User:Gingerquick

Precaution Adoption Process Model
The precaution adoption process model (PAPM) in health psychology attempts to explain how a person comes to decisions to take action and how he or she translates that decision into action. Adoption of a new precaution or cessation of a risky behavior (e.g. quitting smoking) requires deliberate steps unlikely to occur outside the conscious awareness. This model applies to behaviors that require deliberate action (rather than gradual habit development) and can further help explain why and how people make deliberate choices. The PAPM was created by Neil Weinstein in 1988, and finalized in 1992. Unlike the transtheoretical model, the precaution adoption process model defines stages leading up to action in terms of the mental stages, rather than external factors (e.g., months or days). In addition, it recognizes differences among people who are neither acting nor intending to act (Stages 1-4).--Gingerquick (talk) 16:50, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

Weinstein and Sandman's Model
Stage 1 (Unaware): Individuals have never heard the hazard or potential precaution before so they do not have formed opinions about it.

Stage 2 (Unengaged): Individuals are aware of the hazard or precaution but are unengaged with the issue.

Stage 3 (Undecided): Individuals are aware of the hazard or precaution but are undecided as to whether they should consider acting or not.

Stage 4 (Decided not to act): Individuals have formed opinions about the hazard or precaution and have a definitive position to not act.

Stage 5 (Decided to act): Individuals have the intentions to adopt the precaution but have not acted yet.

Stage 6 (Acting): Individuals have started to adopt the precaution.

Stage 7 (Maintenance): Individuals have adopted the precaution and have been maintaining the new precaution long-term.--Gingerquick (talk) 16:50, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

PAPM Application to Nutrition
The precaution adoption model has been used as a framework in the nutrition research field. However, there are very few studies that have applied this model in general, possibly because it is a fairly new health model. De Vet et al just recently applied the PAPM in a research study examining the variables and predictors of stage transitions for fruit intake. The PAPM aided in finding the factors (i.e., social influences & attitudes) that may be important for an individual to decide to act (Stage 5) and the factors (i.e., self-efficacy) that may be required for acting (Stage 6) on adopting the behavior of consuming two or more serving of fruits each day. The precaution adoption process model can be further applied with interventions (i.e., health messages) that target individuals in specific stages, and help them move from a stage where they might be unaware of the precaution to a final stage of actually adopting the precaution (i.e., consuming two or more servings of fruit each day).--Gingerquick (talk) 16:50, 24 November 2008 (UTC)