October 31, 2011

Social Cognitive Theory andHealthy Habit Changes

Sunita Singh and Sarah Jane Calub

Examine the impact of the participation in a wellness

assignment on healthy habit changes in pre-professional undergraduate students.

PURPOSE

Health & Wellness

✤ Unhealthy lifestyles attribute 54% reduction in lifespan < 65 years

✤ Healthy lifestyles have greater impact than genetic factors on our health as we age

✤ Promoting healthy lifestyles is critical role for OT practitioners in health promotion and disease/disability prevention (AOTA)

✤ Wellness = product of healthy lifestyles as fitness = product of regular exercise

✤ Physical well-being includes physical, mental, and health aspects of life

Research Questions

✤ What were the students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of this assignment for increasing their understanding of their own wellness?

✤ Supports and barriers for adherence to goals over the semester and after the completion of the course?

✤ Students instructed during health & wellness course✤ Students asked to complete assignment regarding goals for

improving wellness during and after completion of course✤ Students completed follow-up q’s in subsequent semesters✤ Results quantified✤ Responses analyzed using Bandura’s

Social Cognitive Theory

Methods

Participants58 students enrolled in an undergraduate occupational science health and wellness course.

57 female; 1 male55 white; 1 Hispanic; 2 AA

Ages 20 - 28

✤ Chose 3 - 5 goals to improve wellness over the semester ✤ Goals directed towards behaviors - not outcomes

✤ Completed wellness-self-assessments ✤ A paper describing results, wellness goals and rationales in

reference to how goals would be beneficial ✤ Assignment and outcomes were analyzed using social

cognitive theory✤ 2 roles: clients/mentors; kept journals of experiences from

both perspectives✤ Class discussions✤ A second paper describing experiences

The Assignment

✤ 100% believed they had improved understanding of their own wellness.

✤ 84% increased their understanding of

the client perspective in making healthy behavior changes.

✤ 96% increased their understanding of therapist/mentor perspective in supporting healthy behavior changes.

Results

100%

84%

96%

✤ Students completed questionnaires 6 mo. and 1 yr after completion of the course

✤ After 3 months: ✤ 95% were still working on at least one of their goals.✤ 76% were still working on at least two goals.✤ 22% were still working on three goals.

✤ After 1 year:✤ 86% were still working on at least one goal✤ 45% were still working on two goals✤ 14% were still working on three goals.

Follow-Up:

✤ Internal motivations of wanting to be healthy✤ Seeing results, feeling better✤ Behavior ➔ habit✤ Enjoying the goal✤ “I saw the other students sticking to the plan and

working on their goals. It reminded me that I needed to constantly be working on my own goals.”

✤ Feeling supported by seeing the struggles of others.✤ Having a mentor meant that they had to report their

personal progress and help each other problem solve.

Supports Identified

✤ Internal issues of difficulty with time, changing routines, and feeling stressed.

✤ Lack of outside structure, support, reinforcement of goals and tracking made it difficult to maintain goals.

Barriers Identified

✤ Successful change in habits requires a blend of 3 components:

✤ Personal (influence)✤ Proxy (relies on others to act

on one’s behalf)✤ Collective (exercised through

group action)✤ Process of acting together on shared

goal or belief provides motivation to succeed

✤ Self-efficacy (goals chosen)

Social Cognitive Theory:

Application to OT

✤ Study suggests value of using social cognitive learning for supporting clients in making healthy habit changes that will impact health, well-being, and longevity

✤ Educating client about value of identifying changes themselves

✤ Family’s/friends’ goals may conflict with client’s goals

References

Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory in cultural context. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51(2), 269-290.

Hilton, C., Ackermann, A., & Smith, D. (2011). Healthy habit changes in pre-professional college students: adherence, supports, and barriers. OTJR: Occupation, Participation & Health, 31(2), 64-72. doi:10.3928/15394492-20100325-01