Bandura motivated behavioural and learning imitation with the ‘social learning theory’

(MacBlain, S. 2018)

I would like to apply Bandura’s theory to the communicablebehaviour of diabetes as an example of learned behaviour through our interaction with our learning environment.

Diabetes had been classified as a non-communicable disease (NCD) but is now facing a communicablebehaviour that is affecting us all. Modifiable behaviours such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the harmful use of alcohol, are learned behaviours that fueled the rise of NCD’s and specifically diabetes (IDF, 2017).

Psychological factors and environmental stimuli proved to be the driving forces behind these learned behaviours and they are contagious!! The ‘social learning theory’ supports the new perspective on the global diabetes pandemic (MacBlain, S. 2018). We can no longer consider cancer, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes as non-communicable, when they are in fact on the rise due to communicable, contagious and socially manipulated behaviour.

It highlights the potential for us to make a difference through patient education and the sharing of evidence to change our learning environment with subsequent improved health outcomes.

It is well known that behavior-based addictions affect health adversely. New types of behavior-based addictions are emerging. Social media influence behaviour and connectiveness provide a platform to imitate behaviour and drive the desire to fit in, resulting in repeated, compulsive, detrimental behaviour transformation. E.g. to order fast food after work instead of preparing nutritious food at home. Now, we know that diet and exercise form the cornerstone of diabetes management and these preventative behaviours proved to also be transmittable through social networks to fight the epidemic of communicablebehaviours (Nissinen, et al., 2001).

IDF statistics indicated that 425 million adults suffer from diabetes and that modifiable behaviours candecrease the risk of diabetes development.
We can use learned behaviour via social contagion in our advance. New learned behaviours can exploit their influences slowly again; across social networks, to learn us healthier behaviours for the prevention of communicable diseases.

REferences

• International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Country rankings. Available here
• MacBlain, S. (2018), Learning Theories for Early Years Practice. SAGE. [Online]. Available here
• Nissinen, A., Berrios, X. and Puska, P. (2001) ‘Community-based noncommunicable disease interventions: lessons from developed countries for developing ones’, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 79(10), pp. 963-970. World Health Organization. [Online]. Available here