| Course | HW450 Applied Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 4 |
| Paper type | Barrier analysis and strategy selection |
| Length | About 880 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW450 Unit 4
Four Barriers Between Teresa and Her Blood Pressure Goal: A Unit 4 Barrier Analysis With Strategies Matched to Each
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW450: Applied Health Coaching
Unit 4 Barrier Analysis and Strategy Selection
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, family and figures are composite; the studies and programs cited are real.
How the Barriers Were Identified
The barriers came from three sources: what Teresa said in sessions, her food record and blood pressure log and what happened between sessions when she tried small changes. In session three, I asked her to rank the obstacles she had named by how much each got in the way. She ranked evenings first, then lunch at her desk, then wine, then sleep. The analysis follows her order.
Barrier One: Evenings Consumed by Caregiving
What happens. From 4:30 to 9:00 p.m., Teresa prepares her mother's dinner, manages medications and bathing and answers the same questions repeatedly. Takeout fills the gap, and she has no time for activity.
Why it matters. It drives three of her four risk behaviors: high-sodium takeout, no exercise and wine to decompress. Caregiver strain is also a health risk in its own right; a four-year study of older spousal caregivers found that strained caregivers were more likely to die during follow-up than people with no caregiving role (Schulz & Beach, 1999).
Strategies considered. Reducing the load through respite; restructuring the evening; combining her mother's routine with Teresa's activity.
Strategy chosen. A 15-minute walk with her mother after dinner on the cul-de-sac, which her mother enjoys, and a call to the local area agency on aging about adult day programs two days a week. Her sister agreed to take Thursday evenings.
Why it fits. It honors her value of caring for her mother at home and turns part of the caregiving into activity. The respite idea came from Teresa after I asked what would make evenings lighter.
Barrier Two: Lunch at the Desk
What happens. Frozen meals and deli sandwiches, each often 800 to 1,200 milligrams of sodium.
Why it matters. Lunch accounts for about a third of her estimated sodium. When the DASH-sodium investigators fed volunteers controlled diets, each step down in salt brought systolic pressure lower, and the DASH menu beat the control menu whatever the salt level (Sacks et al., 2001).
Strategy chosen. On Sunday afternoons, with her son's help, prepare three lunches for the week: a grain bowl with beans, vegetables and chicken, or leftovers from a home-cooked dinner. For days that fall apart, two reduced-salt frozen entrées wait at work.
Why it fits. She is organized and likes routines; batch preparation suits her. Her son needs volunteer hours for school, and cooking together counts toward a family consumer science requirement.
Each strategy uses something Teresa already has: her mother's love of walking, her son's school requirement, her own talent for routines.
Barrier Three: Wine as the Only Decompression
What happens. One or two glasses most nights, often after her mother is in bed, as the first time all day that feels like hers.
Why it matters. Her physician advised limiting alcohol, and the national hypertension guideline sets a limit of one drink daily for women who drink (Whelton et al., 2018).
Strategy chosen. Teresa chose a plan written as implementation intentions: "On weeknights, once Mom is settled for the night, I'll brew herbal tea and take it out to the porch for a quarter hour." Wine is kept for Friday and Saturday. Linking a planned response to a specific cue noticeably improves follow-through across dozens of experiments (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).
Why it fits. It keeps the ritual and the moment for herself, which is what the wine provided, and changes only what is in the cup.
Barrier Four: Broken Sleep
What happens. Her mother wakes once or twice a night, and Teresa sleeps about six and a half hours in pieces.
Strategy chosen. None directly for now. Teresa decided that respite and her sister's Thursdays should come first, and that her mother's night waking is a question for her mother's physician. She will raise it at her mother's next appointment.
Why it fits. Not every barrier can be solved by the client, and choosing not to work on one yet is a legitimate decision.
Strategies She Turned Down
Teresa rejected two options I raised. A meal delivery service was too expensive on one income plus her husband's seasonal work, and an early-morning gym class would have meant leaving her mother alone while her husband slept. Recording what she declined helps later sessions avoid offering the same ideas again.
How Strategies Will Be Checked
Teresa will log walks, home-prepared lunches, tea nights and wine nights on a weekly sheet, alongside her home blood pressure readings during the monitoring weeks her physician requested. In session five we will review which strategies are working and adjust the ones that are not.
Conclusion
Teresa's four barriers are evenings consumed by caregiving, lunch at her desk, wine as her only decompression and broken sleep. The strategies she chose, walking with her mother, respite help, Sunday lunch preparation and a porch tea ritual, each draw on resources already in her life and are supported by evidence on caregiving, sodium and implementation intentions. Sleep is deliberately left for later.
References
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Sacks, F. M., Svetkey, L. P., Vollmer, W. M., Appel, L. J., Bray, G. A., Harsha, D., Obarzanek, E., Conlin, P. R., Miller, E. R., III, Simons-Morton, D. G., Karanja, N., & Lin, P.-H. (2001). Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. New England Journal of Medicine, 344(1), 3-10. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200101043440101
Schulz, R., & Beach, S. R. (1999). Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: The Caregiver Health Effects Study. JAMA, 282(23), 2215-2219. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.282.23.2215
Whelton, P. K., Carey, R. M., Aronow, W. S., Casey, D. E., Jr., Collins, K. J., Dennison Himmelfarb, C., DePalma, S. M., Gidding, S., Jamerson, K. A., Jones, D. W., MacLaughlin, E. J., Muntner, P., Ovbiagele, B., Smith, S. C., Jr., Spencer, C. C., Stafford, R. S., Taler, S. J., Thomas, R. J., Williams, K. A., Sr., ... Wright, J. T., Jr. (2018). 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults. Hypertension, 71(6), e13-e115. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYP.0000000000000065
Reading the HW 450 Unit 4 instructions
Unit 4 often asks students to analyze a client's barriers and select a strategy for each. Explain how the barriers were identified, ideally from the client's account, logs and attempts between sessions, and rank them as the client does. For each, describe what happens, why it matters for the client's goal, which strategies were considered and which the client chose, with evidence. Instructors look for fit: strategies that draw on the client's resources and values rather than generic advice. Choosing not to address a barrier yet can be the right decision if explained. Many prompts also ask how the strategies will be checked. Recording strategies the client declined helps later sessions avoid offering them again and shows the choices were genuinely hers.
Inside the HW450 Unit 4 example
The analysis opens with how the barriers were identified and Teresa's own ranking. Evenings come first, with the caregiving routine, the caregiver strain evidence and a walk with her mother plus a call about adult day programs. Desk lunches follow, with the DASH-sodium evidence and Sunday preparation with her son, beneath a highlighted line that each strategy uses something she already has. Wine follows, with the guideline's limit and an if-then porch tea plan drawn from implementation intention research. Sleep is recorded as deliberately deferred and raised with her mother's physician. A section lists two strategies she turned down and why. A checking plan with a weekly log and a conclusion close the analysis.
HW450 Unit 4 rubric: what earns full points
Barrier analyses earn their points through specificity, evidence and fit. Barriers should come from the client's own account and data. Each strategy should answer a named barrier, with a reason it fits this client. Graders reward evidence that supports the strategy's mechanism, such as sodium reduction for blood pressure. Strategies drawing on the client's existing resources show insight. Deliberately deferring a barrier, with a reason, demonstrates respect for the client's priorities. A plan for checking whether strategies work is expected. Recording declined options shows the client led the choices. Four sources, on caregiving, sodium, implementation intentions and hypertension guidance, belong in APA 7. Linking every strategy back to the client's own ranking keeps the analysis coherent from start to finish.
Common HW450 Unit 4 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Barrier papers often list every possible strategy for every barrier, which helps no one decide. Another frequent weakness is generic strategies, such as eat more vegetables, that ignore the client's evenings, budget or family. Some writers rank barriers themselves instead of asking the client. Evidence is sometimes cited for a different population or outcome than the client's. Ignoring a barrier without explanation looks like an oversight. Before writing, ask your client to rank her obstacles and tell you what each one gives her or costs her. Send that ranking and her goals, and the strategies can be matched with you.
Get an HW450 Unit 4 example written to your instructions
Share the client, the barriers and the instructions with the rubric. A custom analysis matches each barrier to a strategy with a reason. It arrives within 24-48h; first requests are free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HW450 Unit 4 questions, answered
How do I identify barriers?
From the client's own account, the intake, logs and what happens between sessions.
Should strategies come from evidence?
Yes, and they should also fit the client's preferences and life.
How many barriers should be addressed?
Usually two to four of the most important.
Where can I find a free HW450 Unit 4 sample paper?
The complete HW450 Unit 4 barrier analysis and strategy selection is available here, matching a strategy to each of a caregiver's four barriers to lowering her blood pressure.
Why is sleep left for later in the HW450 Unit 4 sample?
Her broken sleep comes from her mother's night waking, so she chose to arrange respite first and raise the waking with her mother's physician rather than try a sleep strategy.