Lay Beliefs Flashcards
What are lay beliefs
How people make sense and understand health and illness
Constructed by people with no specialised knowledge
Socially embedded
Perceptions of health and their definitions
Negative - healthy if absent of illness
Positive - state of wellbeing and fitness
Functional - as long as i can do certain things (like go to work) I’m healthy
Influences lay beliefs have on behaviour
Health behaviour - activity undertaken to maintain health and prevent illness
Illness behaviour - activity of ill person to define illness and seek solution
Sick role behaviour - formal response to symptoms (seek help)
What is the term used to describe that most symptoms do not make it to a doctor
The symptom or illness iceberg
Why is smoking more prevelant in lower socioeconomic groups?
Negative definition of health
Foucault on improving immediate environment
Coping mechanism
Normalised
What influences illness behaviour?
Culture/social attitudes Visibility of symptoms How much disruption has occurred to ones life Freq and persistence of symptoms Tolerance Understanding Lay referral Availability of resources
Lay referral system
The chain of contacts which people seek advice from (when ill) prior to or instead of seeking help from a healthcare professional
Why is lay referral important
Why have people delayed seeeking help Your role as a doctor Alternative medicines Use of health care system How why and when people see a doctor
Lay beliefs and adherence 3 groups (asthma)
Deniers - i don’t have real asthma
Acceptors - ill take it regularly
Pragmatists - ill only take medication when i need it
Why do people delay seeking treatment
They do not fit the perception
Don’t recognise mild and variation of symptoms
