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Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2012 in the subject Medicine - Epidemiology, grade: 4 on 4 scale (A), , language: English, abstract: Existing health behavior theories, such as the Transtheoretical model (TTM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), serve as guides to public health intervention development and delivery by focusing on individuals' readiness to change, their perceptions of risks and benefits, and their behavioral intentions to change. This paper is presented in four Chapters. Chapter I provides a review of an article on a theory-based approach to understanding condom errors and problems reported by men attending a specific clinic. It also identifies the underlying theory, its major constructs and the raised research questions. Further, Chapter II discusses the use of health behavior models, in particular the core construct of the TTM, in relation to evaluating factors predicting condom use behaviors among adolescents across the Stages of Change. Furthermore, Chapter III suggests the use of TPB as a theoretical model to predict condom use in a particular population, to ultimately guide programs aiming at preventing risky sexual behaviors among adolescents. The conclusions drawn are summarized in Chapter IV.
The paper concludes that health behavior models form the basis for developing effective interventions that promote health behavior change. It supports the conclusions drawn in the articles reviewed and acknowledges the importance of a theory-based approach to conveying correct condom use information and instilling motivation to use condoms consistently and to boost men's correct condom use skills. Moreover, improving positive attitudes toward condom use, building communication skills for adherence-related behaviors, addressing barriers to condom use, and considering the socio-cultural and socio-economic environments, in which planned interventions are to occur, are likely to
