Which statement best reflects the focus of Pender's Health Promotion Model?

• A. Modifiable behavior-specific variables.
• B. Non-modifiable genetic factors.
• C. Solely environmental factors.
• D. Random chance.

Answer: (A)

Pender's Health Promotion Model focuses on how people actively choose to adopt health-promoting behaviors by changing beliefs and feelings that drive action. The core emphasis is on modifiable behavior-specific variables—factors that individuals can alter to increase the likelihood of engaging in healthy actions. These include perceptions of benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, activity-related affect, and the influence of interpersonal and situational factors, which can be targeted through education, support, and supportive environments.

Because the model centers on changing cognition and affect related to specific behaviors, genetic factors that cannot be changed and environmental factors alone do not capture its main idea. Random chance is not a mechanism proposed by the model to explain health-promoting behavior.