7.2 discussion

We will begin our discussion with a general overview of the five levels of influence that can impact health behaviors. You will learn about these in much more depth over this module, but we want to start with a level-setting. Look at the graphic below that lays out the five levels and then discuss the reflection question below. We will then add in some elements of our discussion of oppression to gain a better understanding of how we can develop more effective strategies to improve health behaviors in specific populations.

Social-Ecological Model of McLeroy et al.
Level	Examples of Contributing Factors
Individual/Intrapersonal:The individual characteristics that influence behavior, including knowledge, skills, motivation, and personality traits	Skills Knowledge Attitudes Sexual Orientation	Biology Motivation Gender Identity Spirituality
Interpersonal: Relationships with others and effects on social identity	Social Support Social Networks Associations Culture	Peer influence Family Environment Emotional Support
Organizational/Institutional:Rules and regulations of organizations and institutions that can impact behavior	Incentives Policies Confidentiality/Privacy Rules	Referral Systems Parental Consent Regulations Stigma
Community: Availability and location of resources that promote health, social networks, and social norms	Transportation Healthcare Services Poverty	Social/Cultural Norms Recreation Facilities Mobilization Tolerance
Policy: Local, state, and federal policies and laws that impact health	Funding and Resources Cultural Norms Curfews Gender Equity	Drinking Age Racial and Ethnic Equality Infrastructure Political Priorities

Reflection Question:

Consider all that you have learned so far this term. Of the five levels of influence (intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, institutional/organizational, public policy), which level do you think is most important to health behavior change, and why?

Of the five levels, which one do you think is the most difficult to influence, and why?

Your initial posts are due by Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET at the latest. Your responses to others are due by Friday at 11:59 pm ET.

Please familiarize yourself with all of the Learning Materials for this module.

Application Question:

Now, let us refer to the article, Asian American Elders: Caught in the Crosshairs of a Syndemic of Racism, Misogyny, and Ageism During Coronavirus Disease 2019.Links to an external site.

• What levels of influence do you think the authors address in the document?
• What are the different kinds of oppressions that you can identify?
• How effective are the proposed strategies and interventions proposed by the authors?
• Based on reading this document and your own experiences, what is one strategy that you would use to impact the challenges addressed in the article? Before addressing this question, be sure you are picking something different than your peers to be sure you are addressing this issue in a holistic way.
  • What level of influence does your strategy address?
  • Why would you use this approach?