Your
final paper will include the following components.
STEP
1: First
state the specific health behavior you wish to change and describe in well-defined
terms. For example: to do aerobic exercise for 30 minutes three days per
week at 70% of maximal heart rate, or cut back the number of cigarettes smoked
to 3 a day. This should be a health-related behavior you are comfortable writing
about in a paper that I will read. This can be either a health-compromising
behavior you want to decrease (e.g., excessive eating, smoking, excessive
alcohol consumption, etc.) or a health-enhancing behavior you want to increase
(e.g., exercise, stress reduction, healthy eating, etc.).
(20 points)
Please
make sure you pick only one health behavior, not a set of behaviors, or
several different ones to change all at once. The more focused and precise you
are about the behavior the easier it will be to complete the necessary
exercises and components of this journal.
Describe exactly what changes you want to make
in this behavior. Does this represent an increase in frequency, decrease in
frequency, etc? Be very specific about
what you want to accomplish. Make sure your goals are specific and behavioral
(S.M.A.R.T. goals).
STEP
2: Once
you have chosen a health behavior to focus on, you will need to take a
baseline frequency rating of this behavior for a period of one week. For
example, if the behavior you have been thinking of changing is to increase
physical activity level, chart how much you currently exercise. Of course, you
have to come up with a unit of measurement, such as measuring physical
activity a day = miles or minutes or hours. (10
points)
Then
observe, record and keep a chart on the frequency of the target behavior,
and prepare a chart or graph (NOT a table), similar to the example below
showing the baseline frequency, and frequency of the behavior AFTER the intervention.(10
points)
Sample chart of baseline frequency: Miles of Physical activity a Day
STEP
3: The
remainder (and bulk) of your journal entry will involve (Total 100 points),
·
A
discussion of your history with this healthy life style change (that is how
long have you been considering it, have you tried making this change
previously, etc.). (20
points)
·
A
reflection on why you would like to make this healthy change. Discuss your
answers and any personal observations and insights that you may have about your
reasons for wanting to change this behavior in your journal entry. (30 points)
o
For
example you may want to answer questions such as;
§ What are the
consequences of this behavior in your life?
§ How will your life be
improved when/if you change this behavior?
· The final part of the
assignment will be to create a plan (intervention) for changing the
Behavior. Include the health behavior change
theories you used to change your specific health behavior (i.e.
Self-efficacy Theory, Transtheoretical Model, etc.) (40 points)
§
You
must support your discussion by using at least 5 peer-review articles (10 points)
Total Points: 140
FORMAT
The final
report should include 3 to 4 double spaced typed pages with 1” margins,
excluding title page with Times New Roman, 12 pt font. No big
gaps between paragraphs.
