| Course | HLTH 6038 Health Behavior Theory |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 4 |
| Paper type | Theory application |
| Length | About 1,080 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Health Education and Promotion |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 6038 Week 4
The Theory of Planned Behavior Carried Through One Case: Twice-Daily Peak Flow Readings by Adults With Asthma in the Two Weeks After an Emergency Visit, With Intention Kept Where the Theory Puts It
Student Name
Walden University
HLTH 6038: Health Behavior Theory
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
The Theory of Planned Behavior Carried Through One Case: Twice-Daily Peak Flow Readings by Adults With Asthma in the Two Weeks After an Emergency Visit, With Intention Kept Where the Theory Puts It
The Case
A composite urban hospital's emergency department discharges adults treated for an asthma exacerbation with a peak flow meter, a paper diary and a written action plan. The plan sets zones by the patient's personal best peak flow and asks the patient to record a reading every morning and evening for the two weeks until a follow-up visit at the hospital's asthma clinic. Clinic nurses report that most diaries come back with readings for the first two or three days and blanks after that. The behavior analyzed here is therefore specified as: adults discharged from the emergency department after an asthma exacerbation record a peak flow reading twice a day, morning and evening, for 14 days.
The behavior matters because action plans built on personal best peak flow readings improve outcomes. In a review of 26 randomized trials, Gibson and Powell (2004) found that individualized written action plans with action points based on personal best peak expiratory flow consistently improved asthma health outcomes, while those based on percentage of predicted flow did not. A plan built on personal best needs readings to work.
The Theory
The Theory of Planned Behavior holds that a person's intention to perform a behavior is the most immediate determinant of whether they do it (Ajzen, 1991). Intention is shaped by three determinants. Attitude is the person's overall verdict, favorable or not, on performing it, built from beliefs about its likely outcomes. Subjective norm is the sense that people who matter to the person want the behavior done, or want it left undone, and it rests on beliefs about what each of those people expects. Perceived behavioral control is how capable the person feels of doing it in the circumstances, and it rests on beliefs about circumstances that would make it simpler or harder. Perceived control also has a second role: to the extent it reflects actual control, it can predict behavior directly, alongside intention (Ajzen, 1991).
In a meta-analysis of prospective tests of the theory for health behaviors, McEachan et al. (2011) found that the model explained a substantial share of the variance in intention and a smaller share of the variance in later behavior, with intention the strongest predictor of behavior.
Application
Attitude Toward Taking Twice-Daily Readings
A patient's attitude depends on what they believe the readings will do. A patient who believes the readings will warn of the next attack before symptoms appear, and that the clinic will use them, is likely to evaluate the behavior positively. A patient who believes the readings duplicate what they can feel, or who sees the meter as a test they might fail, is likely to evaluate it negatively. Attitude here concerns recording readings twice a day for two weeks, not asthma care in general; a patient can value asthma control and still see the diary as pointless.
Subjective Norm in the Household
The patient's perception of what important others expect forms the subjective norm. The emergency clinician who issued the meter is one referent, but the clinician will not be at home. The household matters more: a partner who asks each morning whether the reading is done creates a norm; a household that never mentions it does not. The clinic nurse, who will see the diary at follow-up, is a weaker referent because the visit is two weeks away.
Perceived Behavioral Control
Perceived control is where the pattern of early readings and later blanks is most likely to be explained. In the first days after an emergency visit, symptoms are vivid and the meter sits on the kitchen table. By the second week, symptoms have faded, the meter has moved to a drawer and the morning routine has resumed. Control beliefs, such as "I forget when I leave for work at 6" or "I'm not sure I'm blowing correctly," become more salient. Because perceived control can also predict behavior directly, the theory predicts that patients with strong intentions but weak control will still leave blanks.
Intention as the Proximal Determinant
The theory places intention immediately before behavior, and this analysis keeps it there. A patient's intention to record twice-daily readings for 14 days is formed from the three determinants. The pattern in the diaries suggests that intention is strong at discharge and weakens or fails to translate as the days pass. The theory does not allow the analysis to skip intention and blame the blanks directly on attitude or norm; their effect runs through intention, while only perceived control has a direct path.
Measuring the Determinants
Because the theory treats each determinant as a summary of underlying beliefs, the clinic could ask about them before writing any new teaching. A short discharge questionnaire would ask patients to rate statements written for exactly the behavior defined above, twice-daily readings for 14 days, rather than for asthma care in general: whether recording would be useful or a waste of effort, whether a partner or parent would want it done and whether the patient could manage it on workdays. Asking at discharge and again at the follow-up visit would show which determinant had shifted when the blanks began, and the open answers would supply the specific beliefs a revised teaching script should address.
What the Theory Implies for the Clinic
Because the theory specifies its determinants, it points to specific changes. To strengthen attitude, the discharge nurse could explain that the readings set the personal best on which the action plan depends, and show the patient how the clinic will use them. To strengthen the norm, the nurse could invite a household member into the discharge teaching. To strengthen perceived and actual control, the clinic could provide a second meter for work, suggest keeping the meter beside the toothbrush and send a text reminder in the second week. Each change targets a determinant, and the theory predicts that changes in determinants will affect behavior through intention, except for actual control, which can act directly.
Limits of the Application
The theory explains intentional behavior. A twice-daily reading may become a habit, and habits can run below intention, a limitation the theory acknowledges only through perceived control. McEachan et al. (2011) also found that the model explained less of behavior than of intention, which is consistent with the diaries: patients who intend to keep recording still leave blanks.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Gibson, P. G., & Powell, H. (2004). Written action plans for asthma: An evidence-based review of the key components. Thorax, 59(2), 94-99. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax.2003.011858
McEachan, R. R. C., Conner, M., Taylor, N. J., & Lawton, R. J. (2011). Prospective prediction of health-related behaviours with the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 5(2), 97-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2010.521684
The Walden HLTH 6038 Week 4 instructions
Week 4 typically asks for the first applied paper: one theory carried through one case. The prompt expects the case described concretely, the theory's propositions stated in the order its author set them and each determinant applied to the case in turn. Students should not rescue gaps with a second model; the point is to see how far one theory reaches. Instructors look for the theory's structure preserved, for example intention kept as the proximal determinant in the Theory of Planned Behavior, with only perceived control allowed a direct path. The paper usually ends with implications, interventions that target named determinants, and with the theory's limits in the case. Evidence on the behavior and on the theory's predictive power strengthens the application. APA headings are expected. A paper that lists constructs without connecting each to concrete features of the case earns little analytical credit.
Inside the HLTH 6038 Week 4 example
The case section describes the discharge, the meter, the diary and the pattern of readings that stop after a few days, and defines the behavior with its window. The theory section explains attitude, subjective norm and perceived control, intention as the proximal determinant and the direct path for control, citing the original paper and the meta-analysis. The application takes each determinant in turn: attitude as beliefs about what readings will do, the household as the source of subjective norm and control beliefs that become salient in the second week. A subsection keeps intention at the center and explains why the analysis cannot skip it. An implications section proposes changes for each determinant, from explaining personal best to involving a household member to providing a second meter and a reminder. Limits address habit and the model's weaker prediction of behavior than of intention.
HLTH 6038 Week 4 rubric: what earns full marks
Applied theory papers are usually graded on case description, fidelity to the theory, depth of application and implications. A case scores well if its details let a reader point to each determinant. Fidelity is judged on whether the theory's structure is preserved, including the order of propositions and the role of intention. Depth of application is often the heaviest criterion: each determinant should be connected to specific features of the case. Implications earn credit when each proposed change targets a named determinant. Acknowledging limits, such as habit or the intention-behavior gap, shows critical understanding. Evidence on the behavior and the model's predictive record adds weight. Mechanics include APA entries for a foundational theory article, a meta-analysis and a clinical review.
HLTH 6038 Week 4 help: mistakes that cost marks
Applied papers in this week often slip in a second theory when the first runs out of explanation. The prompt asks you to stay with one. Another frequent error is treating attitude, norm and control as direct causes of behavior, bypassing intention. Students also describe the case vaguely, so the determinants have nothing to attach to. Before submitting, describe your case with the device, the setting and the time frame. State the theory's propositions in the order the author gave them. Take each determinant in turn and tie it to something in the case. Keep intention between the determinants and the behavior, except for perceived control's direct path. End with changes aimed at specific determinants and a paragraph on limits. A custom application can carry the same theory through a different case, such as daily foot checks or medication timing.
Get a HLTH 6038 Week 4 example written to your instructions
The applied paper only works if the case is the one your prompt assigns, so send the prompt, the rubric and any case document your section distributes. Note whether a particular theory is mandated or chosen, and a written HLTH 6038 Week 4 sample follows in 24 to 48 hours. The first custom one carries no cost.
More HLTH 6038 papers and MS in Health Education and Promotion samples
- HLTH 6038 Week 1: Theory Scan Paper
- HLTH 6038 Week 2: Behavior Specification Post
- HLTH 6038 Week 3: Health Belief Model Map
- HLTH 6038 Week 5: Peer Critique Example
- HLTH 6038 Week 6: Theory Comparison Paper
- HLTH 6038 Week 7: Construct Measurement Plan
- HLTH 6038 Week 8: Intervention Design Sketch
- HLTH 6038 Week 9: Theory Boundary Post
- HLTH 6038 Week 10: Theory Use Appraisal
- HLTH 6038 Week 11: Applied Theory Paper
- HLTH 6031 Week 4: Stakeholder Analysis Paper
- HLTH 6005 Week 4: Ethics Analysis Paper
HLTH 6038 Week 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HLTH 6038 Week 4 sample paper?
A complete Week 4 paper carrying the Theory of Planned Behavior through peak flow monitoring after an emergency visit, with three references, is reproduced here with notes.
Why does the HLTH 6038 Week 4 example keep intention central?
The theory makes intention the proximal determinant of behavior, so attitude and norm affect behavior through intention, and only perceived control has a direct path.
Why do peak flow diaries go blank after a few days?
As symptoms fade, control beliefs such as forgetting before work or doubting technique become more salient, and the meter moves out of sight.
Why does peak flow monitoring matter?
A review of 26 trials found that action plans with points based on personal best peak flow consistently improved asthma outcomes, and those plans need readings.
How much of behavior does the theory explain?
A meta-analysis of prospective health studies found the model explained more of intention than of later behavior, with intention the strongest predictor of behavior.