Betty Neuman's theory and its relationship to contemporary articles

Betty Neuman Model of Nursing treats the client as an open system which is constantly reacting to the stressors in the environment along the lines of specific variables such as the physiological psychological, sociocultural, developmental and spiritual (Gonzalo, 2011). In this case, Stephanie's literature review on the study conducted by Siegel and colleagues to examine the impact on a low-carb diet on obese children really did not connect strongly to the Neuman model. This study just looked at diet as a single aspect of health and how this connected to weight and cholesterol levels. This is a flimsy connection to Neuman's model, as the Neuman model treats the body as a far more complex system, impacted by a range of factors.

Likewise, the Lowry literature review only examined how two more factors (diet and exercise) impacted the BMI of adolescents. This study was slightly more comprehensive and thus had a slightly higher connection to the Neuman system model. This is because this study looked at more of the stressors and factors which have an impact on the health and wellness of the individual's body. For example, the questionnaire used in this study was harnessed to assess the exact parts of the person's eating habits, physical activity, genetic factors, and the amount of time spent staring at a screen -- be it a computer or television. This allows for a higher correlation with the Neuman system models which looks at all the stressors, be them intra-, inter- and extrapersonal in nature.

On the other hand, the Val Boyd literature review focused on a different study conducted by Siegel and associates, which sought to assess if there was any connection with a low glycemic index diet in overweight and obese children in conjunction with the "Traffic Light" approach with an LGD in children. Thus study was also slightly higher in correlation to the Neuman model. Siegel and colleagues in this case looked a more complex intermingling of factors that could have an impact on the child's weight. Remarkably, the study also looks at the impact that a melee of health care providers can have on this issue, such as using general practitioners together with dieticians.

The Vonny literature review looked at a study conducted by Barkan and colleagues and it was this study which really most strongly communed with the Neuman model. This is because the study not only looked at a more complex arena of stressors and factors (diet, exercise, BMI), but also sought to determine how those stressors impacted weight management programs over time. Thus, unlike other studies, this study had a clear and present factor of time which was used as both a consideration and a stressor. The intervention used in this study was more multi-faceted, which helped to commune more strongly with the Neuman model. This intervention took into consideration stressors and influences like educational lectures, weekly meetings with nutritionists, educational handouts, supervised exercise and activity sessions and other instructions. This study was able to thus connect with the more multi-faceted approach towards health and wellness that Neuman takes.