Theory of Health Promotion

A theory presents a systematic way of understanding events. It is a set of concepts, definitions,

and propositions that explain such events by demonstrating the relationships between variables.
The theory behind the HPM is that you have personal experiences that affect your actions. There
are three main focuses of the HPM: individual experiences, behavior-specific knowledge and
affect, and behavioral outcomes. The factors that are associated with the HPM are mainly an
individual's lifestyle, outlook, psychological health, social and cultural traits, as well as
biological factors. Health-promoting behavior is the ideal behavioral outcome, making it the end
point in the HPM.
The HPM is based on the following theoretical propositions:
Past Behaviors and Traditions

 Past behavior, cultural traditions, and family traditions can impact a person's ability to
engage in health-promoting behaviors. For example, not eating fresh fruits and vegetables
because you grew up not eating fresh produce.
 People will pledge to participate in behaviors that they believe will produce anticipated
health outcomes.
 Obvious and not-so-obvious barriers can hinder a person's promise to act on a specific
behavior.

Confidence and Encouragement

 Confidence in one's ability to perform a specified behavior increases the chances of

continuous participation of such behavior.
 People's beliefs about their capabilities to perform a specific health behavior can result in
a lesser amount of perceived barriers to such behavior.
 When a person receives positive encouragement concerning a behavior, they are more
likely to feel confident in their abilities, thus resulting in health-promoting behaviors and
increased positive reassurance.
 Maintaining a positive attitude for a health-promoting behavior increases the probability
of commitment to such behavior.

Support

 People are more likely to stick to health-promoting behaviors with a strong support group
consisting of individuals who model the behavior and who expect, reinforce, and
encourage such behavior.
 Family and friends play an important part in an individual being successful in health-
promoting behaviors.
 External environment, such as a person's home or neighborhood, can have a positive or
negative influence on health-promoting behavior.
  People can surround themselves with positive and supportive peers, health care providers,
and work to improve their physical environment to facilitate healthy outcomes.

Dedication and Commitment

 Dedication to health-promoting behaviors is necessary for a person to be successful over

time.
 Continued participation in health-promoting behaviors is less likely when unforeseen
obstacles arise.
 Commitment to a specific health-promoting behavior is less likely to end in success when
constantly exposed to an unhealthy behavior.

Health Promotion Activities

Here are some examples of health promotion methods:

 Nutrition assessment
 Nutrition education
 Peer counseling programs
 Risk management programs
 Running programs
 Safe driving programs
 Safety courses
 Seatbelt use programs
 Smoking cessation: group approach or targeted groups (i.e. young mothers, minority
teens, and others)
 First aid training
 Health insurance education and counseling for the elderly

Lesson Summary
In summary, the health promotion model focuses on helping people achieve higher levels of
well-being. Health-promoting behavior is the ideal behavioral outcome in the HPM, thus helping
people pursue better health or ideal health through their behavior.

Learning Outcomes
Once you've finished with this lesson, you will have the ability to:

 Define health promotion and theory

 Describe the health promotion model (HPM)
 Identify the four assumptions and theoretical propositions of the HPM
 Recall examples of health promotion methods