The Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change - Essay Example

CHANGE MODEL The transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavioral change The transtheoritical model for behavior change involves conducting assessment of an individual’s readiness to take action on relation to behavioral change seeking to adopt a different lifestyle which would enhance health. The model utilizes different processes through which individuals are subjected to, in seeking to achieve total behavioral changes. Within the context of the process the individuals undergoes cognitive, affective and evaluative aspects of change. While the process of change is initiated by an individual’s readiness to implement changes, there is a combination of both internal and external factors supporting the change implementation. Progress through the process involves conditioning, commitments, support and environmental controls. Successful progression through the change model, the awareness of the advantages for change, confidence to maintain the changes once achieved, and strategies to enable the individuals maintain the new behaviors and avoid relapsing The TTM model for behavior change has been developed on the basis of promoting change in health related behavior. Behavioral changes have been identified as having significant effect in the application of various medical interventions seeking to enhance a patient’s health. The process describes a series of actions enabling individuals to modify behavior in order to adopt positive behavior. The main constructs of the model lie within the stages of change through which a person goes through. This model utilizes intentional change which is undertaken by the person upon whom the intervention is being applied. The utilization of this model of behavioral change relies heavily of self-reporting. The core constructs of the behavior change model enable the individuals to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages for behavioral changes. Following this evaluation a decision is made by the individuals to undergo a transformation seeking to move towards adopting a different healthier way of life. During the stages of the behavioral changes, the model depends heavily on the individuals to be self-reliant in supporting the behavioral transformation. This enables the individuals to overcome the arising temptations, consequently enhancing the behavioral transformation. The adequacy of the approach in fulfilling the required objectives remains the self-efficacy for the individuals adopting the transformational model for behavioral change. Stages of change Pre-contemplation During this stage many of the involved individuals are unaware of the imminent risks presented by the behavior and lifestyle that they are living. The women will find themselves exposed to the risk once they get into the age bracket of 45-75 years. Many of the individuals lack information regarding the risk of heart attack. The women within this age group will mostly be come resistant to any behavioral changes, since they have come from a different age group, with a lower risk of heart attack. The women at this stage can be considered to be unmotivated and not ready for any behavioral changes. This is mainly because they are not informed of the imminent risk of heart attack. Contemplation The contemplation for behavioral change comes as individuals begin to become aware of the risk associated with their behaviors, hence have an intention to transform. The individuals begin understanding and gain knowledge of some lifestyle transformations that can mitigate the risk of heart attack (Aadahl, Smith, Toft, Pisinger, & Jørgensen, 2011). During this stage the development of a profound ambivalence can easily result in the individuals remaining here for long period. Behavioral procrastination and contemplation are the main characteristics for individuals within this stage. At this stage the individuals are commonly not in a position to initiate immediate action, and remain adamant despite them having factual knowledge of the necessity for behavioral change. Preparation This is the stage in which individuals become ready to take action within the immediate future, which is usually within the next one month. Having established the need for a transformation in behavior, the individuals can then take action in relation the developed action plan. This will be the beginning of implementation of the behavior change intervention in mitigating risk of heart attack, through behavioral changes (Crouch, Wilson, & Newbury, 2011). Individuals during this stage can be easily recruited into the program, which will seek to evaluate the outcomes of the intended interventions. Action This is described as the stage at which many individuals have already made decisions and undertaken a behavioral change. These individuals are already undergoing behavioral changes in order to adopt healthier behaviors. The stage can be observed through the behavioral changes that occur upon the individuals. Observable elements are like the enrollment into a fitness center in seeking to enhance physical fitness among the individuals (Edlin & Golanty, 2014). The consensus of the behavioral change is clear at this stage and the fundamental challenge that the individuals face at this stage is the relapse of the behavior. During this stage there is an ardent desire by the individuals to change. This becomes the motivating factor, and focused on the action plan. Maintenance The maintenance stage is very complex for implementing a behavioral change among individuals. During this stage, observable changes are present and the individuals are working towards avoiding a relapse of behavior. During this stage the confidence of the individuals in successfully changing behaviors increases, while the temptation for relapse diminishes. This stage is based on the self-efficacy element of determining successful adoption of an intervention. Continuous observation and maintenance of the behavior change will be essential in ensuring comprehensive change is attained. The process can last twelve months to confirm. Termination At this stage, people are confirmed as having transformed their livelihood and adopted different lifestyle. During this stage there will be no risk of relapse as individuals have completely transformed and adopted new behavior. Individuals at this stage show complete behavioral transformation and compliance to healthy behaviors. The termination aspects refers to the attempt to change behaviors since the behavior of the individual becomes compliant with the requirements of healthy living. They lifestyle of the individuals can now be ascertained to be free of the potential risks associated with the development of heart attack (Folta et al., 2008). At this stage, the individual will have adopted to an approach for adhering with healthy behaviors for mitigating the risk of heart attack. References Aadahl, M., Smith, L. von H., Toft, U., Pisinger, C., & Jørgensen, T. (2011). Does a population-based multifactorial lifestyle intervention increase social inequality in physical activity? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45 (3), 209–215. Crouch, R., Wilson, A., & Newbury, J. (2011). A systematic review of the effectiveness of primary health education or intervention programs in improving rural women’s knowledge of heart disease risk factors and changing lifestyle behaviours. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 9 (3), 236–245. Edlin, G., & Golanty, E. (2014). Health and wellness (11th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Folta, S. C., Goldberg, J. P., Seguin, R., Reed, P. N., Nelson, M. E., & Lichtenstein, A. H. (2008). Factors Related to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction in Midlife and Older Women: A Qualitative Study. Preventing Chronic Disease, 5(1), 106.  Read More