Behavioral & Cultural Issues

The Social Ecology of Health Model

The social ecology of health model provides a strong framework for comprehending the impact culture and behavior has on health. This Discussion explores the model with respect to the Healthy People assigned focus area assigned to you during the In the News assignment.

To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review the social ecology of health model by completing the following interactive exercise. It will allow you to deepen your understanding of the model by focusing on each element in the model’s hierarchy.
http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/HLTH/2110/04/mm/hlth2110_seh_model.html
· Reflect on the five hierarchical levels of influence associated with the social ecology of health model (intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and society).
· Consider the upstream (primary and secondary prevention) and downstream (tertiary prevention) approaches to the model with your assigned Healthy People assigned focus area. (See the In the News assignment for more information about the assignment of topic areas.)

By Day 4, post a comprehensive response to the following about your Healthy People assigned focus area 

· How might you react to being diagnosed with the disease/condition associated with your Healthy People assigned focus area? What are some of the cultural biases to being diagnosed with this disease?
· Describe one primary and one secondary method of preventing the health problem (i.e., upstream methods). Which would you most likely choose?
· Describe two biomedical methods (tertiary prevention) of dealing with the health problem (i.e., downstream methods).
· In your own words, explain how the social ecology of health model could be used to address this health issue. Give at least one example applying terms from the model.
· Be sure to cite your supporting documentation appropriately in correct APA format.