Weight Loss Using the Health Belief Model Research Proposal

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Personal Health Action Plan

The development of a personal goal related to the initial assessment/contract done in class is an essential aspect of my personal growth through the term but is also reflective of the Healthy People 2010 objectives (19-1Increase the proportion of adults who are at a healthy weight. 19-2 Reduce the proportion of adults who are obese.) and a nursing/behavioral theory known as Health Belief Model (HBM) and how these apply to personal intervention. The goal I have set for myself, as per the personal health contract is to lose at least 10 pounds in the next 10 weeks and reduce my body mass index (BMI) by at least 3 points. To achieve this goal I will exercise 3 times per week and eat healthier meals and snacks, which will incorporate more water and fresh fruits and vegetables, and I will track my intake through a food diary and join a local weight loss center. This work will detail the specific actions, measures and outcomes of the overall goal, the action plan as well as more specifically detail the theoretical concepts associated with the development of this personal goal and how this personal goal relates to the broader concepts of the Healthy People 2010 objectives and how the HBM can be applied to build greater compliance with health promoting behaviors.

Action Plan

The specific actions I will be taking to achieve this personal goal are as follows:

Exercise at least 3 times per week by walking or using the treadmill. This length of time should allow me to achieve and maintain a target heart rate of 190 BPM, for at least 20 minutes of the activity time. "Numerous studies prove walking at a comfortable pace for as little as 30 minutes a day not only leads to weight loss, but also reduces stress and fatigue and improves overall health." (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18)

Reduce the amount of fat in my diet by decreasing situational influences such as those associated with eating fast food at work and on the run. This goal is measurable by the elimination of all processed fast food and fatty snack food from my daily caloric diary and should be achievable if I replace these snack foods with lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetable alternatives from home. "Be Prepared. Never, ever leave meals to chance,...When you go to the grocery store, shop for the week so that you never come home to a refrigerator full of pizza and fried chicken... keep your kitchen stocked with healthy snacks -- fruit, vegetables, yogurt -- so when you get a snack attack, you won't reach for the Haagen-Daz and sour cream potato chips." (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18) Bringing healthy snacks from home and following the 80-20 rule with the restriction of foods, restricting food intake 80% of the day (the daytime hours when I am out and exposed to unhealthy convenience foods) and 20% unrestricted (at home when access is more limited) will likely help my goal greatly. (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18) "If you watch what you eat 80% of the time, the other 20% is probably not going to be a problem...since you're not always forbidding yourself certain foods, you don't feel constantly deprived, and when you don't feel deprived, you are far less likely to binge." (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18) the daily food diary will also record the amount of water I drink, with a goal of 8-8 oz glasses per day. "Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day....Not only is water the best treatment for fluid retention, it is a natural appetite suppressant and helps the body metabolize stored fat." (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18)

Join a local weight loss center like Weight Watchers or Curves and attend meetings or do supported workouts at least 1 time per week for 10 weeks. The attendance of meetings and supported workouts is measurable the support and guidance aspect is not, therefore this aspect of the action plan will be supported by research that indicates guidance and support provide greater results for health promotion behaviors including weight loss. "Join a support group." (Lancaster, 2000, p. 18)

To measure my success wit the overall goal I will weigh myself prior to starting the plan, using the same scale as at post test weigh in, wearing the same clothing, at the same time of day and will calculate my BMI using the standard height weight BMI calculator found at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.Measurementof action goals is secondary and will be analyzed if the plan is a success and/or failure (with regard to the overall goal) for lessons about what did or didn't work with regard to weight loss and reduced BMI.

Healthy People 2010 Objectives

The manner in which my personal health goal relates to the HP 2010 objectives is relatively simple, as my goal to lose 10 pounds and a 3 point reduction in my BMI helps attain both the goal of more adults with healthy weight and a reduction in obesity among adults. My individual goals may be only limited but each individual who chooses to reduce their own weight contributes to the broader goals of healthier people and healthier communities. In accordance with HP 2010 objective 19-1 only 42% of the adult population (over 20) are a healthy weight. The HP 2010 objective is to reach 60%. (Healthy People 2010 objective 19-1, (http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/objectives/19-01.htm) Inaccordance with HP 2010 objective 19-2-23% of adults over aged 20 in the U.S. are obese and the goal for reduction by 2010 is 15%. (Healthy People 2010 objective 19-2, (http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/objectives/19-02.htm) Bothof these objectives are reliant on BMI calculations of individuals studied, rather than weight alone, it is for this reason that my BMI calculation is a part of the goals and objectives of my personal plan.

Health Belief Model

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is relevant to application in nursing as well as part of the personal goal orientation I have for this plan. The model specifically addresses prevention, as a model that attempts to change unhealthy behavior, replacing it with healthy behavior to avoid and prevent disease or illness prior to its occurrence. Currently my weight and/or health are not in a situation of being detrimental to me, with regard to health and yet it is clear that I have a familial history of cancer, obesity, heart disease and type II diabetes. All of these diseases and/or states of illness are exacerbated or caused by a condition of overweight/obesity and a sedentary life style, a situation I would like to avoid, by virtue of prevention. The model itself relies on the fact that individuals (including myself) may alter and improve health seeking behaviors as a result of the perception of risk associated with the threat of disease and/or illness. (CurrentNursing.com (http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/health_belief_model.htm) Dueto the fact that I have a long list of known risk, diseases associated with my family history that are worsened or caused by overweight/obesity and the fact that I have a health care education there is a clear sense that I understand the potential dangers of being personally overweight or obese. I therefore believe that changing my health seeking behaviors today, prior to the occurrence of disease or illness may change the likelihood of illness and/or disease in the future. Doing this will also help me better understand how such a theory/method might motivate others to make healthy behavioral changes in the future, specific to my position as a nurse/advocate/educator to all future patients I come into contact with. Compliance with behavioral changes is one of the most difficult of areas of compliance in the health care industry, as individuals often have the most difficult time complying with environmental change factors, before or after the occurrence of disease. This exercise may then assist me in future opportunities with people needing to alter behavior to prevent disease or illness. Additionally, the HBM stresses that individuals are likely to see, once they have perceived the threat of illness and/or disease the value in changing behaviors to prevent them. Below is a theoretical model of the HBM:

CurrentNursing.com (http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/health_belief_model.htm)

In my case my perceived threat is outlined as a familial history of cancer, type II diabetes, obesity and heart disease and my understanding of these diseases as a health care professional. All of these conditions have a perceived severity that is great as any one or the combination of any two or more can prove fatal, and at the very least alter my quality of life to a large degree. The modifying factors associated with the HBM, for myself would then be the list of 4 actions as well as the overall goal of losing 10 pounds and decreasing my BMI by 3 points. Having a health related goal associated with a systematic class assignment is in and of itself a motivating factor that will likely increase the chances of compliance but applying the behavioral change need to the HBM as well as the overall HP 2010 objectives will also help me in my quest to lose… [END OF PREVIEW]