Extending Your Reach: 2. Into the Community
Health Behaviors are Learned Over Time
Health behaviors are learned over time. We are influenced by many different people and groups. Our family, friends, teachers, school policies, and even community organizations like sports teams and religious organizations, have an influence on the actions we take to protect our health. All of these influences act on each of us, kids and adults alike.
According to the Socio-Ecological Model of influence, even though we often think we are acting independently, there is a hierarchy of people and groups that may have an effect on our actions, and this includes the actions we take to protect our health. The model shown (below) is useful in understanding the influencers impacting the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
The model shows that influence can come from an individual based on their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs or even past experiences, but it also demonstrates that influence it can from interpersonal relationships with others, or from membership in organizations, or even from policies and laws. These levels of influence are not mutually exclusive. That means they are all acting to some extent on each of us.
Sometimes we take health actions because the law tells us to (like wearing seatbelts in the car) and sometimes we do what we think our friends would do in a given situation (like wearing bicycle helmets when riding bikes).