Question

How can we use the model of Nola Pemder in the prevention of covid-19?

Answer 1

The Health Promotion Model notes that each person has unique personal characteristics and experiences that affect subsequent actions. The set of variables for behavioral specific knowledge and affect have important motivational significance. These variables can be modified through nursing actions. Health promoting behavior is the desired behavioral outcome and is the endpoint in the Health Promotion Model. Health promoting behaviors should result in improved health, enhanced functional ability and better quality of life at all stages of development. The final behavioral demand is also influenced by the immediate competing demand and preferences, which can derail intended health-promoting actions.

Nola Pender’s Health Promotion Model theory was originally published in 1982 and later improved in 1996 and 2002. It has been used for nursing research, education, and practice. Applying this nursing theory and the body of knowledge that has been collected through observation and research, nurses are in the top profession to enable people to improve their well-being with self-care and positive health behaviors.

The Health Promotion Model was designed to be a “complementary counterpart to models of health protection.” It develops to incorporate behaviors for improving health and applies across the life span. Its purpose is to assist nurses in knowing and understanding the major determinants of health behaviors as a foundation for behavioral counseling to promote well-being and healthy lifestyles.

Pender’s health promotion model defines health as “a positive dynamic state not merely the absence of disease.” Health promotion is directed at increasing a client’s level of well-being. It describes the multi-dimensional nature of persons as they interact within the environment to pursue health.

The model focuses on the following three areas: individual characteristics and experiences, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, and behavioral outcomes.

Major Concepts of the Health Promotion Model

Health promotion is defined as behavior motivated by the desire to increase well-being and actualize human health potential. It is an approach to wellness.

On the other hand, health protection or illness prevention is described as behavior motivated desire to actively avoid illness, detect it early, or maintain functioning within the constraints of illness.

Individual characteristics and experiences (prior related behavior and personal factors).

Behavior-specific cognitions and affect (perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, activity-related affect, interpersonal influences, and situational influences).

Behavioral outcomes (commitment to a plan of action, immediate competing demands and preferences, and health-promoting behavior).

• Prior behavior and inherited and acquired characteristics influence beliefs, affect, and enactment of health-promoting behavior.
• Persons commit to engaging in behaviors from which they anticipate deriving personally valued benefits.
• Perceived barriers can constrain commitment to action, a mediator of behavior as well as actual behavior.
• Perceived competence or self-efficacy to execute a given behavior increases the likelihood of commitment to action and actual performance of the behavior.
• Greater perceived self-efficacy results in fewer perceived barriers to a specific health behavior.
• Positive affect toward a behavior results in greater perceived self-efficacy, which can, in turn, result in increased positive affect.
• When positive emotions or affect are associated with a behavior, the probability of commitment and action is increased.
• Persons are more likely to commit to and engage in health-promoting behaviors when significant others model the behavior, expect the behavior to occur, and provide assistance and support to enable the behavior.
• Families, peers, and health care providers are important sources of interpersonal influence that can increase or decrease commitment to and engagement in health-promoting behavior.
• Situational influences in the external environment can increase or decrease commitment to or participation in health-promoting behavior.
• The greater the commitments to a specific plan of action, the more likely health-promoting behaviors are to be maintained over time.
• Commitment to a plan of action is less likely to result in the desired behavior when competing demands over which persons have little control require immediate attention.
• Commitment to a plan of action is less likely to result in the desired behavior when other actions are more attractive and thus preferred over the target behavior.
• Persons can modify cognitions, affect, and the interpersonal and physical environment to create incentives for health actions.