L18 - Health Risk & Health Enhancing Behaviours

Question 1

Define health risk behaviours

Answer 1

o Behavioural pathogens:
 The health damaging/health risk behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, fatty diet

(Based on biomedical model)

Question 2

Define health enhancing behaviours

Answer 2

o Behavioural immunogens
 The health protective/health enhancing behaviours such as exercise, health screening uptake, breast self-examination, and low fat diets

(Based on biomedical model)

Question 3

Discuss why it is important to study health behaviours

Answer 3

• Coronary heart disease
  o Smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol
• Stroke (and other cerebrovascular diseases)
  o Smoking, diet, alcohol, exercise
• Cancer (primarily lung, breast, prostate, colorectal)
  o Smoking, alcohol, diet, health screening, self-examination
• Dementia
  o Smoking (?), alcohol (?), exercise (?), diet (?)

Because these conditions are caused by behaviours we choose to participate in, and can be prevented if we stop them from occurring.

Question 4

What are the increased risk caused by SMOKING?

Answer 4

o	Increased risk of:
	Coronary heart disease
	Stroke
	Peripheral vascular disease
	Cancer

Question 5

What is the prevalence of SMOKING in 2001 and 2013?

Daily smoking & never smoked

Answer 5

Daily smoking:
• 2001 = 19%
• 2013 = 13%

Never smoked (never smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their life):
•	2001 = 51%
•	2013 = 60%

Question 6

Describe the factors associated with SMOKING

Location, Indigeneity, SES, sexual orientation

Answer 6

Location
• Remote and very remote areas (2x more likely than major cities)

Indigeneity
• Indigenous Australians (2.5x more likely than non-Indigenous)

SES
• Lower SES (3x more likely than highest SES)

Sexual orientation
• Homosexual and bisexual (more likely to smoke daily than heterosexual

Question 7

Why start SMOKING?

Answer 7

 Modelling (peers, siblings, parents)
 Social pressure, social learning, and reinforcement
 Weight control
• Identified as a motive for smoking initiation and maintenance among young girls
 Risk-taking or problem behaviours
• Smoking is often associated with other problem behaviours such as truancy, petty theft, underage drinking
 Health cognitions
• Such as ‘unrealistic optimism’ regarding the potential of experiencing negative health outcomes

Question 8

Why continue SMOKING?

Answer 8

	Enjoyment (behaviour, taste, effects)
	Habit
	Physical and / or psychological addiction
	Stress/anxiety management
	Low self-efficacy

Question 9

What are the recommendations for ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION for healthy adults who are not pregnant?

Answer 9

Drinking no more than two standard drinks per day maintains the risk of long-term alcohol-related illness at a low level

On any individual occasion, drinking no more than four standard drinks maintains the risk of short-term, alcohol-related injury at a low level

Question 10

What are the increased short-term and long-term risk of ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION?

Answer 10

Short term:
• Pedestrian, road and other accidents
• Domestic and public violence
• Crime

Long term:
•	Liver disease
•	Cancer (oral, oesophagus, larynx)
•	High blood pressure
•	Pancreatitis
•	Brain damage

Question 11

Prevalence of exceeding guidelines for long-term harm and short-term harm ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Answer 11

Exceeding guidelines for reducing long-term harm:
• 2001 = 21%
• 2013 = 18%
 Therefore significant decrease amongst adults, men and women since 2010

Exceeding guidelines for reducing short-term harm (in the previous month):
 2001 = 29%
 2013 = 26%
 There has been a decrease in the amount of adults and 18-24 year olds binge drinking weekly to daily, since 2010

Question 12

Factors associated with ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Location, Indigeneity, SES, sexual orientation

Answer 12

Location:
• Remote and very remote areas (2x more likely than major cities)

Indigeneity:
• Indigenous Australians more abstinence but (if drinking) more risky levels

SES:
• Higher SES (more likely to drink in risky quantities than people with lowest SES)

Sexual orientation:
• Homosexual and bisexual (more likely to drink in risky quantities)

Question 13

Recommendations to avoid UNSAFE SEX

Answer 13

 Regular STI checks
 Covering potentially infectious areas
 Preventing / reducing the transfer of bodily fluids between partners
 Use of:
• Internal (female) or external (male) condoms or gloves during penetrative sex
• Condoms and dental dams for oral sex
• Lubricant to reduce condom breakage during anal sex

Question 14

What does protection during SEX reduce the risk of?

Answer 14

	Unplanned pregnancy
	Infections:
•	HIV
•	HPV
•	Chlamydia
•	Herpes simplex
•	Genital warts

Question 15

Prevalence of condom use amongst adults who had causal intercourse (used a condom every time)

Answer 15

 Used condom every time:
• 2002 = 41%
• 2013 = 49%

Question 16

Factors associated with condom-use

Amongst women and amongst men

Answer 16

Amongst women:
• Age (less likely after 30)
• Excessive alcohol consumption (less likely after > alcohol)

Amongst men:
• Number of sexual partners (more likely with more than one partner)

Question 17

Why not use protection during sex?

Answer 17

	Social:
•	Difficulty/embarrassment in raising issue
•	Anticipated objection
•	Worry about STI implications
	Lack of self-efficacy for correct use
	Attitudes:
•	Reduced spontaneity
•	Unrealistically positive

Question 18

EXERCISE recommendations for adults

moderate and vigorous activity

Answer 18

Recommendations (for adults)
 Moderate activity, at least 150-300 mins per week
 Vigorous activity, at least 75-150 mins per week

Question 19

Benefits of EXERCISE (reduced risk of)

Answer 19

Reduced risk of:
•	Physical
o	Cardiovascular disease
o	Type II diabetes
o	Cancer (colon, breast)

• Psychological
o Anxiety disorders and symptoms
o Major depressive disorder and symptoms
o Stress

Question 20

EXERCISE prevalence amongst adults

meeting exercise guidelines

Answer 20

Meeting exercise guidelines:
• 2005 = 30%
• 2012 = 43%

Question 21

Factors associated with EXERCISE

Age, education, SES, location

Answer 21

Age
• Younger (more likely to meet guidelines)

Education
• Higher (more likely to meet guidelines)

SES
• Higher (more likely to meet guidelines)

Location
• Major cities (more likely to meet guidelines)

Question 22

Why/why not exercise?

internal and external factors

Answer 22

Internal:
• Self-efficacy
• Lack of interest
• Enjoyment

External
•	Time constraints
•	Modelling from family
•	Social support
•	Number of active neighbours

Question 23

HEALTHY DIET recommendations for women and men

Answer 23

For women:
• 2 pieces of fruit a day and 5 pieces of vegetables

For men:
• 2 pieces of fruit a day and 6 pieces of vegetables

Question 24

What is the serving size of a vegetable?

Answer 24

Vegetable serve is 75g

Question 25

What is the serving size of a fruit?

Answer 25

Fruit serve is 150g

Question 26

What does HEALTHY EATING reduce the risk of?

Answer 26

Reduced risk of:
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Lung cancer

Question 27

Prevalence among adults for HEALTH EATING (meeting fruit guidelines and meeting vegetable guidelines)

Answer 27

Meeting fruit guidelines
• 2005 = 54%
• 2012 = 49%

Meeting vegetables guidelines
• 2005 = 14%
• 2012 = 6%

Question 28

Factors associated with HEALTHY EATING

SES, age

Answer 28

SES
• Higher (more likely to meet guidelines)

Age:
o 5-7 years (55%)
o 12-34 years (4%)
o 55+ years (8%)

Question 29

Why not EAT HEALTHY?

Answer 29

Parental socialisation
• Permissiveness; feeding practices
• More permissive = less fruit and veggies
• More child-centred = more fruit and veggies

Perceived and / or actual barriers:
• Lack of knowledge and skills
• Length of preparation time
• Cost and availability (e.g. rural areas)

Misinformation:
• Consumers reluctant to eat vegetarian diet because of concerns about lack of nutrients and iron

Question 30

Why EAT HEALTHY?

Answer 30

12-15 year olds in Victoria
•	Vegetables:
o	Peer support
o	Self-efficacy
o	Perceived availability of fruit and vegetables in the home
•	Fruit:
o	Healthy eating value
o	Modelling by mother
o	Self-efficacy
o	Perceived availability of energy-dense food in the home

Question 31

Benefits of the HPV VACCINATION

Answer 31

Protects against HPV types 16 and 18. Amongst cancers attributable to HPV, types 16 and 18 cause approximately:
• 75% of cervical cancers
• 85% of vulvar and vaginal cancers
• 90% of cancers of the mouth/throat
• 75% of penile cancer
• 95% of anal cancers
• 45-90% of tonsil and base of tongue cancers

Also protects against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause:
• 90% of genital warts

Question 32

Prevalence of people who have had all 3 HPV VACCINATITONS

Answer 32

• National HPV vaccination program initiated in 2007

* In 2011, 71% of girls 12-17 were vaccinated and 33% of women aged 18-26 years

Question 33

Factors associated with HPV VACCINATION uptake

Answer 33

 Health insurance status (may not be an issue in Australia)
 Program location (higher for school-based population)
 Recommendation by health care professional
 Parental concern about:
• Safety and side-effects
• Initiation of early sexual behaviour (although unlikely to be a founded concern)