1. Present one theory or model within the field of public health which describes either how people maintain health and/or how illness is caused? Even if this is not your personal viewpoint/belief, how can these multiple theories and models be beneficial to public health professionals?
2. What role should culture play in how a person\’s health issues are handled? Is this demonstrated in the health system today? Support your position with examples and/or evidence.
3. Reflecting on your childhood, what types of barriers/disparities existed that limited your ability to lead a healthier life? Were there any short-term or long-term consequences?
4. o what extent does discrimination and racism create health disparities? Why are some populations more likely to experience health disparities? Support your position with multiple examples.
5. Provide two examples of social institutions that are prevalent in American society and explain their functions. How have social institutions played a part in your health? Do you think their influence was positive or negative? Why?
6. Can health care policy shape the way in which social institutions are viewed by an individual or population group? Support your position with examples and/or evidence.
7. Present a basic case in which an individual would wish to change a long-term health behavior? For example, a 39-year-old female wishes to stop her two-pack-a-day smoking habit which she has had for 10 years. Using various models and theories of behavioral change help create strategies for modifying the patient\’s behaviors. Explain the process/methods that could be used to accomplish this goal. Predict how long this may take and what challenges may present themselves?
8. Why is health promotion/education such an important component to behavioral change? Why do you think behavioral change is so difficult for an individual?
9. Present one theory or model of behavioral change which would be effective in a population and/or community? Within your answer, using a scenario format, illustrate how the theory or model could be effective.
10. How can individual, group, and social efforts be combined to implement community behavioral change? Identify challenges which may result from your suggestions.
11. Find a program (provide a link to the program) which was developed to provide health promotion and education to a specific population. Evaluate this program on its ability to identify with the specific population, on its implementation of effective intervention methods, and on its program planning strategy. This evaluation will be very broad in scope.
12. Find a media publication with a health message. Share the link. What population is this publication targeting and how do you know? Do you think it is effective or not? Why?
13. In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Will this legislation help decrease or eliminate health disparities? Can it be more effective? Use the Kaiser Family Foundation\’s \”Focus on Health Reform: Summary of the New Health Reform Law,\” assigned as reading for this module, for a reference.
14. Is it possible to eliminate health disparities in the United States? Why or why not? What are some of the key strategies advocated by the readings? Do you notice any similar themes in the assigned articles?
