Public Health Promotion: Understanding Behaviors & Environments - Research Paper

Introduction

Public health and health promotion programs are aimed at improving health, decreasing the risk of contracting diseases, management of chronic conditions, and improving patients' wellbeing and their self-sufficiency. However, the success of health care promotion programs is affected by whether the target health behavior and environmental factors have been clearly understood by the researcher or the practitioner. To understand health-related behaviors and their context, researchers and practitioners utilize theories or models of health behavior (Greyson & Johnson, 2016; Hagger & Weed, 2019; Rejeski & Fanning, 2019). Additionally, theories of health behavior are useful in all phases of healthcare from planning, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral intervention aimed at achieving a specific health goal (Hood, Hilliard, Piatt, & Ievers-Landis, 2015; Kok, Peters, & Ruiter, 2017).

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Theories of health behavior are also used by program planners to address what, what, and how questions (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2015). First, theoretical models can be used to find out the reasons why community members are not adhering to positive health behaviors, e.g., physical exercise or medical advice. That is, it is crucial to understand why some individuals do not adhere to self-care. Moreover, healthcare theories are used to address 'what' practitioners and researchers need to understand before they develop and organize behavioral intervention strategies. Furthermore, theories and models provide an in-depth understanding of 'how' practitioners shape program strategies to reach all community members and create a meaningful impact. Lastly, regarding the 'what' question, healthcare theories and models help in monitoring, measurement, and evaluation of health programs.

Theoretical models have also been reported to help researchers and practitioners comprehend the nature of targeted health behaviors (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2015; Huff, Kline, & Peterson, 2014; Orlowski, 2015). Specifically, theories help understand the dynamics of health-related behavior, the process through which behaviors can be changed, and the influences of external environmental factors on human behavior. Theoretical models are also helpful because it helps practitioners understand the most appropriate target for programs, the methodological approaches for attaining change, and outcomes of program evaluation. Kahan, Gielen, Fagan, and Green (2014) further noted that theories of health behavior are useful in explaining behavior and suggesting ways of accomplishing desired behavior change. Theoretical models are also important because it helps practitioners to think of ideas that they have never considered before. Furthermore, when researchers and practitioners examine different theories associated with specific healthcare behaviors, they develop effective programs.

Theories of health behavior can be classified as either explanatory theory or change theory (Eldredge et al., 2016; Marsch, Lord, & Dallery, 2015). Explanatory theories are crucial in describing the factors that influence behavior or situation and in identifying why a specific health problem is present in a particular community. Glanz et al. (2015) noted that explanatory theories help in exploring modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, social support, attitudes, and knowledge. On the other hand, change theories are crucial in developing health promotion interventions (Bergeron et al., 2017). These theories outline concepts that can be transformed into program messages and strategies. Consequently, they are starting points of utilizing theory for program evaluation, and they push a practitioner or a researcher to make explicit assumptions regarding how a program works.

The Significance of Applying Theory in Research and Practice

The importance of applying theory in research depends on whether the research is deductive or inductive. In deductive research approaches, theories are used to guide research design and in the interpretation of research findings (Sunday, 2015). As researchers continue to carry out their empirical work, they build confidence that some of its components are true (Sunday, 2015). Researchers can change or reject some theoretical propositions if many empirical studies have reported negative findings. However, vital theoretical propositions and related tenets are rarely refuted. It is also worth noting that theoretical assumptions enable a reader to make a critical evaluation of a research study and its findings (Labaree, 2019)

Moreover, in a research study, an explicit statement of theory links a researcher to the existing body of knowledge. That is, through the guidance of appropriate theory, a researcher can develop appropriate hypotheses and choose relevant research methodologies (Labaree, 2019). Additionally, proper articulation of theoretical assumptions helps the research to address "why" and "how" questions. For instance, through social cognitive theory, a researcher is capable of understanding why some diabetic patients adhere to self-care while others do not (Borhaninejad et al., 2017). In this case, one of the essential theoretical concepts related to diabetes self-care is self-efficacy (Devarajooh & Chinna, 2017).

Theories are also crucial in nursing practice. The primary role of theories in nursing practice is that they positively affect health and patients' quality of life (Saleh, 2018). For instance, treatment of depression can be accomplished through Aaron Beck's Cognitive Theory of Depression. This theory addresses the possible causes of depression, thus enabling a nurse to develop effective interventions. Furthermore, empirically-validated theories are the basis for the treatment of many conditions, e.g., diabetes and many psychological disorders.

References

Bergeron, K., Abdi, S., DeCorby, K., Mensah, G., Rempel, B., & Manson, H. (2017). Theories, models and frameworks used in capacity building interventions relevant to public health: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 914. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4919-y

Borhaninejad, V., Iranpour, A., Shati, M., Tahami, A. N., Yousefzadeh, G., & Fadayevatan, R. (2017). Predictors of self-care among the elderly with diabetes type 2: Using social cognitive theory. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome, 11(3), 163-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2016.08.017

Devarajooh, C., & Chinna, K. (2017). Depression, distress and self-efficacy: The impact on diabetes self-care practices. PLoS ONE, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175096

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Greyson, D., & Johnson, J. L. (2016). The role of information in health behavior: A scoping study and discussion of major public health models (University of British Columbia). https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0363390

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Hood, K. K., Hilliard, M., Piatt, G., & Ievers-Landis, C. E. (2015). Effective strategies for encouraging behavior change in people with diabetes. Diabetes Management (London, England), 5(6), 499-510.

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Kahan, S., Gielen, A. C., Fagan, P. J., & Green, L. W. (2014). Health behavior change in populations. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press.

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