Health Behavior Theory Paper

There are two main theoretical-behavioral models that have been used in attempts to explain adherence to health behavior. The first are the continuum theories, there are four of them and they follow the “one size fits all” method. The health behavior model uses the combination of four beliefs to explain adherence. The beliefs are: the perceived susceptibility and severity of disease or disability as well as the perception of health benefits and potential barriers. The issue with this model is that it focuses entirely on motives and beliefs about personal control and not on behavior factors. There is also the self-efficacy theory, which specifically focuses on particular circumstances, and the control individuals have over their environment. It follows the triangle diagram, which shows how people, behavior, and …show more content…
The theory of planned behavior has to do with the intention to act or not to act and depends on, attitude toward behavior, perception of control and subjective norms. This theory is slightly more conclusive then the others but lacks the consideration of previous behavior and is still not as straight forward as it should be. The behavioral theory deals with reinforcements that promote healthy actions. Positive reinforcement has to do with rewards such as money, which are extrinsic, or feeling healthy which is intrinsic. Negative reinforcement has to do with taking away something bad, like pain or discomfort. This theory also talks about the struggle of changing a routine in order to adhere to medical advice. There is a good about for support for this theory because many people use rewards as a motive to behave a certain way. These types of theories do not meet all of the criteria for a useful theory, mainly because they don’t focus enough on behavior and behavior change and because they over-look such things as self-identity and