Personal Health Assessment



Personal Health Assessment

Sarah DeLaat

Ferris State University

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to take a deeper look at my own health and lifestyle, and how I can improve upon it. I will be focusing primarily on smoking cessation and the tools I have used in order to discover my “triggers” for the need to smoke. I will then discuss my readiness to change along with interventions I will be utilizing in order to make that change.

Personal Health Assessment

I smoked my first cigarette when I was sixteen years old, and I was hooked. Even though I was an avid athlete and knew that smoking was extremely unhealthy, I continued to do it. I’ve heard the statement, “nicotine is more addictive than heroin”. I have no comparison to the heroin, but can attest to the addictiveness of nicotine. I am currently thirty three years old and have continued to smoke on and off for the last seventeen years. Even though I am now a registered nurse and know all of the risk factors involved with smoking, I still can’t get myself to totally quit. I did not grow up in a family of smokers, so it is surprising to me and many others that I have picked up this “nasty habit”. I have a very strong personality and believe in a healthy lifestyle, and feel this is my main area of weakness.

In taking the health beliefs survey (nursing 310 syllabus), I discovered that I have more internal health beliefs. This was no surprise to me. What I did find surprising in evaluating myself was that if I feel responsible for my own health, why am I unable to quit the un-healthiest habit I have? This question led me to utilize some smoking cessation tools and questionnaires.

Stress Management Journal

I chose the stress management journal (nursing 310 syllabus) as a tool to use because I find myself smoking more when I’m stressed. I completed a five day journal and discovered that I smoke mostly when I’m leaving work and in the evening when I’m working on school work. Since quitting my job or school are not options to decrease stress, I need to devise a plan to deal with my stress without smoking. The results of this assessment tool can be found in the appendices of this paper.

Fagerstrom Test

“The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is a 6-item questionnaire designed to assist the healthcare professional in determining the likelihood of nicotine dependence. A score of 6 or greater (maximum score of 10) on the FTND scale indicates a high level of nicotine dependence”, (Small, 2001). I chose this particular instrument because it is geared for healthcare professionals and since I am a registered nurse, I am able to understand the reasons behind the chosen treatments based on the score received. I scored a 1out of 10 on the dependence scale putting me in the category of quitting “cold turkey”. “The best candidates for this method are those who smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, have a relatively low level of nicotine dependence per the FTND (score lower than 6 out of 10), and individuals who don’t feel they need the extra help of pharmacologic therapy”, (Small, 2001). Unfortunately I have attempted the “cold turkey” method many times and have failed over and over again. This method is not my only option based on this questionnaire. Even people with a low dependence to nicotine are able to use pharmacological aids in quitting smoking. The FTND questionnaire can also be found in the appendices section of this paper.

Transtheoretical Model for Smoking Cessation

Precontemplation

In this stage, people are not intending to make any changes. In my case, I have had very few negative consequences that have occurred due to smoking, so I don’t always feel the need to make a change.

Contemplation

In order to move into this stage, people must be prompted to accept ownership of the behavior problem (smoking), and consider making a change. Ideally this would happen in the next six months, but it is common for some individuals to remain in this stage for an extended period of time.

Preparation

This is the stage where current smokers are ready to stop smoking in the next 30 days. Individuals must also have the confidence that they can make this change.

Action

In this stage, people are actively modifying their habits and environment. They have been smoke free for the last six months and have moved from a “smoker” to a “non smoker”.

Maintenance

This is the final stage where people have maintained a behavior change for more than six months and will continue to do so for the future (Pender, 2006).

Based on my health beliefs survey and my desire to live the healthiest lifestyle possible, I would consider myself to be in the “planning” stage of the transtheoretical model. I have attempted to quit smoking a few times within the last year, and would like to devise a better plan to be successful in this next attempt at quitting. Therefore I have chosen the wellness diagnosis of health seeking behaviors related to smoking as a risk factor. This wellness-oriented nursing diagnosis allows me to seek a higher level of wellness through smoking cessation.

Personal Health Plan

Since I have been unsuccessful in the past with quitting “cold turkey”, my plan is to make an appointment with my physician to discuss the options of some sort of pharmacological assistance in this process. I know the hazards of smoking include coronary artery disease, emphysema, cancer, and many other unhealthy outcomes. Seeing as how I do feel responsible for my own health, I owe it to myself and my body to make a change. Instead of smoking in the car after I get out of work, I am going to try taking a bottle of water with me for the ride home so I can still have the “oral fixation” effect. In the evenings when I’m feeling stressed or even bored, my plan is to go for a walk or run on the treadmill as a way of distraction instead of smoking. I have not yet attempted these interventions, but am hoping to implement my plan this week. I have never considered myself to be a quitter, but in regards to this subject, I’ll never quit quitting!

References

(2010). [Nursing 310 Syllabus]. Unpublished raw data.

Pender, N. J., Murdaugh, C. L., & Parsons, M. A. (2006). Health Promotion in Nursing Practice. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Small, R., & Kennedy, D. (2001). Methods to Facilitate Smoking Cessation: Guidelines and Treatment Modalities. Retrieved from

Appendix

Health Beliefs Survey

The questionnaire is designed to determine the way in which different people view certain important health-related issues. Each item is a belief statement, with which you may agree or disagree. Beside each statement is a scale that ranges from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (6). For each item, choose the number that represents the extent to which you disagree or agree. This is a measure of your personal beliefs; obviously, there are no right or wrong answers.

Please answer these items carefully, but do not spend too much time on any one item. As much as you can, try to respond to each item independently. When making your choice, do not be influenced by your previous choices. It is important that you respond according to your actual beliefs and not according to how you feel you should believe or how you think we want you to believe.

1 - Strongly Disagree; 2 - Moderately Disagree; 3 - Slightly Disagree; 4 - Slightly Agree; 5 - Moderately Agree; 6 - Strongly Agree

|  |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |

|If I get sick, it is my own behavior that determines how soon I will get well again. |  |  |  |4  |  |  |

|No matter what I do, if I am going to get sick, I'll get sick. |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |

|Having regular contact with my physician is the best way for me avoid illness. |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |

|Most things that affect my health happen to me by accident. |  |  | 3 |  |  |  |

|Whenever I don't feel well, I should consult a medically trained professional. |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |

|I am in control of my health. |  |  |  |  | 5 |  |

|My family has a lot to do with my becoming sick or staying healthy. |  |  | 3 |  |  |  |

|When I get sick, I am to blame. |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |

|Luck plays a big part in determining how soon I will recover from an illness. |  |  | 3 |  |  |  |

|Health professionals control my health. |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |

|My good health is largely a matter of good fortune. |  |  | 3 |  |  |  |

|The main thing that affects my health is what I myself do. | | | | |5 | |

|If I take care of myself, I can avoid illness. | | | |4 | | |

|When I recover from illness, it's usually because other people have been taking good care of me. (doctor,| |2 | | | | |

|nurses, family) | | | | | | |

|No matter what I do, I'm likely to get sick. | |2 | | | | |

|If it's meant to be, I will stay healthy. | |2 | | | | |

|If I take the right actions, I can stay healthy. | | | | |5 | |

| Regarding my health, I can only do what my doctor tells me to do. | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |

 These three subscales, and the items included in each, are as follows:

• Internal Items: 1, 6, 8, 12, 13, 17

• Chance Items: 2, 4, 9, 11, 15, 16

• Powerful-others items: 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18

 The score on each subscale is the sum of the values for each item in that subscale multiplied by 2. Scores within each subscale can range from 12 to 72. The higher the score on the internal subscale, the more personal control clients believe that they exercise over their own health. The higher the scores on the chance subscale and power-others subscale, the higher the beliefs in the importance of chance and others respectively in controlling personal health. Normative means for adults on each subscale are as follows:

 

Internal, 50.4

Chance, 31.0

Powerful-others, 40.9

My total:

Internal: 50

Chance: 30

Powerful Others: 24

STRESS MANAGEMENT JOURNAL

|Time of Day |Stressor |What I Did About It |Effectiveness of Action |

|3:30 pm |Driving home from work |Smoked 2 cigarettes |Less stressed |

|9:45 pm |Studying for school |Went outside multiple different |Felt guilty because I was prepping |

| | |times to smoke |for this paper! |

|7:45 pm |Horrible day at work, a lot of bad |Smoked 3 cigarettes on the way |Nicotine felt calming. |

| |traumas. |home! | |

|11:40 pm |Unable to sleep, bored. |Smoked 1 cigarette |Surprisingly helped me settle down |

| | | |and I went to sleep. |

|8:45 pm |Another really bad/busy day at work! |Smoked more than I would like to |Nicotine unfortunately helps me |

| |Employee related trauma today. So sad. |admit |with stress… |

dependency quiz

[pic]

Developed by Dr. Karl Fagerstrom, one of the world's leading authorities on the effects of smoking, the dependency quiz can help you determine how hard it will be for you to break the habit.

It takes about a minute to complete, then we'll tabulate your results.

|[|How soon after you wake up do you smoke your first cigarette? |

|p|[pic]within 5 minutes |

|i|[pic]6-30 minutes |

|c|[pic]31-60 minutes |

|]|[pic]after 60 minutes |

|[|Do you find it difficult not to smoke in places where smoking is not allowed, like at the library or at the movies? |

|p|[pic]yes |

|i|[pic]no |

|c| |

|]| |

|[|Which cigarette would you be the most unwilling to give up? |

|p|[pic]the first one in the morning |

|i|[pic]any other |

|c| |

|]| |

|[|How many cigarettes a day do you smoke? |

|p|[pic]1-10 |

|i|[pic]11-20 |

|c|[pic]21-30 |

|]|[pic]30+ |

|[|Do you smoke more during the first hours in the morning than during the rest of the day? |

|p|[pic]yes |

|i|[pic]no |

|c| |

|]| |

|[|Do you smoke when you’re ill and in bed all day? |

|p|[pic]yes |

|i|[pic]no |

|c| |

|]| |

|  |

| | |

dependency quiz results

|Your score is 1 out of a possible 10 |

| |

|This indicates that you are slightly dependent on cigarettes. Studies have shown that Therapeutic |

|Nicotine, along with a comprehensive support program, may be helpful for your level of dependency. |

|Keep in mind, quitting also takes a serious commitment from you. Learn more about Therapeutic |

|Nicotine |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download