Pride in Parenting: Training Curriculum for Lay Home Visitors
Linda T. Diamond, M.S. and Marion H. Jarrett, Ed.D., editors.

Unit 22
Health Promotion for Families

This unit of instruction will help the Parent Support Specialist (PSS) understand how a person can protect and improve their health and the health of their family members. The PSS will learn about their role in helping to teach their clients about the behaviors and actions that are related to their personal health and their families’ health.

Objectives

By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:

  • List the major characteristics of health within a definition of health.
  • List many behaviors that promote health
  • Describe and demonstrate ways to help families develop health promoting behaviors
  • List 3 diseases or conditions that affect African-Americans and are preventable.

Time

5 Hours

Outline

A. Overview of Health Promotion
B. What is Health Promotion
C. Practical Exercises: Increasing PSS Health Promotion Skills
D. Helping Family Develop Healthy Habits
E. Summary

Materials

  • Assorted brochures and pamphlets related to:
    • Cigarette Smoking
    • Blood Cholesterol
    • Hypertension
    • Weight Control
    • Healthy Living
    • Low Fat Eating and Cooking
    • Alcohol
    • Medications
    • Exercises
  • Health Habits Exercise--Personal Rating Form (Handout #1)
  • Health Promotion Abstract (Handout #2)
  • Role Play Feedback (Overhead #1)
  • Post-Unit Test
  • Post-Unit Evaluation
  • Flip chart or chalkboard, markers or chalk
  • Nutrition labels from popular/common food items
  • Exercise video
Advance Preparation

  • Gather an assortment of pamphlets and brochures from such groups as the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Diabetic Association related to smoking, eating, exercise etc.
  • Prerecord on videotape exercise segments from ESPN programs or borrow Jane Fonda low impact videos, etc. from the library
  • Encourage the PSS to wear or bring clothes for a very brief exercise session at the conclusion of this session.


A. OVERVIEW OF HEALTH PROMOTION

Rationale:

It is important for PSSs to have a good understanding of what is meant by "health" in order to assist families towards a healthy life.

Procedure:

1. Ask the participants how they define health. Write ideas on chalkboard or flip chart.

2. Summarize the discussion. Be sure to include:

  • Health is a balance in the mind, body, spirit and environment characterized by:
    • stable emotions
    • a strong mind
    • a stable lifestyle
    • spiritual lifestyle
    • spiritual expression
    • a safe environment

3. Discuss the illnesses and diseases or conditions that affect African - American families that are preventable. Include the ideas that changing certain health habits and behaviors can prevent these illnesses and diseases and adopting healthy habits gives a feeling of well-being for all family members.

 


B. WHAT IS HEALTH PROMOTION

Rationale:

The PSSs needs to be very familiar with health promotion and behaviors in order to assist families in making constructive changes.

Procedure:

1. Discuss health promotion as activities or behaviors that stop the development of a disease from becoming a serious illness or causing a handicap or death.

2. Define Health Promotion as involving:

a. Improving the general health of a person or a family member. Some health promotion is done by the government such as:

  • clean water
  • garbage disposal
  • vitamins in milk and breads and cereals
b. Some health promotion is done by a person or family members such as:

  • daily exercises
  • low fat eating
  • getting enough sleep at night

3. National Health Promotion Goals for Healthy People 2000: These health promotion goals are decided by the Federal government.

  • improve the health of infants
  • reduce the number of infants that die
  • improve the health of young adult women

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT GOAL OF THIS PROJECT AND WHAT
YOU WILL BE DOING WHEN YOU VISIT FAMILIES IN THE HOME.



C. PRACTICAL EXERCISES: INCREASING PSS HEALTH PROMOTION SKILLS

Rationale:

Practice is always important in integrating new information. Since this information will be integral to helping moms with health promoting behaviors, the PSSs need to "own" the information.

Procedure:

1. P.E. #1 (15 minutes)

a. Hand out the Healthy Habits Exercise.

b. Ask PSS to rate their health habits using the Healthy Habits Exercise Rating Form.

c. Have the PSS add up their scores and rate themselves using the following scoring system.

  • 27 - 30 points = EXCELLENT HEALTH HABITS
  • 22 - 26 points = BETTER THAN AVERAGE HEALTH HABITS
  • 18 - 21 points = AVERAGE HEALTH HABITS
  • < 15 points = POOR HEALTH HABITS

2. P.E. #2 (30 minutes)

a. Review Healthy Habits Score Sheet.

b. Give each PSS an index card.

c. Have each PSS write 1 health habit they wish to change.

d. Pair the PSS.

e. Each PSS exchange her card with her partner.

f. Take 10 minutes and jot on the card what information she would ask her partner and then what suggestions she would make to her partner.

3. P.E. #3 (30 minutes)

a. Show flash card of various foods and have PSS identify which foods are high fiber, high fat, low fat, high or low calorie high or low salt, etc. (Try to use foods common to African - American family diet).

b. Review nutrition labels. Ask PSS to identify fat percentage; calories/serving. Ask PSS which foods they would recommend.

4. P.E. #4 (30 minutes)

a. Have PSS talk about their own exercise habits. What have they done in the past? What do they do now? What would they like to do?

b. Show some of the segments from pre-recorded T.V. shows (use low impact) Ask them to try a few of the exercises.

c. End the session with some stretching exercises.



D. GOOD HEALTH HABITS: HEALTH PROMOTION BEHAVIORS

Procedure:

Review each of the following behaviors and discuss the obstacles in achieving these behaviors.

  1. Sleeping 7 to 8 hours regularly
  2. Eating breakfast regularly
  3. Snacking on low fat and high fiber food
  4. Maintaining near optimal weight
  5. Exercising frequently (walking)
  6. Consuming small amounts of alcohol
  7. Avoid smoking
  8. Avoid drugs
  9. Safe sex
  10. Eating less red meat (beef, pork, bacon)
  11. Eating more chicken and turkey
  12. Eating more fish
  13. Eating more fruits
  14. Eating more vegetables (raw, not cooked in fat or with meat)
  15. Regular M.D. checks, Pap Smears, and Breast exams
 


E. HELPING FAMILIES DEVELOP HEALTHY HABITS

Rationale:

Gathering information and using that information to facilitate changes will be critical to the PSSs intervention. Practice with gathering information, assisting mom in acknowledging areas needing change and empowering mom to make that change will assist PSSs with gaining important skills

Procedure:

1. PSS should gather information about family's health habits.

ASK QUESTIONS OR GET INFORMATION ABOUT:

a. How much sleep is the mother getting each day?

b. How much sleep is the infant getting?

SUGGESTION:

  • Mom should sleep or nap when baby sleeps
  • Can others help with night feeding so mom can sleep through the night
  • Mom can change infant's sleep habits so both mom and baby can sleep at night
  • Relaxing strategies to help sleep, such as infant bath, rocking and singing softly before sleeping
  • Infant feeding before sleeping (do not prop bottles)
  • Try for quiet place
  • Mom take a bath or shower before sleep
  • Mom have a warm drink (milk, cocoa) before sleep

c. Mother's eating habits?

SUGGESTION:

  • Have Mom recall what she ate for the last day
  • PSS review for high fat, high salt, high calorie foods
  • Suggest more vegetables and fruits (at least 5 selections a day)
  • Low fat cooking such as baking, boiling
  • How to reduce red meats
  • How to add non meat protein (beans, low fat cheeses)
  • How to read food labels

d. Does mother exercise? Does she have time to exercise?

SUGGESTION:

  • TV exercise Programs (many are only 30 minutes)
  • Stair Climbing (if there are stairs in the house; and when she has recovered, start with 3-4 times twice daily and increase)
  • Walks, use the stroller and take baby (this is good for mother and baby; make sure safe area for walks, proper weather, proper clothes, etc.)
  • Video exercise tapes that can be rented as well as bought.

e. Cigarette smoking? Mother? Other family members?

SUGGESTION:

  • Point dangers of asthma and allergies for other infant and other children (Major killer of children among African - American families)
  • Referrals or telephone numbers for Smoking cessation programs
  • Smokers in family should smoke outside the home

f. Alcohol use or other drugs? Mother? Other family members?

  • Is the mother concerned about her consumption or use of alcohol or drugs or the use by other family members

SUGGESTION:

  • Referrals to organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous

g. Mom's Health

Does mom have a doctor or clinic she visits regularly for her own health?

  • When was mom's last GYN exam with Pap smear?
  • Does mom know how to do breast self-examination?
  • If mom is 35 or 40 years old, has she had a mammogram?

SUGGESTION:

  • Referral for doctor or clinic
  • Help mom make an appointment for next regular GYN exam and Pap smear (probably 1 year from last exam).
  • Teach mom or review techniques for breast self-exam. Leave brochures behind related to breast self-exam.
  • If PSS has a mom who is 35 or 40 years old, SHOULD REFER FOR MAMMOGRAM.

2. Help family to identify a habit(s) they may wish to work on first.

SUGGESTION:

  • Have family only work on 1 or 2 lifestyle changes at a time
  • Check every 2 - 3 weeks, to see how Mom thinks the family is progressing
  • As mom is ready move to other health habits that she or the family wants to change, establish what she needs to achieve that goal. Assist as appropriate.

3. Using the above aspects of lifestyle and health status, as well as suggestions offered, pair PSSs, (one plays the mom and one plays the PSS). The PSSs should then role play how they would try to elicit information from mom, help mom identify changes needed and begin steps to make those changes. Give each pair 1-2 questions to focus on.

4. Leave appropriate materials (brochures) for the family.

Review the printed materials with mother.

Answers mom's questions.

 


F. SUMMARY

Procedure:

  1. Rephrase objectives into questions and ask participants to answer questions
  2. Distribute post-unit test.
  3. Distribute post-unit evaluation.


Unit 22 Handout #1

HEALTH HABITS EXERCISE

PERSONAL RATING FORM

Use the following Personal Rating Form to score yourself on your personal health habits.

HEALTH HABIT

0 = NO/NEVER

1 = SOMETIMES

2 = OFTEN

1. Sleep 7-8 hours each night

     

2. Eat breakfast regularly

     

3. Eat low fat foods

      

4. Near optimal weight

      

5. Exercise frequently

      

6. Alcohol - small amounts

     

7. Avoid/no smoking

      

8. Avoid drugs

      

9. Safe sex

      

10. Eat less red meat

      

11. Eat more chicken and turkey

     

12. Eat more fish

      

13. Eat more fruits

      

14. Eat more vegetables

      

15. Regular doctor visits

      

 

Unit 22 Handout #2

HEALTH PROMOTION ABSTRACT

Health Promotion Behavior in Low Income Black and Latino Women by Kathy Sanders-Phillips, PhD, Women & Health, Vol 21, (2/3), 1994.

Health promotion behaviors were examined in a sample of low-income, Black and Latino women. Latino women were more likely than Black women to eat a daily breakfast; sleep 7-8 hours per night and abstain from alcohol and tobacco use. Black women were more likely to be eating vegetables on a regular basis and exercising at least once per week. The results suggest that low-income Latino women may need to increase their consumption of vegetables and frequency of exercise. Among Black women, a wider range of healthy lifestyle behaviors such as sleeping 8 hours per night, eating a daily breakfast and decreasing alcohol and tobacco consumption may need to be emphasized.


Unit 22 Overhead #1

Role Play Feedback

  1. What do you think you the Parenting Support Specialist did well?
  2. What could the Parenting Support Specialist have changed or done differently?
  3. What other things do you think the Parenting Support Specialist might say or do to help a mother in this situation?

Unit 22 Post-Unit Test

POST-UNIT TEST

HEALTH PROMOTION FOR FAMILIES

I. List a least 3 characteristics of health. (3 points):

II. Health Promotion Behaviors (5 points)

Indicate which of the below is a health promoting behavior (T=True) or is not a health promoting behavior (F=False).

______ 1. Sleeping 6 - 7 hours a day.
______ 2. Eating breakfast regularly.
______ 3. Keeping weight below the normal range.
______ 4. Moderate regular exercise.
______ 5. Eating balanced amounts of red meat, fish and chicken.

III. Health Promotion for Families (2 points)

List at least 4 ways the PSS can help families to develop health promoting behaviors.


Unit 22 Handout for use at end of each Unit

Post-Unit Evaluation

Unit Covered:_____
Date: _____

  1. Do you feel we covered all the information in this unit that we said we were going to?
  2. What did you like best about the unit?
  3. What did you like least about the unit?
  4. Was the information in this unit presented clearly? If not, please explain.
  5. In which skill areas do you feel you need more practice or help?
  6. How can we make this unit better?
  7. Any additional comments?

*********

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