Essay Sample on Health Behavior Change: Key to Primary Healthcare Services

The need for health behavior change is critical in primary healthcare services. Advocating for change in health behavior for people or patients reduces chances of illness and development of various diseases in a given population. There are some of the healthy behaviors that contribute to high death rates, and these may be a result of poor diets, substance abuse physical inactivity, poor adherence to treatment procedures and poor sleep (Dietz et al. 2015). Health behavior change, therefore, is an effort put in place to enable people to change their habits as well as attitudes t wards health issues to promote the prevention of diseases. This paper describes the need for health behavior change in the community setting.

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Most of the people in the community-based setting engage in unhealthy behaviors that potentially lead to the development of chronic diseases and adverse health consequences. Therefore, there is a need to promote healthy behaviors that reduces risk factors. The most significant intervention is promoting a healthy diet and physical activity. Poor diet and physical inactivity contribute to the development of obesity and diabetic conditions in the community. In the community, the development period for youth into adulthood is influenced by a tie of an adolescent. This period is the time to develop positive habits based on nutrition and physical activity. It is important to promote physical activity and a balanced diet to improve healthy development into adulthood.

The target audience for this intervention is the youth population developing at risk of developing chronic diseases as a result of poor diet and physical inactivity. This population engages in unhealthy behaviors in most cases that place them at a high risk of developing diseases (Epton et al. 2015). Lifestyle behaviors are the most common factors influencing unhealthy behaviors within this population. In most cases, calories consumed by young by individuals in the adolescent stage come from solid fats and sugar, which are commonly consumed by this population. Also, most of the individuals at this stage spend most of their time watching instead of engaging in physical activities.

The most suitable theory for this case is the theory of Planned Behavior. This model is applicable in this context because it has been successfully utilized to explain and predict a wide range of unhealthy behaviors as well as intentions such as poor diet, substance abuse and physical inactivity (Steinmetz et al. 2016). This model would be the best in understanding to need to promote a healthy diet and physical activity because it is based on various elements such as attitudes, social norms, behavioral intentions, and perceived behavioral management.

References

Dietz, W. H., Baur, L. A., Hall, K., Puhl, R. M., Taveras, E. M., Uauy, R., & Kopelman, P. (2015). Management of obesity: improvement of health-care training and systems for prevention and care. The Lancet, 385(9986), 2521-2533.

Epton, T., Harris, P. R., Kane, R., van Koningsbruggen, G. M., & Sheeran, P. (2015). The impact of self-affirmation on health-behavior change: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 34(3), 187.

Steinmetz, H., Knappstein, M., Ajzen, I., Schmidt, P., & Kabst, R. (2016). How effective are behavior change interventions based on the theory of planned behavior?. Zeitschrift fur Psychologie.