Changing Health Behavior
Course Goals
(As provided by American University course HLTH 650 Changing Health Behavior)
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Provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the complex interplay between one’s physical well-being and a variety of biological, psychological, and social factors through a practical and experiential understanding of the challenges involved in health behavior change.
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Improve students’ understanding of the nature of the stress response and its impact in the etiology and course of many health problems, as well as how behavioral and cognitive methods can help individuals cope with stress.
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Help students develop an understanding of the factors influencing health habits and lifestyle, as well as methods to enhance health behavior and prevent illness.
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Present information about the management of chronic and life-threatening health problems, as well as how psychological methods and principles can be applied to help individuals cope with such conditions.
Artifacts
Click on each apple for more…
Personal Health Behavior Change Plan
Motivational Interview
Reflection
This was a reflection of the overall course and how the content can be applied to our practice.
Nutrition education involves a lot more than just knowing how to create an appropriate diet for an individual; health psychology identifies the underlying causes of decreased health status and factors of wellness, by looking at the entire individual, utilizing the constructs of the biopsychosocial model.
According to Cotter 2019, health and illness are key consequences of the three main core areas of the biopsychosocial model, focusing on the social aspect of life (where the individual is in society), the biomedical (physiological and disease states), and the psychological state of the individual (anxiety, depression, etc.) Utilizing this information will allow the health educator/coach to properly tailor a behavior change program that will best fit the needs of the client, increasing the probability that the positive health behavior changes will take place and remain in place.
Of the various principles that I was exposed to, there are a few that I feel comfortable using as part of my role as a health coach/educator. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), inclusive of self-monitoring, self-reinforcement, behavioral assignments, relaxation training, constructing positive self-talk that will increase self-efficacy will be suggested through the process of Motivational Interviewing (MI) or client centered counseling; MI guide the client through ambivalence about behavior change, converting it to a willingness for behavior change to happen (Taylor, S.E., 2015).
Behavior change is not just looking at the diet and exercise program of a client, it is a genetic and personal “background check”, compiling clues, that uncover the biological connections to disease, demographic factors impacting health status, as well as age, personal values, perceived symptoms of the illness or threat of, socioeconomic status and the cognitive ability of the individual which will provide the “bigger-picture”, building a case for the positive outcome that behavior change will bring (Cotter, E. 2019). These confounding presents that stress can be a major factor leading to chronic disease states; with that being said, stress management should be one of the top three priorities when evaluating a client, followed by diet and exercise.
One of the most critical aspects of affording the opportunity of preventative care to American citizens, is the for-profit insurance companies, with little regulation (Taylor, S.E. 2015). Through experience, many insurance companies not support preventative medicine and therapies (some do not cover “pre-existing” conditions either); so, who’s to say these privatized companies would support the crucial need for health promotion programs, diminishing the need for intervention and maintenance, where their profit comes from? On top of this concern, health disparities also play a major roll determining risk factors of developing chronic diseases, bringing the challenge of differentiating a health promotion plan for each individual and each family, proving to need a multitude of resources to support the success of each health promotion plan (Taylor, S.E. 2015).
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References
Taylor, S. (2015). Health Psychology (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education