Essentials of Health Behavior, Social and Behavioral Theory in Public Health by Edber - Essay Example

"Essentials of Health Behavior, Social and Behavioral Theory in Public Health by Edberg" is a worthy example of a paper on social and family issues.

What is the goal of the field of study concerned with health behavior?

A study on health behavior is very significant in our lives. Indeed, health behavior plays a major role in our health status mostly because it deals with our personality. Actually, health behavior is a personal choice and as such, health is barely communal. The study related to health behavior seeks to link our motives, norms, cues, and all factors that affect health behavior with our health behavior (Edberg, 2007). It also aims at promoting understanding of specific health behaviors, their motivators, and impact with the main objective of improving our health, life, and healthy behaviors among all generations. The study helps in attaining health information and high-quality health.

What is the relationship between health behavior and behavior in general?

Indeed, there is a direct link between health behavior and general human behavior. This arises from the fact that general human behavior relies on an individuals’ personality that equally contributes to what motivates a person and how a person decides or chooses to behave in matters of their personal health. It is clear that a person with good morals will have good behaviors that will define his health choices and behaviors. In addition, people with the behavior of copying others who act as their role models, they will equally copy behaviors relating to their health in the name of peer pressure.

List the ways in which a shift from an agrarian economy to an industrialized economy may affect health conditions.

Health conditions are subject to influence from various factors that may include economic factors related to health. As such, a shift from an agrarian economy to an industrialized economy may actually have huge effects on the health conditions. In the agrarian economy, people lived in the rural areas where they respected the environment, obtained food, water, and other resources with no pressure unlike in the industrialized economy where scarcity, crowding, pollution, and competition is very high thus affecting health conditions negatively. Indeed, in the industrialized economy, diseases spread more easily because of the lack of enough and clean water, food, housing, and poor sanitation (Edberg, 2007). This lowers health conditions. At the same time, in the industrialized economy, there is high migration of people from rural areas to the urban centers that encourage the spread of diseases like AIDS from the immoral sexual activities happening in the urban areas (Edberg, 2007). Nevertheless, the shift to the industrialized economy avails information on how and where to seek medical assistance to improve our health conditions.

What is the main assumption of the ecological model?

The ecological model has an assumption of its application. There is an assumption that no factor can influence people's behavior by itself. Thus, we have the assumption that complex interaction between individuals and the environment influences behavior (Edberg, 2007).

What types of broad factors exist in the ecological model?

There are a number of broad factors that exist in the ecological model, which include socioeconomic and structural factors, political factors, environmental factors, social/ cultural/ group factors, and individual factors (Edberg, 2007).

What is the role of health education and health promotion? 

Health education and health promotion have significant roles in our health, the way we live, and by far our economy. Indeed, health education gives us the necessary information on how to behave, what to eat, what affects our health, how to improve our health, and how to maintain a healthy life. Additionally, health education and health promotion improve public awareness and understanding of health opportunities and health services available to all for purposes of preventing and treating health problems. They serve a great role in ensuring high quality and long life, addresses disability, and gives guidelines on how to prevent injury and sudden death. Health education similarly helps individuals and governments to make informed health decisions that will promote health development, equality in accessing health services, and ensure good health for all generations. Indeed, health education and health promotion create an environment that is socially and physically friendly to our health.