and physically addictive. Exposure to involuntary or secondhand smoking has similar effects. The United States has reported more cases of tobacco related deaths than those that are linked to homicides, suicides, alcohol and drugs as well as HIV. Smoking can only be eliminated through positive behavior change. Health practitioners should apply various health promotion models and theories to help people stop taking tobacco or prevent them from starting to smoke (Daykin et al, 2012). Eliminating exposure to tobacco can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, impotence, pregnancy miscarriage, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, premature births, sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infection and cervical cancer cases. Conclusion Behavior change is one of the approaches to health promotion and helps to promote the health of the people in the society. Behavior change interventions require the utilization of various models and theories to target individual’s behavior, which they do through manipulation, coercion, persuasion and health education. Health behavior change can be promoted through fostering belief and knowledge, increasing abilities and self regulation skills as well as enhancing social facilitation. Since behavior tend to affect individual’s health, many people in the country can improve their health by engaging in health promotion behaviors and managing their chronic conditions. The health sector should be able to apply health promotion models and theories such as health belief to empower and help individuals to practice behaviors that will promote their health (Daykin et al, 2012). References Daykin, N., de Viggiani, N., Pilkington, P., & Moriarty, Y. (2012). Music making for health, well-being and behaviour change in youth justice settings: a systematic review. 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