Abstract
Health-related behavior is one of the most crucial fundamentals in people’s health and wellbeing. The importance of these fundamentals has been brought about by the growth of sanitation and progression of medicine. At present, diseases that once had no cure or were lethal can now be avoided and health-related behavior has been made an imperative element of community health. Today, health-related behavior has become fundamental to community fitness services.
Experts in health have noted that behavioral factors play a central role in all the leading causes of death. This means that change in behavior can lead to a drastic reduction in the social and economic costs related to these behaviors. The reason why health-directed behavior should be practiced is that it aids in enhancing the health of others around us. On its part, self-care behavior should be observed to improve or preserve our own health. This can be taken to treat identifiable conditions or include primary prevention in the absence of any signs.
Definition of Health Behavior
Health-related behavior is one of the most crucial fundamentals in people’s health and wellbeing. The importance of these fundamentals has been brought about by the growth of sanitation and progression of medicine. At present, diseases that once had no cure or were lethal can now be avoided and health-related behavior has been made an imperative element of community health. Today, health-related behavior has become fundamental to community fitness services. Experts in health have noted that behavioral factors play a central role in all the top ten causes of death. This means that change in behavior can lead to a drastic reduction in the social and economic costs related to these behaviors. (Gochman, 1997)
Currently, many questions on health behavior are yet to receive answers. As a result, this has necessitated the need for public health workers and scientific researchers to comprehend the nature and basis of diverse health behaviors. According to Jay & Glanz (2011), health behavior refers to “the actions of individuals, groups, and organizations, as well as the determinants, correlates, and consequences, of these actions—which include social change, policy development and implementation, improved coping skills, and enhanced quality of life.” (Jay & Glanz, 2011)
This nearly fits the definition of health behavior given by Gochman (1982) who described health behavior as “those personal attributes such as beliefs, expectations, motives, values, perceptions, and other cognitive elements; personality characteristics, including affective and emotional states and traits; and overt behavior patterns, actions, and habits that relate to health maintenance, to health restoration, and to health improvement.” (Gochman, 1982, p. 168)
It is interesting to note that the definition offered by Jay & Gochman focuses on the individual’s health while the public health perspective focuses on the health of the whole community. This definition by Gochman is also consistent with the one given by Kasl & Kobb (1996) who define health behavior as “any activity undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to be ill for the purpose of defining their state of health, and discovering a suitable remedy.” (Kasl & Kobb, 1996, p. 248)These definitions of health behavior have stood the test of time and they have become the benchmarks for both students and communal health workers.
Apparently, health behavior cannot be effective without the issue of lifestyle, health-directed behavior and self-Care behavior being addressed. This is because health behavior should not be something carried out once in a lifetime but rather a reflection of our lifestyle. Sadly, many people practice some form of healthy behavior and totally ignore others. This inconsistence negates the progress made in promoting health behavior. The reason why health-directed behavior should be practiced is that it aids in enhancing the health of other people around us. The self-care behavior should be observed since it leads to the improvement and preservation of one’s health. This can be practiced to treat identifiable conditions or include primary prevention in the absence of any signs. (Lewin, 1935)
Health Behavior History
The history of health behavior can be traced to the last two decades of the 20th century. In 1980, there was a growing need among stakeholders to come up with a strategy to prevent disability and fatality through adjustments in health behavior. This interest was sparked by the observation that chronic diseases had become the leading causes of death, which was a break from the past where contagious diseases occupied this position. Within the same period, there was also a swift increase in health care costs, and statistics connecting personal behaviors to increased risk of morbidity and death. This was also occasioned by the emergence of the AIDS menace around that period. (McGinnis, & Foege, 1993, p. 2208)
Despite the apparent awareness about what constitutes healthy behavior and risk factors, this awareness has not clearly led to healthier lifestyles. Nevertheless, there have been some remarkable changes. Beginning 1988 to 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1995) recorded a notable drop in the standard daily intake of dietary fat from 36%-34% of total calories. Additionally, the number of people using seatbelts increased from 42 percent to 67 percent. Within the same period, the number of women who went for mammograms doubled and the number of adult smokers dropped off by as much as 50 percent in some places.
Within the same period, there was nevertheless an increase in the number of obese people and the rate of sexual activity among the youth almost doubled. Within the same period, there was also an increase of smoking among teenage girls and the prevalence of HIV & AIDS reached pandemic proportions. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995) By the turn of the 20th century, there were four theories of health behavior namely, the Health Belief Model (HBM) Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) the Stages of Change Theory and Community Organization Theory. These theories centered on a series of features influencing behavior determinants, which included factors within individuals, groups, communities and even in governments. (Weinstein, 1993, p. 327)
Conclusion
Understanding and improving health behavior is vital and should be fundamental to public health activities. While strategies, laws, and systems can influence health behavior, numerous entity factors must be considered in order to facilitate these public health efforts. It is important to note that change is progressive and it would be impractical to expect significant changes to occur within a short time. There is need for public health programs to recognize and increase the benefits of affirmative change and come up with strategies to ensure that people maintain these changes in the long term.
References List
Gochman, D. (1982). Labels, Systems, and Motives: Some Perspectives on Future Research. Health Education Quarterly, 9 (2), 167–174.
Gochman, D. (1997). Handbook of Health Behavior Research. New York: Plenum.
Jay, M., & Glanz K. (2011) Encyclopedia of Public Health. Web.
Kasl, V., and Cobb S. (1996). Health Behavior, Illness Behavior, and Sick-Role Behavior. Archives of Environmental Health, 12 (5), 246–266.
Lewin, K. (1935). A Dynamic Theory of Personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.
McGinnis, J., & Foege W. (1993). Actual Causes of Death in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association 270 (12), 2207–2212.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1995). Healthy People 2000 Review: 1994. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Weinstein, D. (1993). Testing Four Competing Theories of Health-Protective Behavior. Health Psychology, 12 (2), 324–333.