The Population, Health Behavior, and the Root Cause of the Behavior

Part One: The Population, Health behavior, and the Root Cause of the behavior

Physical activity (PA) constitutes of all bodily movements that encompass rigorous skeletal muscle use and increased energy consumption above the basal level (Bauer, Nelson, Boutelle & Neumark, 2008). Participation in sports, running, and hiking are some examples of physical activities. Sedentary behaviour (SB), on the other hand, denotes the decreased calory use because of lazying around. It is synonymous with activities such as binge-watching television, extended video game playtime, driving, overindulgence with computers, and reading (Bauer et al., 2008).

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Research proves the existence of the relationship between PA, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and ultimately both the quality of health and life in general in children between the ages of 13-17 years (adolescents) (Ortega, Ruiz, Castillo & Sjostrom, 2008). Regular engagement in physical activities and minimizing one's involvement in sedentary behaviour engender an improvement in the quality of life due to a positive effect on physical and psychological well-being (WHO, 2010). Research further reveals that mortality risk in obese individuals that engage in physical activity is significantly lower than in people with average body mass indexes and sedentary lifestyles (Ortega et al., 2008). PA and SB are associated result in cardiovascular complications, obesity and other non-communicable diseases that lead to increased global mortality. Physical activity is therefore considered to be one of the most effective strategies for the prevention of non-communicable diseases according to Solar and Irwin (2010). The argument is further emphasised by numerous other studies that have established that indulgence in physical activity decreases one's chances of suffering from mental illnesses, metabolic disorders, and other chronic diseases.

Extensive research reveals that merely one-tenth of Australians aged 18 years and below engage in the Department of Health's recommendation that one hour every day should be set aside for engagement in PA (Australian Government, 2017). The Australian Government (2017) regards participation in less than half an hour of medium intensity physical activity as physical inactivity. Here are some of the reasons for the prevalence of this trend in children between the ages of 13-17 years. Primarily, the reduction in the amount of time allocated for physical activity and reduced regard for its importance. The current school curriculums inadvertently favour academic excellence over physical education. Secondly, globalization coupled with technological advancement has brought about inactive pursuits such as video games and television. The thrill of engagement in these activities without the added strain of physical activity engenders laziness and discourages people from engaging in PA. The increasing preference in adults for the use of lifts and driving instead of walking or cycling discourage the youth from participating in physical activity. The preference for inactive alternatives over PA coupled with lax social motivation fuels the misconception among them that sedentarism is 'cool.' Finally, developments minimize the availability of space for exercise, while the commercialization of fitness centres renders them unavailable for the teenagers. An understanding of the relationship between PA and sedentary behaviour in adolescents is critical in the establishment and implementation of possible interventions and understanding the potential consequences of the actions. This report shall provide insight into the health behaviours in adolescents and the reasons behind them. The paper shall further discuss the social norms approach framework employed prior to submitting an in-depth analysis of the intervention used.

Part Two: The use of the Social Norms Approach Framework in planning the Intervention

"Social Norms" denotes a theoretical framework that uses an evidence based strategy in dealing with health issues plaguing specific populations (White et al, 2009). The framework seeks insight into the how ecological and interpersonal factors influence the adoption of new behavior (Nolan et al, 2008). It is based on the social norm theory, which much like the socialization theory believes that an individual's preferences and decisions are a product of what they deem to be acceptable as per the standards of those they interact with. Researchers H. W. Perkins and A.D Berkowitz in the mid-1980s developed the theory, which emphasizes the power of the opinions of others on individuals. It is based on the findings of a research on alcohol consumption levels perception and habits in United State's students. The study found that there is a disparity between the actual consumption and frequency and what is perceived by the general society with the generally accepted norm being considered standard. This perceived social perception is what is referred to as a social norm. Notably, the social norm theory, further stresses the impact of peer influence on the decision-making and an individual's behaviour. The framework is therefore effective in understanding and dealing with matters related to adolescents and the youth, primarily because of the importance of peer influence and what is perceived to be socially ideal by youth (Nolan et al., 2008). As per the findings of White et al. (2009), adolescents are more likely to conform to perceived social norms because these are deemed to be their group's standard perceptions. This results in the blatant disregard of the factual information or what is sometimes referred to as the actual norms. This disparity creates a gap betwee the perceptive norm (which is influenced by one's thought) and the actual norm which is based on facts.a gap between perceptive and actual norms. Norms make up the standard and these misconceptions mislead the youth and thus the application of social norms theory is therefore critical in bridging the gap.

As per the approach, adolescent behavior is determined and guided by the misguided thoughts, actions, and opinions of their peers. Studies show that the maturational gap is a direct determinant on the likelihood of an adolescent engaging in risky behavior (Thibaut, 2017). The gap is a product of the reconstitution of an individual's brain socio-economic reward system, and the progressive and gradual meurocognitive system strengthening. Thibaut (2017) claims that an individual's cognitive control ability improves with their biological maturation. The improvement of an individual's cognitive control ability is a product of growth which also nurtures the ability to self-regulate even in emotional circumstance (Thibaut, 2017). This claim is supported by the fact that an individual's ability to resist peer pressure is significantly higher in late adolescence as compared to its commencement where response to peer-generated stimuli is exponentially heightened. Peer-generated stimuli pushes motivates risky behavior as per the reward system because an adolescent's peers make up his/her principal ecological influence. For example, most teenagers claim that they feel more accepted by friends if they conform to group mentalities and act unquestionably with regards to group matters (Guthold et al., 2010). This shows an undeniable relationship between the appeal of risky behavior and one's likelihood of engaging in them. Therefore, an increased effort in sensitization on the misconception is vital in effecting behavioural change. Notably, the social approach is successful when the population is provided with information regarding the issue, to help in decision-making. The application of this framework leads to the establishment of the drawback of PA and sedentarism, the program portrays the dangers of physical inactivity and sedentarism, through heightened sensitization on the health risks associated to the behaviors. Consequently, the primary objective is to discourage overindulgence in the misconceptions of groups as a depiction of group identity.

Social Norms Approach in Flow Chart

Underlying Issues Intervention Plan Objective(s) Anticipated Outcomes Desired Impact

1-Underlying problems:

1a.Personal hazardous physical inactivity and sedentarism

1b. Misconception of normative behavior

2-Intervention plan:

School-wide multi-level theoretical framework and evidence-based interactive intervention for school-going adolescents.

3-Objectives/intervention goal

Correct misperception of normative behavior

Increased involvement in PA and reduction of SB

4-Anticipated outcomes

4a- increased engagement in PA among adolescents

4b-Decreased misconception and negativity about PA among adolescents

5-Desired Impact

Increased participation in PA and reduced SB as a means of attaining physical mental health among adolescents.

Part Three: 'Let's Skip It' - An institutional-based Multilevel Intervention for heightening Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Behavior in Adolescents

This health is an interactive intervention tailored for school-going adolescents. The program employs a number of activities geared towards increasing individual inherent motivation for engagement in physical activities and enhancing self-determination in PA and leading sedentary lifestyles. Independent thought and self-driven desires on physical activities (PA) encourage the initiation and maintenance of regular schedules for physical activities (PA) while significantly reducing indulgence in sedentary behavior (SB). The intervention's design seeks to appeal to demotivated youth with sporadic to moderate engagement in. The undeniable decline in PA and increased SB in adolescents is because of lack of information on how to counter the appeal of non-energy draining activities as the group's norm (Morton et al., 2016). The program's primary objective is increased effectiveness and adherence to an institutional-based multi-level intervention that utilizes day-to-day activities. The program simply encourages the students to 'skip' using the lift and use an approach that maximizes their skeletal muscles engagement and the maximize calorie use. Additionally, the program encourages other stakeholders to 'skip' potentially larger profit margins at the expense of the promotion of physical activities in adolescents. The program's adoption is as per the assumption that it is an effective approach to achieving a bottom-up change by the application of meticulously chosen information delivery methods that will in turn translate in more vigor in physical activities sessions. Information is a crucial determinant of perception and understanding, and thus education is a vital component of all social norm theory-based interventions. Next is an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of this social norm theory-based intervention.

The seeks to use a plethora of techniques with the sole agenda of increasing the gross amount of PA. These techniques make up the strength of the method. This section provides in-depth insight into the approach, its effectiveness in addressing the prevalence of increased physical activity and sedentary behavior and how it is achievable. Firstly, it increases sporadic levels of physical activities to more vigorous PA in individuals with little or no interest in engaging i...