Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION 1

Self-health Promotion Plan

Jennifer R. Williams

Ferris State University

HEALTH PROMOTION 2

Abstract

Every human has the potential for change. Preparing, planning, and initiating a health

promotion plan are main components needed to initiate change. The health beliefs survey,

physical assessment, and personal health diary are the tools utilized in the preparation

portion of this plan. The transtheoretical model and its steps are discussed as well as

where I stand in health promotion according to this theory. My strengths and weaknesses

are discussed along with the completion of my health promotion care plan. Finally, a

wellness problem with goals, interventions, and evaluation plan complete this

promotional health plan.

Self-health Promotion Plan

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“Empowerment is a process through which individuals gain mastery over their

lives (Pender, 2006). Self empowerment, I believe, is a difficult task. Health promotion

integration has been a struggle for many nations, employers, health care institutions, and

individuals. Many things impact or challenge an individuals self-health promotion.

Physical, social, and emotional health are all factors of health promotion.

As a person who has struggled with self-health promotion my entire life, this is a

difficult project to accomplish. After completion of the health beliefs survey, the results

reveal I have the view that I have personal control over my health. This result is

challenging because I have struggled with my health, in terms of obesity, throughout my

lifetime. This further leads me to believe that my current health issues are a direct cause

of my own behaviors. As I complete the required health assessments, I have come to the

realization that I need to focus on my self-health promotion. The two additional

instruments of measurement utilized in my assessment include: Personal Health diary and

Assessment of Muscular Strength and Endurance.

I chose the personal health diary related to my weight, elevated cholesterol,

increased stress, and inactivity. “Health diaries have been used for 3 purposes: in

methodologic studies to compare reporting levels for retrospective and prospective

procedures; as memory aids to improve recall of health events in a later, retrospective

interview; and as a primary data source” (Verbrugge, 1980).

“Overall health diaries have well-documented advantages with respect to

content--the rich information they provide about individual health. High respondent

cooperation and high-quality data can be achieved if ample time and energy are devoted

to retaining diary-keepers and monitoring their records.” (Verbrugge, 1980) The diary is
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reliable for monitoring current labs and a plan for nutrition, exercise, and stress. All of

these deficits are assessed in this diary. I have struggled with my nutrition, exercise, and

stress level for many years and have recently found I have elevated cholesterol. The diary

will assist in a plan to help me focus on all of these areas of weakness.

The physical assessment was used to validate decreased activity in my life routine.

This assessment gauges muscular strength and endurance. “The reasoning for this basic

fitness test is to ensure a certain level of health and well-being which will have an impact

on job performance, decreased sick days, and a better mental attitude in a stressful

environment.” “Standard fitness tests used today usually are good indicators of one's

health” (Smith, 2009). Taking this test made me realize how below average in fitness I

really am. As I go through my results for my health assessments, it takes me back to the

health continuum and how individuals have their own perception of health. I truly believe

that I am a healthy adult.

Knowing that I have unhealthy behavior makes me realize that I need to take

control of my own health promotion. As part of my health promotion, I also realize that I

do have some good health habits. I currently eat well, exercise, refrain from smoking, and

hold good social relationships. All of these actions contribute to good health. On the other

hand, eating well and exercising consistently, is a personal challenge.

As both a health professional and individual I feel that I am very open to change.

My current concern for my plan is possible relapse after change. I have lost weight many

times only to gain it back. Now that I am at an increased age, I see the risk that I have put

myself at for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory issues.

The transtheoretical model of nursing suggests that there are five stages of
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progression through health related behavior change (Pender, 2006). The stages include

Precontemplation, contemplation, planning or preparation, action, and maintenance

(Pender, 2006). In my lifetime I have spent a lot of time in the precontemplation and

contemplation phases. There have been many times that I contemplated self-improvement

plans. I realize now that these plans for self-improvement did not always include health

promotion. After completion of the chosen assessments, I have come to the realization

that change for health is important for not only my patients but for myself. I have in

recent weeks made a few changes to my self-promotion of health. This places me in the

planning or preparation phase of the transtheoretical model.

This portion of the model states that “the individual has tried to quit a negative

behavior or adopted a positive behavior in the past year and is seriously thinking about

engaging in the contemplated change within the next month” (Pender, 2006). I do not

currently fit into the action portion of the model related to the change not persisting for at

least six months. I look forward to completing a plan, following the plan, and progressing

into the maintenance portion of this model.

With conclusion of the assessment data, I have found my strengths to be my

emotional and social health. Good relationships and appropriate mood are very important

aspects of health. My weaknesses include maintaining adequate activity, diet, and stress

control. With the summarization of my assessments I am prepared to finalize my health

behavior plan. The problem that I have chosen for my wellness diagnosis is:

Poor personal health habits and risk for heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and

respiratory issues related to decreased activity, poor diet, family history, and increased

stress as evidenced by obesity and increased cholesterol.

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Short term goals:

● I will identify stress inducers in life.

● I will identify ways to increase activity.

● I will identify healthy foods.

● I will identify ways to minimize stress.

● I will identify medical risks related to my behaviors.

Long term goals:

● I will decrease my weight by 10 lbs in 6 months.

● I will reduce my stress level in one month.

● I will increase my overall activity in 3 months.

● I will maintain my health promotion changes for 6 plus months.

Interventions/Implementation:

● Exercise plan to include aerobics 3x/week and strength training 2x/week to increase

my activity.

● Diet plan to omit unhealthy foods and to include 4 vegetables/day and 3 fruits/day to

improve the health of my diet.

● Maintain my diet/activity and utilize stretching/breathing program to decrease

stress.

Evaluation of my goals will consist of weight measurements weekly, monitoring

blood my blood pressure, body measurements monthly, and diary documentation of my

exercise, diet, and stressors. I will evaluate this information every three months to

confirm maintenance of my plan.

In conclusion, I have discovered that I have control over my own health and
HEALTH PROMOTION 7

believe that I have the ability to change. “Individuals have tremendous plasticity and

potential for change. Because of human beings’ capacity for self-knowledge, self-

regulation, decision making, and creative problem solving, self-directed change is

possible” (Pender, 2006). I have moved through the first stages of the transtheroretical

model and have begun the preparation phase. I have diagnosed myself with a wellness

diagnosis, set goals, interventions, and an evaluation goal for my plan. I look forward to

continuing through the five phases of the model and completing my goals.

References

Pender, N.J., Murdaugh, C.L., Parsons, M.A., (2006). Health Promotion in Nursing

Practice. Pearson Education, Inc.

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Smith, S., (2009). Assessing Fitness Tests. Retrieved from

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/fitness-test-prep/fair-way-to-judge-

fitness-test

Verbrugge, L.M., (1980). Health diaries. NCBI/Pub Med. Retrieved from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6986517

Appendices

Health Beliefs Survey

The questionnaire is designed to determine the way in which different people

view certain important health-related issues. Each item is a belief statement,
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with which you may agree or disagree. Beside each statement is a scale that
ranges from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6). For each item, choose
the number that represents the extent to which you disagree or agree. This is a
measure of your personal beliefs; obviously, there is no right or wrong answers.

Please answer these items carefully, but do not spend too much time on any one
item. As much as you can, try to respond to each item independently. When
making your choice, do not be influenced by your previous choices. It is
important that you respond according to your actual beliefs and not according to
how you feel you should believe or how you think we want you to believe.

1 - Strongly Disagree; 2 - Moderately Disagree; 3 - Slightly Disagree; 4 - Slightly

Agree; 5 - Moderately Agree; 6 - Strongly Agree
Disagree Agree

1 2 3 4 5 6
1. If I get sick, it is my own behavior that determines X
how soon
I will get well again.

2. No matter what I do, if I am going to get sick, I'll X

get sick.

3. Having regular contact with my physician is the X

best way for me
avoid illness.

4. Most things that affect my health happen to me X

by accident.

5. Whenever I don't feel well, I should consult a X

medically trained
professional.

6. I am in control of my health. X

7. My family has a lot to do with my becoming sick X

or staying healthy.

8. When I get sick, I am to blame. X

9. Luck plays a big part in determining how soon I will X

recover from an illness.
10. Health professionals control my health. X

11. My good health is largely a matter of good X

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fortune.

12. The main thing that affects my health is what I X

myself do.

1 2 3 4 5 6
13. If I take care of myself, I can avoid illness. X

14. When I recover from illness, it's usually because X

other people
have been taking good care of me. (doctor,
nurses, family)

15. No matter what I do, I'm likely to get sick. X

16. If it's meant to be, I will stay healthy. X

17. If I take the right actions, I can stay healthy. X

18. Regarding my health, I can only do what my X

doctor tells
me to do.

These three subscales, and the items included in each, are as follows:

 Internal Items: 1, 6, 12, 13, 17

 Chance Items: 2, 4, 9, 11, 15, 16

 Powerful-others items: 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18

The score on each subscale is the sum of the values for each item in that
subscale. Scores within each subscale can range from 12 to 72. The higher the
score on the internal subscale, the more personal control clients believe that they
exercise over their own health. The higher the scores on the chance subscale
and power-others subscale, the higher the beliefs in the importance of chance
and others respectively in controlling personal health. Normative means for
adults on each subscale are as follows:

Internal, 50.4
Chance, 31.0
Powerful-others, 40.9
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Summary of data

My scores for this assessment are as follows:

Internal, 19.0
Chance, 10.0
Powerful-others, 12.0

The results show in a whole, that I truly believe my behaviors have the

most control over my own health. This leads me to believe that I have the ability

to change the portions of my life that is currently unhealthy. Change is often

one of the largest obstacles between individuals and their good health.

Assessment of Muscular Strength and Endurance

The Wall Sit [Lower Body]

Test your lower body strength by bending your legs at the angle
demonstrated leaning your back against the wall

20 years 30 years 40 years 50 years

Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
High 90 sec 68 sec 77 sec 57 sec 66 sec 49 sec 56 sec 42 sec

Average 60 sec 45 sec 51 sec 38 sec 43 sec 33 sec 37 sec 27 sec

Below
Average 30 sec 23 sec 26 sec 19 sec 22 sec 17 sec 19 sec 14 sec

Low <30 sec <23 sec <26 sec <19 <22 sec <17 sec < 19 <14 sec
sec sec

In this portion of the assessment I scored only 10 seconds. This is low on

the lower body scale according to my age of 35 years. I found this portion of the

assessment very difficult. I now know that lower body strength is on of my bigger

weaknesses.

The Abdominal Hold [middle body]

TEST YOUR MIDDLE BODY STRENGTH WITH THIS ISOMETRIC POSE. WITH
YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD, MAINTAIN THIS 45-DEGREE ANGLE AS
LONG AS YOU CAN
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20 years 30 years 40 years 50 years

Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
High 25 sec 19 sec 21 sec 16 sec 18 sec 13 sec 15 sec 12 sec

Average 15 sec 11 sec 13 sec 10 sec 11 sec 8 sec 9 sec 7 sec

Below
Average 5 sec 4.3 sec 4.3 sec 3.2 sec 3.6 sec 2.7 sec 3.1 sec 2.3 sec

Low <5 sec <4.3 <4.3 <3.2 <3.6 <2.7 < 3.1 <2.3
sec sec sec sec sec sec sec

In this portion of the assessment my score was 11 seconds. This is

average for my age of 35. I was surprised to find that I am average in this portion

of the assessment. I have been doing strength training an aerobics for the core. I

am elated to find that hard work has created a change in my strength.

The Push Up [upper body]

TO TEST YOUR UPPER BODY, DO AS MANY COMPLETE, CORRECT PUSH-UPS
AS YOU CAN. WOMEN MAY DO A MODIFIED VERSION.
The U.S. Army’s standards for Push-Ups and Sit ups are as follows:

WOMEN’S PT TEST
MINIMUM/MAXIMUM STANDARDS
Age Push-Ups Set-Ups 2 mi. Run
Min/Max Min/Max Min/Max
17-21 19/42 53/78 18:54/15:36
22-26 17/46 50/80 19;36/15:36
27-31 17/50 45/82 20:30/15:58
32-36 15/45 42/76 21:42/15:54
37-41 13/49 38/76 22:42/17:00
42-46 12/37 32/72 23:42/17:24
47-51 10/34 30/66 24:00/17:36
52-56 09/31 28/66 24:24/19:00

On this portion of the assessment I scored 9 push-ups. This shows that I have a

weakness in this area as well. As per the standards I should be able to complete at least

15 push-ups. I found this portion of the physical assessment very challenging as well.

Personal Health Diary

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NAME __________Jennifer Williams__________________ DATE:

_____6/10/09______

Total Cholesterol ____229____ Triglycerides: ___103____

LDL: ___148_____ Total Cholesterol/HDL: __3.81____
HDL:____60____ Cardiac Risk: __Low___

Target Weight : __140___

Nutrition Targets:
Calories/Day: __1300___
Fats Day: _45mg____
Cholesterol/Day __220mg__

Exercise Plan:
Resting Pulse: __78___ Target Heart Rate: __130-160___

Activities: When & How Often:

1. 1.
_________Aerobic______________ ____________2x/weekly__________

2. 2.
_______StengthTraining_________ _____________3x/weekly_________

3. 3.
_______________________________ _______________________________
_ _

4. 4.
_______________________________ _______________________________
_ _

5. 5.
_______________________________ _______________________________
_ _
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Stress Assessment:

My Current Stressors are: My Proposed Strategies are:

1. 1. Schedule for kids. Family time.

_________Parenting______________

2. ______Finances________ 2. Budget on excel. Money set

aside for surprise needs.

3. _______Marriage_____________ 3. Open communication. More time

With each other without children.

4. _______Work_____________ 4. Taking scheduled break and

lunches daily. 5 minute breaks in
office during high periods of stress.

This assessment was a challenging one. I have noticed that most areas of my life are

very stressful. With all of these areas to maintain it leaves little time for me and my

health. These areas will now be a focus. Learning to deal with the day to day stressors

that shift me from the path of self-health promotion has been an enlightening experience.

Data Analysis Conclusion

After completion of all three assessments, I have found many issues regarding my

health. First I have the notion that I am able to improve my own health. So the question

was; what is keeping me from being the healthiest that I can be. In the second

assessment, I found that I am behind in my physical needs as part of a healthy lifestyle. I

have obvious deficits when it comes to my strength and endurance. These areas are

very important ones and will be addressed in my plan. In the third assessment I decided

that I not only have issues with my cholesterol and my weight, but that I have enormous

amounts of stressors in my life. All of these areas will need to be addressed. This will

include an exercise program, diet changes, and environmental changes in my family life
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as well as work environment. In conclusion, I have realized that there are many changes

needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle for myself. These changes will be implemented in

my plan to assist in the beginning of a new healthy lifestyle.