Some many theories and models are frequently used for promoting health and disease prevention programs. One of these theories is the Social Cognitive Theory by Albert Bandura. This theory states that learning happens in a social setting with different interactions between the person, environment, and behavior. This theory is used to promote health and does not necessarily maintain a behavior; instead, it focuses more on initiating new behavioral patterns in a person. For example, children likely learn complex applications such as language by watching and listening to others speak (Bandura, 1986).

This theory’s central concept is Reciprocal Determinism, and it refers to the interactions formed between the person, his environment, and his behavior. Another aspect is behavioral learning, which presumes that a person who witnesses and observes others’ behavior will then also reproduce this set of behavior. Reinforcements are the responses to a person’s behavior that can influence whether they decide to continue or stop the newly acquired behavior. Altogether, these aspects ultimately predict whether or not a person can acquire new behavioral patterns.

There are many barriers to a patient’s ability to learn. Obtaining new information does not necessarily mean that the patient learns because of these barriers. Barriers may be external or internal. External barriers include socio-cultural factors and environmental factors. Environmental factors refer to the surroundings where the learning process takes place. Another factor is in the socio-cultural aspect, include language barriers and educational background. For example, for someone who does not understand and speak the English language very well, it may be difficult for them to learn written topics in the English language. On the other hand, internal barriers are those that are self-initiated. They may be psychologic or physiologic. Health knowledge can be described as “the degree to which individuals can obtain, understand basic health information, process, and services needed to make appropriate health choices” (Nielsen-Bohlman, Panzer, & Kindig, 2004, p. 32).

A patient’s learning readiness refers to how likely an individual can perceive new information and how likely they are to seek new information that is big enough to precipitate behavioral changes., there are four types of learning readiness: Physical, Emotional, Experiential, and Knowledge Readiness. Learning outcomes are more likely to be obtained when the patient is receptive and is willing to participate in the process. By assessing the patient’s readiness to change, the nurse can create appropriate behavioral objectives for the patient’s current stage (Edelman et al., 2014).

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice.

Edelman, C. L., Kudzma, E. C., & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Health promotion: Health & wellness across the continuum. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/1

Nielsen-Bohlman, L., Panzer, A., & Kindig, A. (2004). Health literacy: A prescription to end confusion (p. 32). Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Respond to the above student’s post using a 200-250 APA format with references by engaging in discussions supporting the post