Applying the Transtheoretical Model to Obesity Management Essay

This essay explores the application of the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change to manage obesity in an individual named Harry. It begins by defining obesity and its causes, referencing statistics from the World Health Organization and the Dietitians Association of Australia. The essay then focuses on Harry, an obese patient, and identifies that he is in the Precontemplation Stage. The essay then explains how motivational interviewing principles, such as empathy and discrepancy, can be used to encourage Harry to recognize the need for change. The essay also discusses the importance of self-efficacy in motivating Harry through the stages of contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. The conclusion emphasizes the effectiveness of combining motivational interviewing with the Stages of Change Model in helping patients achieve positive health outcomes. References from sources such as Prochaska, Redding & Evers, and Resnicow et al. are included to support the arguments and methodologies discussed.

Running head: TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Introduction
As postulated by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018), approximately 1.9
million individuals, old than the age of 18 were found to be overweight and obese, with
prevalence rates tripling since the year 1975. The following essay will focus upon assisting
Harry, an obese patient, with achieving positive health outcomes, using the Stages of Change
Model and Motivational Interviewing Principles.
Discussion
About Obesity
Obesity is a condition where an individual acquires gains excessive amount of weight due
to the abnormal accumulation of adipose or fat tissues on the body. Lack of management can
increase the risk of patients like Harry to acquire chronic health issues like diabetes,
cardiovascular disorders and diseases of the liver and kidney (Buchmueller & Johar, 2015).
Causes of Obesity
According to the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA, 2019), obesity occurs due to
consumption of excessive amount of food than needed along with excessive consumption of high
sugar, high fat, and high sodium foods, as observed in Harry.
Management
It is evident that Harry is in the Precontemplation Stage, where participants are generally
unaware and unwilling to accept the need for change (Prochaska, Redding & Evers, 2015). To
combat his reluctance, the health professional can apply motivational interview principles of

2TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
empathy and discrepancy in order to make Harry understand that his problem is being
understood and that his present goals of a healthy and successful personal and professional life as
a chef will be negatively impacted due to his present eating habits (Lundahl et al., 2019). One
Harry feels motivated and determined to change his behaviours and transition to contemplation,
preparation and action stages, the health professional must collaborate with him to work towards
achieving personal dietary goals (Resnicow et al., 2015). Further, motivational interviewing
principles of self efficacy will allow the health professional to motivate Harry to take control or
autonomy over his own behaviour changes so that his tendency to show reluctance and a relapse
to previous behaviours reduces as per the Change stages of Action, Maintenance and
Termination (Friman, Huck & Olsson, 2017).
Conclusion
While obesity is a treatable condition, there are instances where patients like Harry may
be feel reluctant to practice health behaviour change. Thus to conclude, this paper demonstrates
that with the help of motivational interviewing and stages of change model, clincians can assist
in patients to feel motivated to achieve positive health outcomes.

3TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF HEALTH BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
References
Buchmueller, T. C., & Johar, M. (2015). Obesity and health expenditures: evidence from
Australia. Economics & Human Biology, 17, 42-58.
DAA. (2019). The facts on overweight & obesity in Australia – Dietitians Association of
Australia. Retrieved 13 September 2019, from
https://daa.asn.au/smart-eating-for-you/smart-eating-fast-facts/medical/the-facts-on-
overweight-obesity-in-australia-link-to-ahww/.
Friman, M., Huck, J., & Olsson, L. (2017). Transtheoretical model of change during travel
behavior interventions: An integrative review. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 14(6), 581.
Lundahl, B., Droubay, B. A., Burke, B., Butters, R. P., Nelford, K., Hardy, C., ... & Bowles, M.
(2019). Motivational interviewing adherence tools: A scoping review investigating
content validity. Patient Education and Counseling.
Prochaska, J. O., Redding, C. A., & Evers, K. E. (2015). The transtheoretical model and stages of
change. Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 125-148.
Resnicow, K., McMaster, F., Bocian, A., Harris, D., Zhou, Y., Snetselaar, L., ... & Hollinger, D.
(2015). Motivational interviewing and dietary counseling for obesity in primary care: an
RCT. Pediatrics, 135(4), 649-657.
WHO. (2019). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved 13 September 2019, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.