Page 237 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

13. Taking responsible risk
14. Finding humor
15. Thinking interdependently
16. Remaining open to continuous learning

Box 10-1 ■ Habits of Mind

From Costa A, Kallick B. Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind: 16 Essential Characteristics for Success. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development; 2008.

Diffusion of Innovations

The diffusion of innovations theory is important in the larger social environment of the community where
people may, for example, rely on the mass media and the Internet as sources of information. This theory
addresses how new ideas and practices are communicated and spread to members of the social system—in
ways that may be either planned or spontaneous. The process by which adults adopt new ideas and practices,
such as healthy eating patterns, involves five stages in the innovation–decision process19:

1. Knowledge of the innovation. A person becomes aware of a new idea, practice, or procedure.
2. Persuasion. A person forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward the innovation based on perceived characteristics of the innovation.
3. Decision to adopt or reject. A person engages in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject the innovation based on trial.
4. Implementation of the new idea. The person puts it into use.
5. Confirmation of the decision. A person seeks reinforcement of the decision already made and evaluates it over time.

An individual’s response to nutrition labeling on foods, for example, and the USDA MyPlate food guide
requires that he or she progress through a series of steps from knowledge of their existence, to forming a
viewpoint about them as a source of information, deciding to adopt or reject their use, implementing and
using them, through confirmation that he or she will continue with their use. Nutrition education and
employee education are incomplete until stage 5 is reached. People learn only what they want to learn and
adopt new behaviors to satisfy the basic needs of survival or to achieve some personal goal.

The characteristics of the innovation influence whether or not someone is persuaded in stage 2. Innovations
are more readily adopted if they provide a relative advantage over current practices; if they are compatible with
current beliefs, values, habits, and practices; if they are simple (degree of complexity) to understand and to use;
if they can be tried (trialability); and if results can be observed (observability).19 It may be unrealistic to expect
new behaviors to be adopted from short-term educational endeavors. Short-term intervention should aim at
the achievement of one or two goals for change rather than total change. The importance of a positive self-
image and “self-view” is being revisited in the literature.1

CASE ANALYSIS 6

Develop written documentation for your session with this client. Incorporate the Nutrition Care Process
model as applicable.

Technology as a Learning Tool

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