Health Behavior

Jasmine Fields

Columbia Southern University

Health Behavior PUH 5304

Dr. Williams

November 1, 2022

Transtheoretical Model of Change and the Community

Author Mandy Hale once said, “change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you do not belong (Notes, 2021)." This quote is especially true for diabetes and the residents of Columbus. Change is necessary to ensure that the scourge of the disease hurts Columbus's people. To institute change, society needs to determine where it currently is and whether it is ready to accept change. The transtheoretical model of change provides a model which allows people to assess where their thoughts are concerning change.

Many of the residents of Columbus are in the precontemplation stage. The people in this stage do not intend to act for the foreseeable future and are unaware that their actions are problematic and have negative consequences (Romain et al., 2018). The people in this stage misconstrue the pros of the change in behavior, emphasizing the cons (Romain et al., 2018).

One factor that shows that the residents of Columbus are not about to take action to reduce the prevalence of diabetes in the region is the lack of attention the issue has received in society and especially in the media. Many news sites often focus on the news and other topics, such as sports, rather than talk about a disease responsible for thousands of deaths each year. Another factor is the spread of the acceptance movement. Even beyond the borders of Columbus, society at large is beginning to embrace the fact that obesity is okay. Efforts by medical professionals to advocate for proper diets and loss of weight have often been met with scathing criticism, with many advocating for the acceptance of fatness and obesity (Eckert, 2020). Some in the medical field are even bowing to the pressure and have begun publishing articles that advocate for the acceptance of obesity (McPhail & Orsini, 2021).

These two factors hold the community back from acting on reducing diabetes, as they help to promote habits that lead to diabetes. Therefore, the disease has seen a steady increase in society, and without action being taken, this trend will likely continue for time to come.

Using TMC to Procced with Healthy Behavior Change

Self-awareness is a very important tool in implementing change. The TMC model allows the Columbus community and its stakeholders to know where they currently are, and this helps them identify the steps they need to take to make the changes that they require. The community can use the TMC to identify that they need to move toward the contemplation stage, where the illness is being spoken of in society. Until there is an increased awareness of the dangers of diabetes and its risk factors, there will be no change.

Once the next step has been determined, stakeholders can begin introducing the debate in society, allowing more conversations on the spread of diabetes and how to prevent it. While this is a sensitive topic in contemporary society, it is a debate that must be had and will help move society to the preparation stage. The TMC's main role in helping society proceed with healthy behavioral change is dictating the steps that lead the society towards action and eventual change.

Role of Health Educators in Behavioral Change

The health educator plays a very important role in guiding society toward change. One of the roles they play is the introduction of the debate concerning diabetes and its prevalence in society. The health educator is aware of how badly the disease has ravaged the residents of Columbus and can introduce the discourse on how to tackle the issue properly. The reason for the debate is to ensure that society has a say in how they would like to change the statistic and how they would like the change to happen. The discourse will allow members of society to realize where they are and the need to figure out ways to remove them from the dire situation, they are currently in.

The health educator can also help members of society in making policies that are aimed at changing the situation through advocacy. As professional experts, health educators can help improve the situation and institute change by advocating for policy changes and urging leaders to institute policies that address the current situation. They can also advise on the best strategies to help alleviate the suffering of those living with diabetes.

Health Educators and Stage Matching

Health educators can utilize stage matching to determine the type of intervention they could use to address the issue (Kim et al., 2004). This is especially true in the stage that society is currently in. Health educators need to encourage society to think about diabetes and ways to change its impacts on society. This can be done in various ways. The first way is to identify the reasons people are unwilling to let go of their sedentary lifestyle and embrace physical activity (Kim et al., 2004). This can help the health educator in finding ways to advocate for the benefits of physical exercise to reduce obesity levels in the region.

The health educator can also help society embrace change and physical exercise by promoting a discussion on the impacts of a sedentary lifestyle (Kim et al., 2004). Negative effects can also serve as a motivating factor for those affected by the illness to change their ways. When many in the community are aware of the damage their lifestyle is causing, they can begin to contemplate changing their ways (Kim et al., 2004). These interventions are drawn from the goal of getting people to think about it, which stems from the stage matching model.

References

Eckert, E. K. (2020).  The Information Needs and Information Behaviors of the Fat Acceptance Community (Doctoral dissertation, Long Island University, CW Post Center).