Select a theory addressed in this chapter and use a practical example on a health issue of your choice to illustrate how changes in health behaviors may occur according to the steps highlighted by the theory you selected. Box 2. 1 provides a practical example on the diffusion of innovation theory. This example can be used as a model for this exercise.

Data from box 2.1

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Luciana, a nineteen-year-old college student, lives in a coastal town in southern Italy and loves going to the beach. During her summer vacation and many of the late spring weekends, she spends four to six hours each day basking in the sun while talking with her friends or playing beach volleyball or swimming. She uses sunscreen lotion with a low sunscreen protection factor (SPF), and only at the beginning of the season, to avoid sunburn. Once she is tanned, she may not use it at all. Most of her friends rarely use any sunscreen protection and, if they do, use the same kind with a low SPF. During the winter, Luciana keeps her tan by using artificial ultraviolet sunlamps. In the summer, getting a nice tintarella, the Italian word for suntan, is one of Italians' favorite pastimes and is considered very attractive. People compliment each other on their tintarella. Although Luciana and some of her friends may be somewhat aware that prolonged and continual sun exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer, the aesthetic appeal and social approval of a tanned skin allay their doubts about sun exposure. Luciana also feels she is too young to worry about skin cancer, does not know enough about it, and therefore does not feel the need to use much stronger sunscreen protection. A review of the literature on the subject (for example, Monfrecola, Fabbrocini, Posteraro, and Pini, 2000) shows that Luciana's fictional profile is somewhat representative of frequent beliefs and behavior among a percentage of Italian young people who live on the Mediterranean coast. According to the diffusion of innovations theory, Luciana could be considered an innovator or early adopter in her peer group if she starts using higher sunscreen protection and limiting her use of sunlamps. Ideally, she could talk with her peers and circle of friends about following her example. In fact, most of them do not use any sunscreen and may be slower to change than Luciana. There are a few facts that are good indicators that she could become an innovator or early adopter: her education level (she is a college student), socioeconomic background (both of A