Application of Trans Theoretical Model for Behavioral Changes

¶ … Trans-Theoretical Model for Health Behaviors

The adoption of a healthier and new clinical behavior consists of multiple factors. The Roger's diffusion theory is helpful in adopting specific clinical health behaviors. Roger identifies compatibility, relative advantages, complexity, observability, and trialability as the elements that determine a change clinical behavior. (Sanson-Fisher, 2004).

Moreover, the TTM ("Trans-theoretical Model of Behavioral Change") (James & Wayne, 1997 p 38) is one of the most popular theoretical models used to modify a health behavior. The TTM focuses on decision-making with reference to the abilities of an individual rather biological and social influences on human behavior. The paper uses the TTM for the implementation plan for heathier changes of diabetes patients.

Overview of the TTM

The trans-theoretical model of health behavioral changes involves six changes: Contemplation, preparation, pre-contemplation, maintenance, action and termination. In essence, the model assesses the individual readiness to employ a healthier behavior as well providing a process or strategy to achieve changes. The trans-theoretical model involves the following stages:

Precontemplation (Not Ready): At this stage, people are not ready to take action relevant to the foreseeable future. Although, they are aware that their behaviors are problematic.

Contemplation (Getting Ready): At this stage, people starts to recognize that they have a problematic behavior, and start searching for the pros and cons of the continued actions.

Preparation (Ready): At this stage, people are wishing to take actions for their immediate future and start taking steps for the behavioral changes.

Action: At this stage, people have made overt modifications with regard to their problem behavior and start acquiring a new healthy behavior.

Maintenance: At this stage, people are able to sustain their healthy behaviors for at least six months.

Termination: An individual has zero temptation, and has been sure of not returning to the old unhealthy habit. (James & Wayne, 1997).

Application of TTM for the Implementation Plan

A health education is an effective method to apply the TTM to achieve behavioral changes among people with diabetes. Lach, Everard, Hisghstein, et al. (2004) argues that the use of health education is an effective strategy that can be employed for the application of the behavioral changes for the diabetic patients. (Campbell, 2012). The health education using the TTM consists of the following three components:

a comprehensive curriculum, an implementation strategy, and program evaluation.

Program Planning: The program should focus on using health education to enhance people behavioral changes. The TTM reveals that people display different behaviors with regard to health behaviors. Thus, the program should use different types of health information to carry out a health education. For example, the program should provide different health topics to change people health behaviors. At the Precontemplation stage, the program should diffuse information about the importance of physical exercise for the management of diabetes since many diabetes patients may not aware of the importance of exercise for the diabetes management. At the precontemplation stages, it is very critical to provide effective information for people.

At the contemplation stage, the program should be designed to prepare people attitudes towards healthy behaviors. Patients should be encouraged to attend a lecture on the method of carrying out the exercise and the type of food needed to eat to induce changes. More importantly, the education should be intensive enough to make people taking action about health behavior.

The maintenance courses should deliver a continuous support to enhance healthy behaviors. Some of the suggested topics to improve behavioral changes of diabetic patients include:

Physical Activity/Fitness

Nutrition

Wellness, and Disease Management.

The program will teach patients different method of carrying out the aerobics exercise that include yoga and line dancing. The maintenance program will encourage the patients to take the course for at least 6 months. Moreover, the program will provide education on the type food they should eat, and avoid.

Evaluation: Evaluation of the program is very critical to enhance a greater understanding whether the program is effective. The program organizer should use a small sample of participants as subject of evaluation. In the individual courses, the participants will be asked to complete the pre- and posttests to evaluate whether the program has improved their knowledge about positive healthy behaviors. In the physical exercise class, there will be a test on blood sugar and their body weight will be evaluated. The statistical technique will be used to analyze the data collected. The paper will use percentages to compare the results before and after the program.