ObesityAs of 2012 more than 36% of adults in the U.S are considered “obese” based on body mass index (BMI). As an individual's BMI increases, so does their risk for various health conditions. Eating healthy and being active are key methods to decreasing these risks. However, there are many individual, social, and environmental factors that can either contribute or detract someone from adopting a healthier lifestyle. The social-ecological approach presented in this website was developed as a way to help others better understand methods of promoting and implementing healthier lifestyle behaviors from all aspects of a society.
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Health Promotion
"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on
individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions." -WHO
Health promotion programs often lack a clearly specified theoretical foundation or are based on narrowly conceived conceptual models. For example, lifestyle modification programs typically emphasize individually focused behavior change strategies, while neglecting the environmental underpinnings of health and illness. (Stokols, 1996)
A Social-Ecological Approach to Nutrition
The social-ecological model for health promotion focuses attention on both individual and social environmental factors as targets for health promotion interventions (McLeroy, 1988). It addresses the importance of interventions directed at changing interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy, factors which support and maintain unhealthy behaviors (McLeroy, 1988). The model assumes that appropriate changes in the social environment will produce changes in individuals, and that the support of individuals in the population is essential for implementing environmental changes (McLeroy, 1988).
References
Richard, Lucie, Gauvine, Lise, Raine, Kim. “Ecological Models Revisted: Their Uses and Evolution in Health Promotion Over Two Decades”. Annual Review of Public Health. 2011: 32: 307-26.
McLeroy, Kenneth, Bibeau, Daniel, Steckler, Allan, Glanz, Karen. "An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion Programs". Health Education
Behavior. 1988:15:4 351-377.
Daniel Stokols. “Translating Social Ecological Theory into Guidelines for Community Health Promotion”. American Journal of Health Promotion. 1996: 10: 4; 282-298.
McLeroy, Kenneth, Bibeau, Daniel, Steckler, Allan, Glanz, Karen. "An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion Programs". Health Education
Behavior. 1988:15:4 351-377.
Daniel Stokols. “Translating Social Ecological Theory into Guidelines for Community Health Promotion”. American Journal of Health Promotion. 1996: 10: 4; 282-298.