Overview of Health Behaviour Theories

Overview of Health Behaviour Theories APPENDIX HEALTH BEHAVIOUR THEORIES The biomedical perspective The biomedical perspective incorporates the biomedical theory in which patients are assumed to be passive recipients of doctors instructions. Behavioural (learning) perspective This perspective incorporates behavioural learning theory (BLT) which is focused on the environment and the teaching of skills to manage adherence. Communication perspective Communication is said to be the cornerstone of every patient-practitioner relationship [p. 56]. This perspective suggests that improved provider-client communication will enhance adherence and implies that this can be achieved through patient education and good health care worker communication skills an approach based on the notion that communication needs to be clear and comprehensible to be effective. It also places emphasis on the timing of treatment, instruction and comprehension. Cognitive perspective The cognitive perspective includes theories such as the health belief model (HBM), social-cognitive theory (SCT), the theories of reasoned action (TRA) and planned behaviour (TPB) and the protection motivation theory (PMT). These theories focus on cognitive variables as part of behaviour change, and share the assumption that attitudes and beliefs, as well as expectations of future events and outcomes, are major determinants of health related behaviour. In the face of various alternatives, these theories propose, individuals will choose the action that will lead most likely to positive outcomes. Health Belief Model The HBM views health behaviour change as based on a rational appraisal of the balance between the barriers to and benefits of action. According to this model, the perceived seriousness of, and susceptibility to, a disease influence individuals perceived threat of disease. Similarly, perceived benefits and perceived barriers influence perceptions of the effectiveness of health behaviour. In turn, demographic and socio-psychological variables influence both perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness, and the perceived benefits and perceived barriers to action. Perceived threat is influenced by cues to action, which can be internal (e.g. symptom perception) or external (e.g. health communication). The protection-motivation theory According to this theory, behaviour change may be achieved by appealing to an individuals fears. Three components of fear arousal are postulated: the magnitude of harm of a depicted event; the probability of that events occurrence; and the efficacy of the protective response. These, it is contended, combine multiplicatively to determine the intensity of protection motivation, resulting in activity occurring as a result of a desire to protect oneself from danger. This is the only theory within the broader cognitive perspective that explicitly uses the costs and benefits of existing and recommended behaviour to predict the likelihood of change. Social-cognitive theory This theory evolved from social learning theory and may be the most comprehensive theory of behaviour change developed thus far. It posits a multifaceted causal structure in the regulation of human motivation, action and well-being and offers both predictors of adherence and guidelines for its promotion. The basic organising principle of behaviour change proposed by this theory is reciprocal determinism in which there is a continuous, dynamic interaction between the individual, the environment and behaviour. Theory of planned behaviour and the theory of reasoned action (TRA) The first work in this area was on the TRA. The TRA assumes that most socially relevant behaviours are under volitional control, and that a persons intention to perform a particular behaviour is both the immediate determinant and the single best predictor of that behaviour]. An intention to perform a behaviour is influenced by attitudes towards the action, including the individuals positive or negative beliefs and evaluations of the outcome of the behaviour. It is also influenced by subjective norms, including the perceived expectations of important others (e.g. family or work colleagues) with regard to a persons behaviour; and the motivation for a person to comply with others wishes. Behavioural intention, it is contended, then results in action. Information-motivation-behavioural skills (IMB) theory This theory was developed to promote contraceptive use and prevent HIV transmission. IMB was constructed to be conceptually based, generalisable and simple. It has since been tailored specifically to designing interventions to promote adherence to ART. Self-regulation perspectives Self-regulatory theory is the main theory in this domain. Developed to conceptualise the adherence process in a way that re-focuses on the patient, the theory proposes that it is necessary to examine individuals subjective experience of health threats to understand the way in which they adapt to these threats. According to this theory, individuals form cognitive representations of health threats (and related emotional responses) that combine new information with past experiences. Stage perspectives The transtheoretical model (TTM) This theory is most prominent among the stage perspectives. It hypothesizes a number of qualitatively different, discrete stages and processes of change, and reasons that people move through these stages, typically relapsing and revisiting earlier stages before success. This theory is said to offer an integrative perspective on the structure of intentional change [p. 1102] the perceived advantages and disadvantages of behaviour are crucial to behaviour change. Lakhan, 2006

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Essay

The topic that I have conducted research on involves underage alcohol consumption and various levels of academic achievement. More specifically, my goal is to conceptualize the increasing amounts of underage alcohol abuse by observing the affects effects that it has on individual’s GPA. Data obtained from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism suggests that four out of five college students consume alcohol. Of the students that consume alcohol, approximately fifty percent engage in binge drinking (NIAAA 2012). In consideration of the location where the study was conducted (University of New Hampshire), it seemed appropriate to pursue a topic that would potentially correlate with alcohol consumption. Past studies have attempted to address the issue of alcohol consumption and it’s affects effects on academic achievement, yet none have constricted the independent variable to a specific age rage. Returning back to data gathered from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, information was derived that suggested about seventy percent of minors have had at least one alcoholic beverage by the age of eighteen. In accordance with this finding, it was also recorded that although minors drink less often than adults, they do however tend to binge drink more often during an average drinking episode (NIAAA 2012). The objective of the present study is to better grasp an understanding of underage alcohol consumption and academic achievement. With the focus of the age group being confined to individuals less than twenty one years of age, new findings will be generated. The reduction of underage alcohol consumption is an extremely prevalent topic that many policy implementers and law enforcement agencies are faced with. Hopefully results from this study can establish a causal relationship that will aid professionals in dealing with this dilemma not only at the University of New Hampshire, but at universities across the nation. A plethora of studies have been conducted to observe the many negative effects that come from alcohol consumption. For those that are unaware, alcohol is a powerful depressant that ultimately slows down your thinking and time of reaction (CTC 2013). Also, alcohol consumption can act as a precursor to things such as brain damage, heart disease, liver damage, ulcers and various types of cancer (CTC 2013). Many individuals have been presented with similar facts, but they continue to drink alcohol. At the college level, many of the individuals that are consuming alcohol are under the legal age. Policy makers and law enforcement have been faced with this dilemma for an ongoing period of time. In attempts to control for alcohol consumption, many studies have been conducted to pinpoint the main causes. In a study conducted by Labrie et al. (2010), family history of alcohol abuse and its effects on college student’s alcohol abuse were researched. Findings suggest that family history has a correlation with college student’s personal use making them more prone to abuse (mostly males) (Labrie et al. 2010). With this finding however, minimal policy implications are suggested except for parental monitoring of socialization. In a study conducted by Rasul et al. (2011), the current drinking age is tested. Researchers were curious if a deduction in the current drinking age would have a successful attempt in diminishing heavy episodic drinking periods amongst college students. Findings imply that only in the rare case of high alcohol availability, and low levels of law enforcement, would the reduction of the drinking age have a small positive effect. With the full understanding of the prevalence of alcohol consumption in college in general, the question is posed of the effect that it has on academic performance. There is a brief existence of literature that focuses directly on this topic. In a study conducted by Singleton (2007), he examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and academic performance while controlling for key background factors. When SAT scores and class ranks were controlled, a significant relationship for alcohol consumption and academic performance was observed (Singleton 2007). In a similar study conducted by Singleton and Wolfson (2009), they attempted to observe relationships between alcohol intake, sleep and academic performance. Main findings suggest that the most significant predictor of academic performance was sleep schedule. However, the association that high alcohol intake would result in poor sleep schedule ultimately effecting your academic achievement was established (Singleton and Wolfs on 2009). Although past studies have observed alcohol consumption and its effects on academic achievement, none of them control for age. In the present study, the collegiate population that illegally consumes alcohol is examined. Findings will hopefully suggest that illegal alcohol consumption has a negative effect on academic achievement. If so, I will provide some policy implications that will help address and potentially minimize underage alcohol consumption. * Null Hypothesis: underage alcohol consumption has no affect effect on individual academic achievement. * Alternative Hypothesis: underage alcohol consumption will have a negative effect on academic achievement. To gather the data necessary to study alcohol consumption and its effects on academic achievement, two survey questions were contributed to a general survey composed by the spring 2013 methods of social research class at the University of New Hampshire. Our study was conducted in various classrooms at the University of New Hampshire using the method of convenience sampling. This non-probability sampling method will produce un-representative results. However, considering our limits of time and money, this sampling procedure was deemed the most rational. Professor Rebecca Glauber contacted five sociology professors teaching large discovery courses during the spring semester. These teachers agreed to let students in the methods of social research course field a survey to their students. No compensation was received by the participants. In the middle of April, three to four students in the methods of social research course attended the classes of these professors. During that time, the students stood in front of the class room and read a verbal recruitment statement. Upon completion of the statement, students handed out the surveys to all participants in the classroom. If the students agree to participate, they will anonymously fill out the survey. If at any time an individual felt uncomfortable and wished to remove their consent, that survey was destroyed. After completion, students placed their surveys in a box at the front of the room. Minimal risk is present in our study. On the survey, questions involving illegal substance use were present. This could potentially be considered a criminal liability, but since the survey was completed anonymously that factor is ruled out and the participants were protected. Also, questions involving states of mental health were present which could potentially have negative psychological effects on participants. There is no direct benefit to the participants of the study. However, results of this survey helped individuals in the methods of social research class obtain useful information that helped them draw conclusions that otherwise would not have been possible. In this particular study, no physical harm, and minimal psychological harm to the participants was present. In addition, the assurance of anonymity will help establish the goal of the benefits outweighing the risks. The variables used for this particular study were alcohol consumption and academic achievement. The independent variable, alcohol consumption, was (conceptually) theoretically defined by measuring the amount of alcoholic beverages that are consumed in an average drinking episode. The question used to address this variable was, â€Å"During an average drinking episode, about how many alcoholic drinks do you consume?† There were five mutually exclusive and exhaustive answers for participants to select from. (this sounds like it could be plagiarism so maybe change that sentence.) The dependent variable, academic achievement, was conceptually defined by measuring students GPA’s. The question used to address this variable was, â€Å"What is your overall grade point average (GPA)?† Once again, there were five mutually exclusive and exhaustive answers for participants to select from.

Kickboxing: Learning and Great Way

I fall into 3 groups. People who is passionate about sport, play it and love it, and people who pays attention to the pro. First of all, I fall into the group of the people who is passionate about sport is because when I was a little kid, I never liked doing anything. I thought I don’t need sport, it won’t give me anything. But my parents wanted me to attend some sport for my own good. I tried lots of sports such as: Tennis, Swimming, Biking, but none of them never gave me a passion or inspiration. One day my brothers took me with them to their boxing practice. I sat there and watched everyone working their punches, defense and speed. I started to look closely and started to repeat after them. I was hooked just like I got hypnotized. Then I saw my big brother stepping on the ring, match started and punches went one after another and opponent just dropped like a tree that been chopped in the woods. I got so excited and I thought this is a sport for me. Since I was very super skinny back then, I tried to train in my house on my own, working the punches, and techniques that I knew nothing about. In couple of months I joined Kickboxing association. In couple of years I became more skilled and competitive in my group, and it became passion of my life. Second, I fall into group of people who play and love it because the sport I like is very interesting to me and all my brothers do it and even my friends. We all like a big family. However, when my friend and I get into the argument, we can always take it to the ring and solve everything by just losing or winning the fight, and it’s a great way to get our anger out. Afterwards, we act like it never happened. Moreover, I love it because it teaches you speed, self-defense, and a great way to stay in shape. Third, I fall in group of people who pays close attention to pro’s is because when I see two fighters sparing, I look closely at their moves, hits, defenses, and learn from their mistake so that I wouldn’t be a loser when I step into the ring with my opponent. Also, it helpful to learn their combos, which comes very handy in most of the time when I compete against the people who’s twice bigger than me. But with skills and good technique that was learned from other pro’s, opponents don’t stand a chance against me.

John Jay College GPA, SAT and ACT Scores for Admission

John Jay College GPA, SAT and ACT Scores for Admission John Jay College GPA, SAT and ACT Graph CUNY John Jay College GPA, SAT Scores and ACT Scores for Admission. Data courtesy of Cappex. How Do You Measure Up at John Jay College? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex. Discussion of John Jay Colleges Admissions Standards: The CUNY  John Jay College of Criminal Justice has moderately selective admissions. The admissions bar is not overly high, but the college gets enough applications to keep the acceptance rate well below 50%. In the scattergram above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that most admitted students had a GPA of 2.5 or higher, an ACT composite score of 18 or better, and a combined SAT score (RWM) of roughly 950 or higher. In the middle of the graph, youll notice a few red dots (rejected students) and yellow dots (waitlisted students) overlapping with the green and blue. This means that some students who were potentially on target for admission to John Jay College were not admitted. On the flip side, a few students were accepted with test scores and grades below the norm. This is because the CUNY application used by all of the CUNY campuses is evaluated holistically. John Jay College and the other CUNY schools want to see high grades in rigorous courses and strong test scores, but they also take into consideration your application essay and letters of recommendation. To learn more about John Jay College, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help: John Jay College Admissions ProfileWhats a Good SAT Score?Whats a Good ACT Score?Whats Considered a Good Academic Record?What is a Weighted GPA? Related Articles: The CUNY CollegesSAT Score Comparison for the CUNY CampusesTop New York Colleges and Universities If You Like John Jay College, You May Also Like These Schools Stony Brook University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCUNY Hunter College:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAdelphi University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity at Albany:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphFordham University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCUNY Lehman College:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHofstra University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBinghamton University:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSUNY Buffalo State:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCollege of Staten Island CUNY:  Profile  University of New Haven:  Profile  |  GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in G Major, Fugue in G Minor ("The Great"), St. Matthew Passion, and Jesu Der Du Meine Seele. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist, and taught his son the basic skills for string playing; another relation, the organist at Eisenach's most important church, instructed the young boy on the organ. In 1695 his parents died and he was only 10 years old. He went to go stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. Johann Christoph was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as on the harpsichord. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany, and so left his brother's tutelage. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a "lackey and violinist" in a court orchestra in Weimar; soon after, he took the job of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here, as in later posts, his perfectionist tendencies and high expectations of other musicians - for example, the church choir - rubbed his colleagues the wrong way, and he was embroiled in a number of hot disputes during his short tenure. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach became fed up with the lousy musical standards of Arnstadt (and the working conditions) and moved on to anoth... Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach Free Essays on Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach - Summary of His Life Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. Some examples are the Art of Fugue, Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord, the Mass in B-Minor, the motets, the Easter and Christmas oratorios, Toccata in F Major, French Suite No 5, Fugue in G Major, Fugue in G Minor ("The Great"), St. Matthew Passion, and Jesu Der Du Meine Seele. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a talented violinist, and taught his son the basic skills for string playing; another relation, the organist at Eisenach's most important church, instructed the young boy on the organ. In 1695 his parents died and he was only 10 years old. He went to go stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. Johann Christoph was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's education on that instrument, as well as on the harpsichord. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany, and so left his brother's tutelage. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a "lackey and violinist" in a court orchestra in Weimar; soon after, he took the job of organist at a church in Arnstadt. Here, as in later posts, his perfectionist tendencies and high expectations of other musicians - for example, the church choir - rubbed his colleagues the wrong way, and he was embroiled in a number of hot disputes during his short tenure. In 1707, at the age of 22, Bach became fed up with the lousy musical standards of Arnstadt (and the working conditions) and moved on to anoth...

Historical Facts from 1890's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Historical Facts from 1890's - Research Paper Example The invention of this was seen in both male and female circles, where in its early days it was played by both males and females with a popular following in both. The game of basketball also featured in colleges after it spread from YMCA gyms in 1892 (â€Å"1890-1930 Antique Style†). After the invention of basketball, the game, and the basketball as the medium of play, the rules governing the game took shape in the 1890s, especially in 1897 when the free throw was established at 15 feet from the hoop. As a result, the 1890s saw the birth of a game that has come a long way to gain popular following in modern times. In addition to sports, the first game professional football game was held in 1895 in Latrobe Pennsylvania, where Latrobe YMCA emerged as the winners against Jeannette Athletic Club (â€Å"The 1890's - The Age of Immigration†). The result was 12-0, which was quite a thrashing by the Latrobe YMCA. The year 1895 saw the first United States Golf Open occur in Newpo rt, Rhode Island, where the event was organized by USGA in which a thirty six hole competition took place between ten professionals and one amateur. Historically, it was also the first Open golfing event to be won by a foreigner, who in this case was an Englishman. Women Suffrage In women issues, two groups or unions that were fighting for the equal rights of women merged. The two groups were American Women Suffrage Movement (AWSA) and NSWA and merged in the year 1890 to form National Woman Suffrage Movement (NAWSA) under the leadership of Elizabeth Stanton (â€Å"Women's Rights Movement†¦.†). This made the women rights movement gain popularity throughout the 1890s and into the 1900s; in 1893, Colorado became the first state to take on an amendment that approved women the right to vote while Utah and Idaho followed in adoption in 1896. In addition to Idaho and Utah ratifying the women’s voting rights in 1896, there was the formation of The National Association of Colored Women in the same year. It was formed by bringing together over 100 clubs with membership of black women and aimed at promoting equality for women, raise finances for projects benefitting women and children, and opposing segregation and racial violence. To ease women suffrage, the first safety bike was made available in the United States in 1894 to suit the needs of women. This was termed as a step towards independence as women broke the convention in riding bicycles and working outside the home, gaining physical mobility. The same 1890s, in general, saw the fashion sense for women change dramatically concerning sports. This was concerning the rethinking of the fashion sense and its practicality to the activities in which women engaged especially cycling. Cycling did not require billowing skirts and corsets, but rather rational dress forms. Political Politically, the 1890s saw plenty happen in relation to the United States, especially with the implementation of policies that affected the relations of nationals and foreign affairs. In the year 1890, congress established the Oklahoma Territory on the lands that the Indians claimed to be theirs, which broke a significant trust. This is concerning the pledge that congress had made not to invade native Indian land, but rather preserve it for them. In the year that followed, a significant landmark occurred, in which a new

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Leadership - Essay Example The problems between Shahid and Harpreet have escalated and it is hurting morale within the team. The inefficiency of the team is causing loss of productivity. The project is at risk of not being completed on time. This report will analyze the problems the team faces and it will give alternative solutions to resolve the situation. The first step toward resolving the situation is improving the communication between the teammates. Opening the lines of communication within the team can help the team accomplish its tasks and deliverables. The team leader will schedule three weekly team meetings with the members to discuss progress made on the project and to force the members to communicate with each other in a professionally setting. Due to the importance of teamwork the others members of the group are going to confront Shahid and Harpreet about the conflict. They have to make it clear to them that their behavior and fighting is hurting the team. Everyone in a team gets hurt by team conf lict. The team members have to recognize the problem they are causing and they must remedy their behavior for the good of the team. Our team has a lot of diversity within its composition. Diversity must be used to the advantage of the team. Currently the team is not taking advantage of the virtues of diversity. One of the benefits of diversity is creativity within the group. For creativity to manifest itself the team members must unite to seek synergy. Synergy occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). As the team leader I must intervene to stop the conflict between Shahid and Harpreet. The use of conflict resolution techniques can help me accomplish that goal. Five conflict resolution techniques are accommodation, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and authoritative command. Out of these five options the technique that I chose to help resolve the problem is compromise. The team leader and the two team members with issues will s it down to talk about the problem. I will reiterate to both members their importance for the team. The team members must also know that the project is facing time constraints. All team members must give their best efforts to accomplish their tasks on time and in accordance with the expectations of the project. My role in the compromise process is to be a neutral agent that monitors the negotiation between both parties. The first issue that must be resolve immediately is the racial tension between Shahid and Harpreet. Both team members are going to be sent to a three week sensitivity training with a psychologist. The behavior of those employees was unacceptable and if it continues in the future it will be grounds for dismissal. Mutual respect must be achieved between all members of the team. â€Å"Treating all others in an organization with respect, regardless of rank, will improve communication relationships in the workplace† (Lane, 2013). To increase the efficiency and accou ntability in the team I will take a more active role to provide the team with leadership and support. Each day each team member must submit a short progress report in order document their advancement in completing the assigned tasks. During each morning I will have short meetings with some of the members of the teams based on the needs for support identified in the previous day’s progress reports. At the end of each week I will provide a