Health Behavior and Change

Running head; Health Behaviour and Change
Health Behavior and Change
Student’s Name
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Health Behavior and Change 2
Introduction
According to the theory of planned behavior, it has been illustrated that the attitudes
towards a certain behavior, subjective norms and the perceived behavioral control is what
shapes a person’s behavioral intentions and behavior. On the other hand, according to
classical conditioning theory, the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov explained that behavior is
brought about by a repetitive association between the response and the stimulus. Health belief
model aims at predicting health behavior by focusing on attitudes of an individual (Dodel &
Mesch, 2017). This paper therefore focuses on the application of planned behavior theory and
classical conditioning theory to type 2 diabetes among the elderly people and hypertension
among the black Americans. In addition, the paper also explores health beliefs among these
groups and their impact to the overall health.
Health belief models
Theory of planned behavior
The theory of planned behavior was advanced in the 1980s. Initially, it was known as
the theory of reasoned action. The main proponent of the theory was Icek Ajzen. The theory
is mainly used to explain and predict behaviors among people. Some of these behaviors
include, alcoholism, smoking, response to health activities and processes such as vaccination,
treatment and breastfeeding among others. The theory is also used to establish and describe
various types of beliefs. These include behavioral, normative and control.
The theory of planned behavior explains six constructs that may be used to explain
human control over behavior. These constructs include attitudes, behavioral intention,
subjective norms, social norms, perceived power and perceived behavioral control. These
constructs are able to influence culture and how human beings perceive and view health from
these cultural and individual influences.
The classical conditioning theory

Health Behavior and Change 3
The theory of classical conditioning was developed by a Russian psychologist known
as Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov developed this behavioral theory after conducting experiments on
dogs. The main argument of the theory is that all behavior is conditioned. This can be
described that behavior is altered with stimuli and responses. The theory is both a learning
and a behavioral theory. The main argument of the theory is that a behavior can be learned or
unlearned through a simple process of conditioning.
According to Bui, & Fazio, (2016), conditioning takes place when a neutral stimulus
is paired with an unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is usually an induced,
neutral stimulus such as the sound of a bell. The unconditioned stimulus is a natural
biological such as smell of food. At normal circumstances, it is the unconditioned stimulus
that elicits a biological response naturally. However after the unconditioned and the
conditioned response are paired, the conditioned response is able to elicit the same biological
response as after a series of repeated events. Eventually, the conditioned stimulus is able to
elicit the same biological response even without the unconditioned natural stimulus.
Type 2 diabetes among the elderly
Type 2 diabetes has been described as a condition when human cells cannot make use
of blood sugars for energy. In type 2 diabetes condition the body still breaks down
carbohydrates from foods and drinks that is ingested and converts it into glucose. The
pancreas, in turn, releases insulin but the cells are resistant to insulin thus the rise of blood
glucose levels (International Conference on Biomedical Engineering, & In Goh, 2013)
Type 2 diabetes prevalence rates are high among the older populations and among
senior citizens. Obesity and sedentary lifestyles devoid of physical exercise have been the
main cause of type 1 diabetes. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes is caused by unhealthy
dietary practices, consumption of too starchy foods and lack of exercise. Frequent rise of
sugars in the blood causes irregular production of insulin. This eventually causes the cells to