The health paradigms revolve around optimal health by focusing on the mind, body, and spirit interrelation. This is important as it involves beliefs, systems, procedures, and behaviors contributing to attaining healthcare goals. The health paradigms include having a mindset that directs towards personal responsibility when it comes to one’s health. Also, these paradigms consider an individual as a unique being with unique nutritional needs. Therefore, when one understands their responsibility to achieve their health goals, it will influence their behavior. In this case, behavior is about one’s lifestyle and decisions in attaining the said health goals.
The link between health and behavior is associated with the pathophysiological expenses of exercise, proper nutrition, and other health-related activities for optimal health. Bull et al. (2020) establish that sleep, diet, and physical activities are important behaviors that affect health. Therefore, the link between health and behavior is that the behaviors one chooses determine their health; for example, choosing to exercise daily and eating healthy are behaviors that promote optimal health. Further, this link is established when individuals are responsible enough to adopt behaviors like reducing alcohol intake or cessation of smoking for their benefit. The health paradigms involving the mind, body, and spirit also entail issues to do with stress. When stressed, it isn’t easy to concentrate on what they eat or keep up with their health decisions appropriately.
Determinants of health are non-medical, including social, economic, and physical factors that influence the individual’s health. Some of these determinants include poverty, education, income, and social support networks that influence how individuals understand various aspects of health. For example, low income may negatively affect an individual’s ability to afford healthy options by limiting their purchasing power. This means that individual circumstances impact their health and well-being, which in turn impacts their behavior. Ridgeway et al. (2019) establish that even knowing the advantages of healthy eating and ways to acquire such foods can be challenging for low-income communities.
The relationship between health and behavior affects social determinants of health as individuals are prompted to improve these non-medical factors. For example, people in low-income populations may decide to adopt healthy living; thus, seeking the healthier versions of the foods their purchasing power can provide. Thus, the positive linkage between health and behavior influences individuals to seek ways to address their situations. A good example is the government’s initiative to guide appropriate eating through the food guide or MyPlate plan. These initiatives understand the importance of developing healthy behaviors by ensuring that citizens know how to eat correctly. Healthy Living 2030 is dedicated to reducing health disparities associated with social determinants of health (Artiga & Hinton, 2019).
Conclusively, paradigms of health, especially the recognition of the individual’s responsibility to attain optimal health, influence different behavior. These paradigms can act as motivators to adjust one’s behaviors, for example, tobacco smoking cessation. This evidenced the link between health and behavior, and since they involve individuals, it also affects social determinants of health. This is evidenced when people and the government work to reduce healthcare disparities and advise people on appropriate behaviors to adopt to obtain optimal health.
References
Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2019). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in promoting health and health equity. Health, 20(10), 1-13. http://www.ccapcomcare.org/Newsletters/2018-05%20INSIGHT%20KFF%20Brief.pdf
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., … & Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British journal of sports medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/24/1451?s=09&int_source=trendmd&int_medium=cpc&int_campaign=usage-042019
Ridgway, E., Baker, P., Woods, J., & Lawrence, M. (2019). Historical developments and paradigm shifts in public health nutrition science, guidance, and policy actions: a narrative review. Nutrients, 11(3), 531. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/3/531/pdf
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