Nola Pender’s model of health promotion is among the important theories that contribute to the advancement of nursing practice in various care contexts.
As an example, Pender’s ideas on behavioral choices linked with personal benefits and value as perceived by the patient help to anatomize the mechanism of unhealthy habit formation, which eventually promotes the planning of behavioral modification interventions to promote healthier lifestyles.
Moreover, Pender’s model can inform nurse-patient therapeutic conversations enabling nursing professionals to comprehend each patient’s unique health situation, including personal barriers to pursuing healthier habits and possible factors to increase the likelihood of positive change.
The theory’s great practical potential for promoting effective nursing interventions is further increased by its ability to inform nursing research that sheds light on common causes of suboptimal self-care. For instance, the theory’s constructs, especially social support levels and the perceived benefits of action have been shown to affect pregnant women’s health-related behaviors to a great extent.
Therefore, the theory’s importance relates to its relevance to nursing practice and the ability to develop health-promoting interventions that would produce stable results.