Essay About Personal Health
Instruction:
Please CHOOSE ONE of the two prompt options provided below, and write a 2-3
page (double spaced) narrative response. Be sure to address every point within the
prompt of your choice.
Submit completed assignment via Canvas Assignments, as DOC, DOCX, PDF, or
RTF file attachments.
Prompts:
Option #1: Recommended after Lecture 6
Suppose that the Butler County School District wants to hire you to create and
implement a health promotion program. Specifically, they would like to have a
health education program (like D.A.R.E.) that will teach students about
dangers of illegal drug use, so that students who currently use them would
learn to stop.
a) What are the steps you’re likely to take to create and implement such
program? (HINT: see five steps of the Generalized Model)
b) What would you do (or not do), if your needs assessment data shows that
the school district has very little problem with drug use, but has very big
problem with sexually transmitted disease?
c) For now, let’s assume that drug use is a big concern for the school district,
and you’ve created a health education program about illegal drug use, as
requested. Before full implementation, you’ve conducted a pilot test for 20
students to see if your program is effective. Pilot test showed that your
education program is ineffective at changing students who already use
drugs. Worse, it looks like some students that never used drug before are
now showing signs that they want to try those drugs you mentioned in the
program. What would you do (or not do)?
Option #2: Recommended after Lecture 7
Behavior change is difficult – just think about how many people make New
Year’s resolution, and how many people fail at it. Understanding the
relationship between behavior and behavioral determinant can help us assess
our own behavior, and perhaps have us succeed with our New Year’s
resolution.
a) Think of one behavior that you want to change by the end of this year.
What is the behavior? (This should be your own behavior; this may or may
not be related to health, but make sure that it is something that can be
measured and/or observed)
b) What would be one determinant related to that behavior (i.e., what is
something that causes and/or influences this behavior)?
c) Would you try to affect the behavior, or the determinant? Why?
d) Let’s suppose that there are thousands of people just like you, and they all
want to change this behavior. What do you think is the most effective way
to help everyone change this behavior? (Perhaps coming up with a law?
Education program?)