The public health nurse is working with a client who desires to move away from eating take-out and fatty foods to maintain a healthier lifestyle. The client mentions eliminating processed foods from her diet most days of the week but still struggles to consistently add fruits and vegetables to her meals. According to the Transtheoretical Model of health behavior change, this client is in which stage:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Preparation. In the Transtheoretical Model of health behavior change, the Preparation stage signifies that the individual is actively preparing to make a change within the next month. In this case, the client has already taken steps to eliminate processed foods most days of the week, indicating a readiness to change. However, the struggle to consistently add fruits and vegetables shows that the change is not fully implemented yet, placing the client in the Preparation stage.
Choice A: Pre-contemplation is incorrect because the client is already taking action to change her eating habits.
Choice B: Contemplation is incorrect as the client has moved past just thinking about changing her behavior.
Choice D: Action is incorrect because the client has not fully implemented the desired change yet, but is actively preparing for it.