¶ … health behavior theories,' what comes to mind?
When I surveyed my nursing colleagues regarding their knowledge of health behavior theories, I encountered a very diverse range of responses. Some of them were aware of specific theories pertaining to health behaviors such as Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model or the Stages of Change Model. A few were not aware of specific theory names but had a general sense of theories which impacted their practice, such as the notion of 'contemplation' in the Stages of Change Model which suggests that first people must contemplate change before they are capable of enacting it.
In general, the practitioners that were most cognizant of specific health behavior theories had the most positive feelings about these constructs. Even if they did not use them consciously on a regular basis, they said that they did at times unconsciously influence their practice. One nurse who worked with young adolescent girls specifically said that she did find Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model to be useful in her practice since it is specifically designed to encourage weight loss, healthy eating, and exercise behaviors to empower girls. Given that girls at this age are often resistant to direction...
Upon discussion with many of them, however, they agreed that the stage-based theory of the Stages of Change Model was very typical of that of many of patients who did enact major life changes. Change comes incrementally, and patients must first visualize the change and recognize the need for change before being willing to enact it.
Despite the mistrust of theory that many practitioners feel, overall, the evidence I was able to accumulate supported the notion that theory is still critically linked to practice. Health behaviors can be some of the most difficult ones to change, given the extent to which they have been a part of the individual's routine from a young age and are often strongly linked to the individual's sense of him or herself. "In the Precontemplation and Contemplation stages,…
