Category: Psychology

The Health Belief Model

This discussion is an exploration of how the health belief model applies specifically to obesity as a public health issue.

Answer the following questions:

• What are your personal preconceptions about obesity?
• What limits your understanding about obesity ?    
• How has the information about obesity changed over the years?
• What ethical issues arise with this issue?
• How can the HBM help inform a prevention and wellness approach to obesity?

Support your statements using the readings in this units studies on obesity and the health belief model (HBM). Remember to consult the APA manual or other APA resource to make sure your citations are formatted correctly.

Obesity as a Public Health Issue

• Search for obesity epidemic on YouTube and choose two results to view.
• Briefly summarize the two choices you examined.
  • What were the major points made in each video?
  • What really got your attention and moved you the most? Why?
  • What more did you want to know?
• Refer to the APA manual or the EasyBib Web site (linked in Resources) for direction on citing video presentations if necessary. 

Significance of HIV/AIDS and the Self-Efficacy Theory

Preparation

The topic for this discussion is ways in which theories can be applied to the HIV/AIDS public health issue. Make sure you can answer the following questions related to the significance of the HIV/AIDS issue in the United States:

• How serious is HIV/AIDS today?
• How many people does it affect?
• Is it preventable?
• What ethical concerns arise with this issue?

Discussion Instructions

• In your post, discuss how self-efficacy theory or social cognitive theory would inform your prevention approach to HIV/AIDS. Refer to your readings for this unit.
• Support your discussion with at least two academic sources.

Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility

Overview

Self-efficacy is the belief in your own abilities to overcome any difficulty. In Bandura’s words, it is your “self-system.”

This assignment applies self-efficacy theory as a means to understand the motivations and influences behind one’s ability to take personal responsibility to do what is necessary to be healthy.

Preparation

Use the resources in this unit to deepen your understanding of how the self-efficacy theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory relate to the behavior and personal responsibility of people in a public health situation.

Instructions

Examine any real-life situation related to a public health issue, choosing an issue that has affected the life someone you know, such as infectious diseases, food safety, air or water quality, unsanitary living conditions, emotional or physical abuse. Note: Ensure the confidentiality of this person by changing names and other potentially revealing information.

• Provide a brief description of the public health issue and its impact on the person’s life.
• Use self-efficacy theory to describe and explain his or behavior relative to the health issue.
• Describe how the self-efficacy theory could be used to influence desired changes in his or her behavior.
• If you found yourself in a similar situation, which elements of the self-efficacy theory would you find beneficial to consider in your own life? 

Submission Requirements

Note: To fully understand how this assignment will be graded, be sure to review the Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility scoring guide.

In addition to the criteria in the scoring guide, you must also ensure your assignment meets the following requirements:

• Length: Your assignment must include 35 double-spaced pages of content, plus cover and reference pages.
• Font: Times New Roman 12 point.
• APA Formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current edition APA style and formatting. Refer to the handy APA Campus links in Resources as needed.
• Number of References: Cite at least one peer-reviewed resource.

Submit your document as an attachment to this assignment.

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.

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Smoke-Free: What Now?

Scenario

You have been smoke-free for a year. You are celebrating your one-year anniversary and it is time to reflect on the past. You are also aware that you must take one day at a time.

In this spirit, you try to answer the following questions:

• How do you plan to support this major change in your life as you move forward?
• What are the benefits you have seen over the past year?
• What are the major temptations you face each day you decide not to smoke a cigarette?
• What resources can you turn to help you on a day-to-day basis?

Post your responses to the questions and provide at least two references supporting your answers.

Once you do this, you will see that your answers partly reflect being in the maintenance stage of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). 

Pros and Cons of Smoking

Scenario

Imagine that you have been a smoker for over 20 yearstwo packs of cigarettes a day. You are developing recurring symptoms including shortness of breath, a persistent cough, congestion, and general feelings of apathy. You know that smoking is at the root of many of these symptoms.

It is time to take stock of the situation. You decide to sit down, ask yourself about your smoking habit, and put your answers on paper. 

Complete this discussion by responding to the following questions from the perspective of a long-term smoker and provide at least two references to support your answers.

• What are the pros and cons of smoking?
• Why do I smoke?
• What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
• What is keeping me from quitting?
• What resources can I turn to for help?

Once you do this, you will see that your answers partly reflect being in the precontemplation and contemplation stages of the TTM.

Personal Values Examination

Use this exercise to clarify your core values. Having done so, you can apply the same clarification process to any theory or model you read about in this course.

Think of one of your core values. Then write down answers to the following questions:

• Was this a value you chose freely?
  • How did you make a personal decision to make it a core value? Or did you adopt it from your family or culture?
• Was your core value chosen from real alternatives?
  • For example: You might value eating bran flakes for breakfast. When you go to a store, you see part of a long aisle filled with different brands of bran flakes that are basically the same. How do you select one brand over another? When faced with these options, is it a choice among real alternatives? In the case of your core value, which alternatives did you consider before deciding this value was core?
• How long have you been practicing your core value?
• How has experience been a teacher? What was the most important lesson you learned by practicing it?
• How do you regain a sense of integrity when you discover that you have unintentionally acted in opposition to it?
• If you were challenged by someone in a public setting about the validity of the core value you chose for this discussion, how would you defend it? 

So What? Why Theories and Models Matter

Think back in time, before you decided to enter the public health field. Recall a health issue encountered by you or someone you know personally, such as immunizations, bullying, or lice outbreaks.

• Briefly describe how you or someone else dealt with the issue.
• Find a theory or a model related to the issue you chose and discuss how it expands your thinking about the issue:
  • Discuss new information found through your research.
  • Use APA style and format to cite any sources.

Social and Behavioral Models

• Search the Internet for definitions of the phrase behavioral model.
• Based on the assigned readings in this unit and your Internet search, answer the following questions:
  • How do behavioral models help public health professionals make decisions or take action?
  • What is an example of a social or a behavioral model that you find useful in your professional or personal life? Why or how specifically is it useful for you?
  • Which aspects of the concept of social and behavioral models do you find vague or confusing?
• Cite the resources you used that helped you answer these questions in APA style and format.

The Role of Theory in Public Health

• Search the Internet for definitions of the word theory.
• Based on the assigned readings in this unit and your Internet search, answer the following questions:
  • How do theories help public health professionals make decisions?
  • How do you determine if a theory is valid and useful? 
  • Which aspects of the concept of theory do you find confusing or vague?
• Cite the resources you used to help answer these questions in current APA style and format.