Chapter 2: Theory, Research, and Practice in Health Behavior

Question 1

describe the relationship between theory, research and practice

Answer 1

it IS NOT linear. the larger picture of health improvement and disease reduction is better described as a cycle of interacting types of endeavors, including fundamental research (research into determinants as well as development of methodologies), intervention research, (research aimed toward change), surveillance research (research that tracks population-wide trends, including maintenance of change), and application and program delivery

Question 2

What will advance what is known about health behavior?

Answer 2

a synthesis of theory, research, and practice. a health behavior change agent without a theory is like a mechanic or a technician, whereas the professional who understands theory and research comprehends the “why” and can design and craft well-tailored interventions

Question 3

what is a theory?

Answer 3

a set of interrelated concepts, definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of events or situations by specifying relations among variables, in order to explain and predict events or situations

Question 4

what are theories used for?

Answer 4

planning, implementing, and evaluating interventions. program planners can use theories to shape the pursuit of answers to why, what, and how

Question 5

concept

Answer 5

are the major components of a theory; they are its building blocks or primary elements. concepts can vary in the extent to which they have meaning, or can be understood outside the context of a specific theory

when concepts are developed or adopted for use in a particular theory, they are called constructs

Question 6

principles

Answer 6

general guidelines for action. they are broad and nonspecific and may actually distort realities or results based on research

Question 7

models

Answer 7

health behavior and the guiding concepts for influencing it are far too complex to be explained by a single, unified theory. Models draw on a number of theories to help understand a specific problem in a particular context or setting

they are often informed by more than one theory, as well as by empirical findings

Question 8

paradigms

Answer 8

basic schema that organizes our broadly based view of something. paradigms are widely recognized scientific achievements that, for a time, provide model problem-solving approaches to community of practitioners and scientists. they include theory, application, and instrumentation and constitute models that represent coherent traditions of scientific research

paradigms gain status because they are more successful than their competitors at solving pressing problems, but they can also impede scientific progress by protecting inconsistent findings until crisis point is reached

Question 9

the logical positivism (logical empiricism) paradigm

Answer 9

this basic view, developed in the Vienna Circle from 1924 to 1936, has two central features: 1) an emphasis on the use of induction, or sensory experience, feelings, and personal judgements as the source of knowledge, and 2) the view that deduction is the standard for verification or confirmation of theory so that theory must be tested through empirical methods and systematic observation of phenomena

logical empiricism reconciles the deductive and inductive extremes; it prescribes that the researcher begin with a hypothesis deduced from a theory and then test it, subjecting it to the jeopardy of disconfirmation through empirical testing

Question 10

ethnography

Answer 10

the scientific description of individual peoples and cultures (use the constructivist paradigm)

Question 11

phenomenology (of phenomena)

Answer 11

the scientific study of the structures of experience of consciousness (use the constructivist paradigm)

Question 12

constructivist paradigm

Answer 12

worldview that posits that learning is an active process. the learner is an information constructor. people actively construct their own subjective representations of an objective reality

this perspective argues that the organization and explanation of events should be revealed through a process of discovery rather than organized into prescribed conceptual categories before a study begins

in this paradigm, data collections methods such as standardized questionnaires and predetermined response categories have a limited place because of the structure!

Question 13

what has the evolution of change of health behavior looked like?

Answer 13

earlier on, the techniques that “push” people to change were experienced by many as manipulative, reducing freedom of choice, and sustaining a balance of power in favor of the “change agent.”

a paradigm shift occurred, and many techniques for promoting individual behavior change shifted focus to become based on reducing obstacles change and promotinginforaed decision making, rather than on pushing people to change

Question 14

what are some of the most important behavior change models used today?

Answer 14

the health belief model, social cognitive theory, theory of planner behavior, the theory of reasoned action, social support, diffusion of innovations, and the social ecological model

Question 15

how is the adequacy of a theory usually assessed?

Answer 15

in terms of three criteria

1) its logic, or internal consistency, in not yielding mutually contradictory derivations
2) the extent to which it is parsimonious, or broadly relevant, while using a manageable number of concepts
3) its plausibility in fitting with revealing theories in the field

Question 16

what is the only way to improve a theory?

Answer 16

to use it, judge it, and evaluate it with scrutiny. you should never take a theory for what it is. test it, bend it, try and break it

Question 17

constructs

Answer 17

when concepts are developed or adopted for use in a particular theory, they are called constructs