| Course | MPH 550 Health Behavior and Health Education |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Stage model and counseling paper |
| Length | About 1,025 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Master of Public Health |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for MPH 550 Module 3
Meeting People Where They Are: Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation
Student Name
Master of Public Health Program, Aspen University
MPH 550: Health Behavior and Health Education
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Meeting People Where They Are: Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation
Not everyone who smokes is ready to quit today. Some have not thought about quitting, some are thinking about it, and some are ready to try. Health education that offers the same message to all of them will miss many. This paper examines the transtheoretical model of change and motivational interviewing, a counseling approach often paired with it, and applies them to smoking cessation at a composite community health center.
The Transtheoretical Model
The transtheoretical model treats change as a journey through five stages: precontemplation, when people do not intend to change within six months; contemplation, when they intend to change within six months; preparation, when they plan to act within a month; action, the first six months of change; and maintenance, sustained change beyond six months. People move forward and back, and relapse is common (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997).
Other Constructs
The model adds processes of change, the strategies people use, such as consciousness raising in early stages and stimulus control in later ones; decisional balance, the weighing of pros and cons, with pros rising as people move toward action; and self-efficacy, confidence in resisting temptation, which grows through the stages. Matching interventions to stage is the model's practical promise.
Stage-Matched Interventions
The composite health center designed support for each stage.
| Stage | Patient's view | Center's approach |
|---|---|---|
| Precontemplation | Not planning to quit | Brief, respectful advice; personalized risk information; offer to talk later |
| Contemplation | Thinking about it, ambivalent | Motivational interviewing to explore reasons; address barriers |
| Preparation | Planning to quit soon | Set a quit date; prescribe medication; refer to quitline |
| Action | Recently quit | Follow-up calls; manage withdrawal; plan for triggers |
| Maintenance | Quit for six months or more | Reinforce; relapse prevention; celebrate milestones |
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing is a collaborative counseling style that helps people explore and resolve ambivalence about change. Rather than persuading or warning, the counselor asks open questions, reflects what the person says, affirms strengths and draws out the person's own reasons for change. It suits contemplators well, since they feel pulled toward quitting and toward keeping things as they are.
Evidence on Motivational Interviewing
A Cochrane review of trials of motivational interviewing for smoking cessation concluded that it may help more people quit than brief advice or usual care, but judged the evidence of low certainty because of risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency, and noted that future trials could change the conclusions (Lindson et al., 2019). The effect appears modest, which supports using motivational interviewing alongside medication and other proven treatments rather than alone.
Criticisms of Stage Models
Critics argue that stages are arbitrary divisions of a continuum, that people move between them unpredictably and that stage-matched interventions have not consistently outperformed unmatched ones. Some evidence suggests that offering help to everyone, not only those who say they are ready, produces more quit attempts. The center therefore offered medication and quitline referral to all patients who smoke, while tailoring conversation to readiness.
From Intention to Action
Moving from contemplation to action often stalls. A meta-analysis of experiments found that changing intentions produced smaller changes in behavior than the change in intentions would suggest (Webb & Sheeran, 2006). Concrete plans, such as setting a quit date, removing cigarettes from the home and arranging medication in advance, help turn intention into action.
Training Staff
The center trained medical assistants to ask about smoking at every visit and record readiness, and trained nurses and behavioral health staff in motivational interviewing through a two-day workshop with follow-up coaching. Clinicians were prompted by the electronic record to offer medication and a quitline referral with one click. Refresher sessions every six months helped staff keep their skills sharp.
Results
In the year after the changes, the share of patients who smoke with a documented quit attempt rose from 18% to 31%, and referrals to the quitline tripled. Patients reported that conversations felt less judgmental. The center plans to measure sustained quitting at twelve months. Staff also reported greater confidence in raising the topic, since motivational interviewing gave them a way to talk without lecturing.
Cultural and Social Considerations
Readiness is shaped by social context. Patients living with others who smoke, facing financial stress or using tobacco as a social bond may find change harder. Staff learned to ask about these factors and connect patients to resources, such as family quit plans and financial counseling.
Measuring Stage
Stage can be assessed with a few simple questions about whether a person is thinking of quitting within six months or 30 days and whether they have made a quit attempt in the past year. The center added these to its intake form so that clinicians could see a patient's readiness at a glance and tailor the conversation.
Relapse as Part of Change
Most people who quit smoking make several attempts before succeeding. The transtheoretical model treats relapse as a normal part of change rather than failure. Staff learned to frame relapse as learning, helping patients identify triggers and plan the next attempt without shame.
Linking to Community Resources
Patients were connected to the state quitline, free nicotine replacement through a local program and a quit group at a nearby church. Linking clinic counseling with community resources extends support beyond the brief time available during visits.
Measuring Success
Beyond quit attempts, the center will track seven-day point prevalence abstinence at six and twelve months, verified by exhaled carbon monoxide for a sample, and use of medication. Tracking outcomes by stage at baseline will show whether patients in early stages also benefit from being offered help.
Ethical Practice
Motivational interviewing respects autonomy; counselors do not pressure patients or use fear. When patients decline help, staff accept their decision and offer to talk again, which preserves the relationship for future opportunities.
Conclusion
The transtheoretical model offers a way to think about readiness, and motivational interviewing offers a way to talk with people who are ambivalent. Evidence supports using them as part of a broader approach that includes medication, quitlines and system prompts. Meeting people where they are, while offering help to all, can increase quit attempts in a community health center.
References
Lindson, N., Thompson, T. P., Ferrey, A., Lambert, J. D., & Aveyard, P. (2019). Motivational interviewing for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019(7), Article CD006936. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006936.pub4
Prochaska, J. O., & Velicer, W. F. (1997). The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. American Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1), 38-48. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-12.1.38
Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 249-268. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.249
What the MPH 550 Module 3 instructions ask for
MPH 550 links health behavior to public health education in Aspen's catalog description, and with the third module's text held in the classroom, this example connects a stage model to a counseling method. Assignments of this type often ask you to describe a model's constructs, apply them to a population and explain how practitioners would act on them. Define the stages precisely, including time frames. Show how support differs by stage. Present evidence for the counseling approach you choose, including its limits. Engage critiques of the model rather than presenting it as settled. Describe how staff would be trained and how results would be measured. Describe the setting where the counseling will happen.
How the MPH 550 Module 3 example is put together
Sixteen headings frame roughly 1,050 words in this example, and a three-column table sets each stage beside the patient's view and the center's response. After defining the model and its other constructs, the paper presents the table, explains motivational interviewing and reviews its evidence. Criticisms, the step from intention to action, staff training, results and social context follow, along with measuring stage, relapse, community resources, outcome measures and ethical practice. A side note next to the stage definitions points out that exact time frames show precise understanding. The paper ends by combining readiness-based conversation with help offered to all. Each stage row in the table names what the patient hears from staff.
Where the marks sit in the MPH 550 Module 3 rubric
Stage model papers are judged on precise definitions, appropriate application, honest treatment of evidence and critiques, and practical implementation. Prochaska and Velicer's account of the model, the Cochrane review of motivational interviewing and Webb and Sheeran's experimental synthesis supply the evidence, cited in APA format. The stage table shows application at every stage. The evidence section reports the review's certainty rather than overstating it. Engaging critiques and changing practice in response demonstrates judgment. Results and outcome measures show the approach was evaluated. Attention to relapse as part of change, and to social context such as other smokers at home, shows understanding beyond the model's basic outline. Tracking verified quit rates rather than only attempts strengthens the evaluation.
MPH 550 Module 3 help from the desk
Students sometimes misuse stage names loosely, calling anyone interested in change a contemplator. Others present motivational interviewing as proven without noting the strength of evidence. Use exact definitions. Report evidence with its certainty. Include critiques. Show what staff would actually say or do at each stage. For practice with motivational interviewing language, a tutor can role-play a short conversation with you. End with how you would measure whether patients moved forward. Report quit outcomes with their time frame, such as six or twelve months, and say how they were verified. Explain how the program would support patients who relapse. Keep motivational interviewing examples short and realistic. Keep examples brief.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MPH 550 Module 3 questions, answered
What does MPH 550 Module 3 usually ask for?
Aspen's MPH 550 covers health behavior theory as a basis for health education, so applying a stage model and counseling approach to a behavior is a typical assignment. Confirm with your classroom prompt.
What are the stages of change?
Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.
What is motivational interviewing?
A collaborative counseling style that helps people explore and resolve ambivalence about change by drawing out their own reasons.
Where can I find a free MPH 550 Module 3 sample paper?
Everything is here: the smoking cessation paper with its stage-matched table and staff training results.
How are stages of change used in MPH 550 Module 3?
They describe readiness to change, so educators can match conversations to each stage while still offering help to everyone.