Social Cognitive Theory Paper
Combating Adult Obesity: A Social Cognitive Approach to Reduce Local Obesity
Overview of the Program Focus The health crisis of obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States. Currently in America, more than two thirds of all adults are either clinically overweight or obese (The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2012). Within the population of obese individuals nationally, adults within the age group of 40 to 59 have the highest prevalence rate of obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). The ethnic groups most affected by obesity are Hispanics and African Americans (CDC, 2015). At the state level, 66.1% of all adults in North Carolina are either overweight or obese (CDC, …show more content…
2015). Presently in our local region of Pitt County, North Carolina, 72.7% of all adults are overweight or obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013).
This being said, Pitt County, North Carolina, has a higher prevalence of obesity than the state and national averages. To combat this alarming incidence of obesity among Hispanic and African American adults between the ages of 40 and 59 within the community of Pitt County, North Carolina, the social cognitive theory will be applied to aid in the acquisition of a healthier diet for these individuals. The setting of this intervention will be at the Pitt County Health Department because many of the minority populations already receive healthcare at this facility. At the Health Department, educational classes will be taught to a select group of participants on the importance of developing a healthier diet and ways to facilitate this. Modifying and improving long-term dietary patterns can significantly decrease body weight, leading to a decreased risk of the associated health issues accompanying obesity in this vulnerable population. Without …show more content…
intervention, obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes may lead to preventable death.
Overview of the Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura developed the Social Cognitive Theory in the year 1977 (Hayden, 2014). The purpose of the Social Cognitive Theory is to explain how humans acquire and sustain new behaviors (Hayden, 2014). Within this explanation of human behavior acquisition, a foundation for interventional strategies can be established. This theory was designed within the framework of reciprocal determinism, which is the influential interplay among personal factors, the environment, and human behavior (Hayden, 2014). If one of these three elements is changed, the other two elements will be affected and altered as well, ultimately modifying human behavior.
Core Constructs
The Social Cognitive Theory has eight core constructs that compose the framework behind human behavior acquisition.
The first core construct is self-efficacy. This is an individual’s personal confidence in their ability to embark on and succeed in a task (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The second core construct is expectation. This can be defined as the predicted outcome of a certain behavior (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The third core construct is observational learning. This is the learning that is absorbed while watching others participate in a behavior (Hayden, 2014). The forth core construct is expectancies and this is the value an individual places on an outcome of a certain behavior (Hayden, 2014). The fifth construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is behavioral capability. This can be described as the personal availability of the required knowledge and skills needed to preform a given behavior (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The sixth construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is emotional arousal. This construct proposes that an individual’s emotion of fear arises in certain situations and when this fear arises the individual becomes defensive, thus reducing the likelihood of the engagement in the behavior associated with that situation (Hayden, 2014). The seventh construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is reinforcement. Reinforcements are a system of rewards or punishments in response to an individual’s behavior that will either decrease or
increase the probability of behavior reoccurrence (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The final core construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is locus of control. This construct describes human behavior as centered on the notion that people have wavering amounts of belief in their own personal ability to control what happens to them (Hayden, 2014). All eight of these shaping constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory come together to illustrate the driving elements behind human behavior acquisition.
Overview of the Program Focus The health crisis of obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States. Currently in America, more than two thirds of all adults are either clinically overweight or obese (The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2012). Within the population of obese individuals nationally, adults within the age group of 40 to 59 have the highest prevalence rate of obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). The ethnic groups most affected by obesity are Hispanics and African Americans (CDC, 2015). At the state level, 66.1% of all adults in North Carolina are either overweight or obese (CDC, …show more content…
2015). Presently in our local region of Pitt County, North Carolina, 72.7% of all adults are overweight or obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013).
This being said, Pitt County, North Carolina, has a higher prevalence of obesity than the state and national averages. To combat this alarming incidence of obesity among Hispanic and African American adults between the ages of 40 and 59 within the community of Pitt County, North Carolina, the social cognitive theory will be applied to aid in the acquisition of a healthier diet for these individuals. The setting of this intervention will be at the Pitt County Health Department because many of the minority populations already receive healthcare at this facility. At the Health Department, educational classes will be taught to a select group of participants on the importance of developing a healthier diet and ways to facilitate this. Modifying and improving long-term dietary patterns can significantly decrease body weight, leading to a decreased risk of the associated health issues accompanying obesity in this vulnerable population. Without …show more content…
intervention, obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes may lead to preventable death.
Overview of the Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura developed the Social Cognitive Theory in the year 1977 (Hayden, 2014). The purpose of the Social Cognitive Theory is to explain how humans acquire and sustain new behaviors (Hayden, 2014). Within this explanation of human behavior acquisition, a foundation for interventional strategies can be established. This theory was designed within the framework of reciprocal determinism, which is the influential interplay among personal factors, the environment, and human behavior (Hayden, 2014). If one of these three elements is changed, the other two elements will be affected and altered as well, ultimately modifying human behavior.
Core Constructs
The Social Cognitive Theory has eight core constructs that compose the framework behind human behavior acquisition.
The first core construct is self-efficacy. This is an individual’s personal confidence in their ability to embark on and succeed in a task (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The second core construct is expectation. This can be defined as the predicted outcome of a certain behavior (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The third core construct is observational learning. This is the learning that is absorbed while watching others participate in a behavior (Hayden, 2014). The forth core construct is expectancies and this is the value an individual places on an outcome of a certain behavior (Hayden, 2014). The fifth construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is behavioral capability. This can be described as the personal availability of the required knowledge and skills needed to preform a given behavior (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The sixth construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is emotional arousal. This construct proposes that an individual’s emotion of fear arises in certain situations and when this fear arises the individual becomes defensive, thus reducing the likelihood of the engagement in the behavior associated with that situation (Hayden, 2014). The seventh construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is reinforcement. Reinforcements are a system of rewards or punishments in response to an individual’s behavior that will either decrease or
increase the probability of behavior reoccurrence (National Cancer Institute, 2005). The final core construct of the Social Cognitive Theory is locus of control. This construct describes human behavior as centered on the notion that people have wavering amounts of belief in their own personal ability to control what happens to them (Hayden, 2014). All eight of these shaping constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory come together to illustrate the driving elements behind human behavior acquisition.