A social cognitive view of self-regulated learning about health.

Researchers interested in health-related learning have recently begun to study processes people use to self-regulate their health and their ability to prevent or control chronic disease. This paper represents a social cognitive view of self-regulation that involves three classes of influence on self-regulating behavior: personal, behavioral, and environmental. This triadic model assumes that people self-regulate their health through the use of self-care strategies, setting reasonable health goals, and monitoring feedback concerning the effectiveness of strategies in meeting their goals. People's perceptions of self-efficacy are also assumed to play a major role in motivating them to self-regulate their health functioning. According to social cognitive theory, processes entailed in regulating one's health can be taught through social modeling, supports, and feedback; gradually these external supports are withdrawn as one is able to self-regulate. This paper will analyze self-regulation processes related to controlling or preventing lung disease, specifically management of asthma and eliminating smoking. The educational implications of the triadic model of self-regulation for promoting health and related behavioral functioning will be discussed.

Training physical education students to self-regulate during basketball free throw practice.

The additive effects of self-regulation training in forethought, performance, and self-reflection phase processes on acquiring a novel motoric skill (i.e., basketball free throws) and self-reflective beliefs were studied with 50 college students. The results showed a positive linear trend between the number of self-regulatory phases, in which the participants were trained, and their free throw shooting performance and shooting adaptation. The two- and three-phase training groups displayed significantly more accurate free throws and were able to self-correct their shooting form more frequently following missed shots than all other groups. Participants who received three-phase training displayed the most adaptive motivational profile, characterized by making strategic attributions and adaptive inferences and by using self/process criteria during self-evaluations.

Asthma education: the adolescent experience.

Recent studies show that prevalence of asthma is higher among adolescents than children. Adolescents have poor asthma self-management skills resulting in a significant increase in the severity of asthma exacerbations and a reduction in their quality of life. Despite this, few self-management programs have been developed for adolescents. Adolescents experience developmental transitions that both hinder and facilitate asthma self-management. In this paper we discuss developmental transitions in cognition, knowledge, autonomy, identity development, and peer relations in terms of their influence on adolescents' management of asthma. Next, we describe the Asthma Self-Management for Adolescents (ASMA) program that incorporates developmental characteristics into an age-appropriate school-based asthma education program. Preliminary data is presented indicating that the program is successful in enrolling and engaging the interest of adolescents with persistent asthma.

An individualized intervention to improve asthma management among urban Latino and African-American families.

We hypothesized that an educational intervention based on a readiness model would lead to improved health outcomes among patients with asthma. Within a randomized control design in an urban Latino and African-American community we conducted an intensive three-month pediatric intervention. A Family Coordinator provided patient education based on a readiness-to-learn model, and facilitated improved interactions between the patient and the doctor. Family education addressed the most basic learning needs of patients with asthma by improving their perception of asthma symptom persistence using asthma diaries and peak flown measures. The physician intervention focused cliniciancs' attention on patients' diary records and peak flow measures, and encouraged physicians to use stepped action plans. Patients were also tested for allergic sensitization and provided strategies to reduce contact with allergens and other asthma triggers. The results showed significant improvements by intervention group families on measures of knowledge, health belief, self-efficacy, self-regulatory skill, and adherence; decreases in symptom persistence and activity restriction; and increased prescription of anti-inflammatory medication by the physicians of the intervention group families.