Mode of Operation of Persuasive Approach

You would remember that we discussed the persuasive approach in  the previous unit. The local audience in India has a dynamics of its own. The pulls and pressures of the family. caste, religion and community are much stronger than any power of the media to inculcate a new  way of thinking except perhaps at a superficial level. Under such circumstances, the persuasive approach is very apt, powerful .and useful. This approach helps to influence people for betterment with a new kind of thinking. 

Most of the people in our communities believe that there are many kinds of foods that will harm or that they should not eat when they are sick. They may think of some foods as hot and others as cold and not permit hot foods for hot sickness or cold foods for cold sickness. As long as this belief is not affecting the health of the  people one need  not bother. For instance, if there are plenty of choices of hot foods during cold sickness, it is allright. One need not worry. However if food choice is already restricted, this belief further aggravates the inadequacy of protective foods in the diet. Under  such circumstances the persuasive approach is required to change their attitudes towards foods slowly. The messages and real experiences can be narrated in an appropriate situation. They must be given  slowly with many repetitions  to change people's attitudes and change their behaviour. 

The health belief model devised to  help explain individual behaviours regarding health decisions suggests that before any action will be taken, an individual must see : 

• that his or her current behaviour poses a health threat to him/her 
• that  this  threat is serious 
• that effective measures are available to relieve the threat 
• that the action  involved is not disadvantageous to him/her.
•  

In addition, there must be a stimulus to  action. An individual will  only change his or her behaviour if it is beneficial to do so and people learn to perfarm behaviours which are expected to lead to positive gains. It is suggested that the belief set of an individual regarding the consequences of a particular behaviour determine the person's  attitude towards performing  that particular behaviour. Attitudes ire themselves precursors of intentions to indulge in a behaviour and intention is translated into action with the provision of a suitable stimulus. There is no set stimulus. It must be throught of in such a way as to be suited to the situation.  Thus undesirable nutrition or health behaviours can be modified to develop desirable behaviours in the people concerned.