Self-Monitoring Scale for Healthy Dieting
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Self-Monitoring Scale for Healthy Dieting
Running head: ASSESSMENT METHODS 1
ASSESSMENT METHODS 2
Assessment Methods
PSYCH 628
October 20, 2014
Assessment Methods
Changing bad behavioral can sometimes be a difficult process. One of the best ways to stay on track is to monitor the behaviors. “Self-monitoring is a systematic observation and recording of target behavior and is the most effective technique of behavioral treatment” (Burgard & Gallagher, 2006). A health behavior other than exercise that can help an individual to lead a better lifestyle is improving nutritional intake. A self-monitoring scale is essential in measuring compliance to the dietary plan. The aim of initiating this desirable health behavior is to help me understand my dietary status in order to identify the possible nature, extent, and occurrence of impaired nutritional status. I believe that understanding my dietary status will aid me in preventing the incidence of some lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Apart from self-monitoring, other current behavioral assessment techniques include behavioral interviews, self-report behavioral inventories and cognitive behavioral assessment techniques. Articulating my self-monitoring scale for healthy dieting and analyzing some of the behavioral assessment techniques can help to create a better understanding about their effectiveness in promoting the desired health behaviors.
Self-Monitoring Scale for Healthy Dieting
The self-monitoring will entail observing and recording my eating patterns over a period of three months in order to get concrete feedback that I can use to take corrective measures where I feel there is an impaired nutritional status. Throughout the period, I will use labels found on the food packaging to record and monitor the levels of caloric intake in the beverages or food that I consume. The scale highlights the compulsory dietary requirements that I should consume on a daily or weekly basis, and will serve to complement my daily food diaries. Through the scale, I will be able to increase self-awareness about the target behaviors and realization of outcomes.
Compulsory Requirements Action Quantity consumed Time Bread, potatoes and other cereals (at least one of these not cooked in fat or oil) Yes/No Action taken
Fruit and fruit juice Yes/No Action taken
Vegetables and Salads Yes/No Action taken
Milk and dairy foods (did they consist of lower fat options) Yes/ No Action taken
Is fish accessible at least twice in a week? (with one serving being oily fish) Yes/No Action taken
Is red meat available, for at least three times a week? What type is served? Yes/No Action taken
Is safe drinking water accessible free of charge every day? Other beverages consumed throughout the day Yes/No Action taken
· Overall comments The scale that I have developed for monitoring my nutritional intake can serve as an important assessment tool in a behavioral health intervention. Through recording beverage and food intake, as well as the providing the description of the amount and type consumed can help to create an increased sense of self-awareness and trigger behavior change among other individuals aspiring to improve their nutritional intake. Self-efficacy beliefs play a direct role in the decisions I take in conforming to my nutrition plan. Health specific self-efficacy is an individual’s optimistic self-belief of adopting healthy lifestyle choices and resisting any temptations that might arise. According to Burke, Wang & Sevick (2011), self-efficacy is a central component of any behavioral health intervention since it can influence the decisions of individuals to select challenging settings, create new situations and explore their environments. Self-efficacy also affects adoption or rejection of other health behaviors including sexually risky behaviors, addictive behaviors, physical fitness, proper hygiene, sleep as well as stress reduction. Through formulating similar scales in other behavioral health interventions, practitioners and researchers can be able to understand situations that expose individuals to tempting situations, the internal and social factors that make compliance difficult, as well as the negative emotional events that might hinder individuals from adopting healthy behaviors (Burke et al., 2011).
Current Behavioral Assessment Techniques
Currently, various behavioral assessment techniques can help in identifying or explaining why individuals act the way they do and the influences of the environment on their behavior. One of the techniques is behavioral interviews. In behavioral interviews, the health practitioner asks questions centered on the target behaviors (Carducci, 2006). The goal of the interviews is to aid the practitioner gain a broader perspective of the variables perpetuating it. Behavioral interviews are different from traditional interview in focus, but may have the same format. According to Hersen (2004), the focus of behavioral interviews is on understanding and describing the relationships among behaviors, antecedents and consequences in order to come up with a functional behavior analysis. An advantage with this technique is that the interviewer is able to obtain detailed descriptions of the patient’s environment, which behavioral health practitioners can integrate in the patient’s treatment plans. Carducci (2006) notes that a common problem-solving format followed in behavioral interviews begin by problem identification, followed by problem analysis, assessment planning and finally treatment evaluation. Behavioral interviews are also more direct than unstructured clinical interviews.
The other behavioral assessment technique comprises of self-report behavioral inventories and checklists (Hersen, 2004). Some of the self-report inventories frequently used by behavioral clinicians include the fear Survey Schedule, the Youth Self Report and the Beck Depression Inventory. The specialists use this technique in identifying perceptions of the environment and emotional responses that lead to specific behaviors among individuals. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is also another important rating scale for assessing problem behaviors among adolescents and children in their natural environments. In self-report inventories and checklists, parents, peers, teachers or the child rate on a list of behaviors displayed in a questionnaire format (Carducci, 2006). The CBCL is advantageous because it usually contains multiple factors for evaluation such as aggressiveness, anxiousness and depressed behaviors. The self-report inventories and checklists are also able to give a quantitative measure of behavior. Other rating scales developed for assessing problem behaviors among children and adolescents include the revised behavior problem checklist and the Teacher Report Form (TRF).
The third technique is cognitive behavioral assessments. According to Hersen (2004), cognitive events are the activities that occur in a person’s brain and influence their behavior. Cognitive behavioral assessment techniques strive to measure the feelings or thoughts of an individual while in a specific or challenging situation (Carducci, 2006). The assessments might ask questions with regard to specific behaviors such as appetite, sleep patterns and decision-making. The thought sampling technique, which is central to cognitive assessments, requires an individual to monitor thoughts experienced in certain situations that can be useful in explaining the observed behavior. Even though cognitive assessment methods are successful in measuring the behaviors, threats to validity can occur because of observing one’s own behavior (Hersen, 2004). It is also worth noting that different assessment methods can be applicable concurrently.
Conclusion
Behavioral assessment methods can be important for helping individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles because they identify the underlying influences behind a particular behavior. My scale for self-monitoring nutritional intake enables me to identify the possible nature, extent and occurrence of impaired nutritional status, after which I can be able to initiate the desired corrective measures to lead a healthier lifestyle. This scale can also find application in other behavioral health interventions especially those targeting sexually risky behaviors, addictive behaviors, physical fitness, proper hygiene, sleep and stress reduction. This is especially true considering the role of self-efficacy in promoting adherence to the preferred healthy behaviors. In addition, other behavioral assessment techniques including behavioral interviews, self-report inventories and checklists as well as cognitive assessment techniques also serve a critical role in underscoring the relationships between behavioral patterns and environmental influences.
References
Burgard, M. & Gallagher, K. (2006). Self-monitoring: Influencing effective behavior change in your clients. ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal 10(1) 14-19. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/sp-3.13.0b/ovidweb.cgi?WebLinkFrameset=1&S=BEIMFPNMKGDDLLBKNCLKJDFBIALNAA00&returnUrl=ovidweb.cgi%3fMain%2bSearch%2bPage%3d1%26S%3dBEIMFPNMKGDDLLBKNCLKJDFBIALNAA00&directlink=http%3a%2f%2fgraphics.tx.ovid.com%2fovftpdfs%2fFPDDNCFBJDBKKG00%2ffs046%2fovft%2flive%2fgv023%2f00135124%2f00135124-200601000-00007.pdf&filename=Self-Monitoring%3a+Influencing+Effective+Behavior+Change+in+Your+Clients.&link_from=S.sh.22%7c1&pdf_key=FPDDNCFBJDBKKG00&pdf_index=/fs046/ovft/live/gv023/00135124/00135124-200601000-00007&D=ovft
Burke, L. E., Wang, J., & Sevick, M. A. (2011). Self-Monitoring in Weight Loss: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association , 111 (1), 92-102
Carducci, B. J. (2006). The psychology of personality (2 ed.). Oxford: Blackwell
Hersen, M. (2004). Psychological Assessment in Clinical Practice: A Pragmatic Guide. New York: Routledge
Self-Monitoring Scale for Healthy Dieting
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Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is little integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are included. Summary of information presented is included. Conclusion may not contain a biblical integration.
52-49 points
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48-1 points
There is no clear or logical organizational structure. No logical sequence is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. is often detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met
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