Assignment

Textbook: Edberg, M. (2015). Essentials of health behavior: Social and behavioral theory in public health (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Task

1. There is strong evidence that by focusing on prevention, a health promotion program reduces the costs (both financial and human) that individuals, employers, families, insurance companies, medical facilities, communities, the state, and the nation would spend on medical treatment. Please describe how the focus on prevention enables local communities, for example, to save money or reduce costs?

2. Health inequalities arise from the societal conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Why do you think such inequalities are more prevalent in third world countries and are less prevalent in the industrialized ones? What are some of the key contributors to common health inequalities?

3. People's dietary choices are shaped by various social and cultural factors. Additionally, people's ideas about what constitutes a good or acceptable meal differ. Religion also plays a role in the choices and subsequent selection of foods consumed in certain societies. What role does nutrition and the proper education and promotion about it play in chronic disease prevention? Also, whose responsibility is it to educate individuals on healthy food choices? Is it family, school, or the government?

4. According to your textbook, youth violence is a very serious problem. Please note that there are certain risk factors that are leading to violent behavior in our youth. They include hyperactivity, impulsiveness, poor behavioral control, attention problems, history of early aggressive behavior, and low educational achievement.

Choose one risk factor and one family factor from the list above, and provide suggestion(s) to answer the following question: What do you think needs to be done in order minimize the level of risk associated with the risk factor of your choosing and to improve the overall family environment (associated with the risk factor you have chosen) so the violent behavior or adolescent violence is minimized significantly.