Introduction
This paper explores different approaches for addressing the rising incidence of new HIV infections in San Francisco. It describes the health issue by using the social-ecological model to understand the best interventions for introducing an effective public health intervention to curb the pandemic. Using the same framework, this study investigates the theoretical underpinning of the health problem and evaluates how it could lead to improved health outcomes.
Description of Health Issue
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious global health issue. In America, about 1.1 million people live with the virus (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2014). However, its prevalence is high in some demographics. For example, there is a high incidence of the virus in San Francisco’s gay community. About 30,000 city residents live with the virus (SFAF, 2014). This figure translates to about 3% of all new infection in America, and about 18% of all new infections in California (SFAF, 2014). Based on these statistics, there is a strong need to introduce an effective public health plan to mitigate this problem.
What is the Appropriate SEM Level?
The social-ecological model has only four levels of public health interventions – personal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Minimizing new infections in San Francisco is an interpersonal issue. This is because the health issue is largely a behavioral problem and interpersonal factors, such as culture, affect it. Therefore, since social norms and cultural issues are interpersonal issues (in the SEM), the level provides the best framework for formulating effective public health interventions (Stokols, 1996).
Which Theory Maps the SEM Level?
The theory of planned behavior creates the link between people’s health outcomes and their beliefs. It shows that people’s attitude towards health interventions predispose them to positive or negative health outcomes. Grounded in theories of attitude, such as learning theories, the theory of planned behavior explains that if people perceive certain actions as positive (or socially acceptable), they are likely to pursue the same. Therefore, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (2005) says, “this theory draws the relationship between people’s behavioral attitudes and their actions, through accessible beliefs” (p. 27). Its nature significantly affects public health interventions in San Francisco, as shown below.
How the Theory of Planned Behavior Applies to San Francisco’s Health Initiative
The theory of planned behavior postulates that influencing people’s intentions to change is the best way to create positive health outcomes. This is the most reliable way of reducing new infection rates in San Francisco because if public health officials influence people’s intentions, they would realize a desirable health outcome. Health practitioners have used this theory to introduce change in other demographics. For example, Casey, Eime, Payne, and Harvey (2009) say the theory of planned behavior has introduced behavior changes among young and acculturated Hispanic women in America. After using the theory to prepare public health interventions, experts found that it encouraged more women to go for “pap tests” (Casey et al., 2009). Since the San Francisco health problem is a similar behavioral change issue, this evidence shows that the theory of planned behavior could introduce positive behavioral health changes in the society.
Conclusion
After weighing the findings of this study, the theory of planned behavior emerges as a critical tool for improving the health outcomes of San Francisco’s gay community. Within the goal of reducing new infections in the locality, the theory of planned behavior proposes that changing people’s intentions (through personal and societal factors) is an effective way of changing human behaviors. Indeed, since human intentions are subject to personal and peer influences, the interpersonal level (of the SEM) offers the best framework for addressing the rising incidence of AIDS in the San Francisco gay community. This model broadens our understanding of health issues by including individual and environmental factors in health promotion programs.
References
Casey, M. M., Eime, R. M., Payne, W. R., & Harvey, J. T. (2009). Using a Sociological Approach To examine Participation in Sport and Physical Activity among Rural Adolescent Girls. Qualitative Health Research, 19(7), 881-893.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Colorectal cancer Control program: Social Ecological model. Web.
SFAF. (2014). San Francisco. Web.
Stokols, D. (1996). Translating Socioecological Theory into Guidelines. American Journal of Health promotion, 10(4), 282-298.
U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Theory at a Glance: A guide for Health Promotion Practice. Web.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2014). HIV in the United States: At A Glance. Web.