Behaviour change Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is health psychology?
It emphasises the role of psychological factors in the cause, progression and consequences of health and illness
What are the aims of health psychology?
promote healthy behaviours
prevent illness
What are the three main categories of health behaviour?
- health behaviour
- illness behaviour
- sick role behaviour
What is meant by health behaviour?
Behaviour concerning disease prevention - exercise, healthy eating, not smoking etc.
What is meant by illness behaviour?
Behaviour concerning seeking remedy - going to the doctors or pharmacy
What is meant by sick role behaviour?
Behaviour concerning getting well - resting, taking medication, doing physio etc.
What are health impairing behaviours?
Smoking, drinking, too much sun exposure, risky sexual behaviour, driving without a seatbelt
What are health promoting behaviours?
undertaking regular exercise, attending health checks, healthy eating, medication compliance, vaccinations
What are examples of non-modifiable risk factors?
- age
- sex
- ethnicity
- genetics
What re examples of modifiable risk factors?
- smoking status
- sun exposure
- level of physical activity
- drug and alcohol use
- minimising radiation exposure
- minimising risk at work
- breastfeeding if possible
- minimising time on HRT therapy
What percentage of patients do not fully comply with their medication?
around 50%
What is the definition of a systematic review?
Evidence synthesis of conclusions and outcomes from research and pool them all together to create one conclusion
What is the definition of a meta-analysis?
A statistical technique which takes data from research and analyses it to come to one conclusion e.g. whether an intervention is effective or not
What are factors affecting compliance?
- lack of understanding with regards to medication
- not witnessing immediate effects of the medication
- side effects
- Polypharmacy
- forgetting medication (can give them a routine to try counteract)
- perceived benefits (if believe don’t have enough benefits to be worth it)
- if they are asymptomatic
- lower socio-economic status
What is the definition of a cohort study?
study a group representative of the population with a clearly designed outcome. Followed up over a period of time. Should be disease-free at baseline.
What statistical analysis method is useful when there is more than one predictive factor towards an outcome?
Regression analysis
What are the different levels of intervention?
- Individual-level approach
- Community-level approach
- Population-level approach
what is health promotion?
The process of enabling people to exert control over the determinants of health
Which intervention level approach is health promotion usually associated with?
Population-level approach
What sort of intervention is individual-level approach?
Patient-based
What is the main theory explaining why people take risks with their health?
UNREALISTIC OPTIMISM, due to inaccurate perceptions of risk and susceptibility
What are perceptions of risk influenced by?
- lack of personal experience with the problem
- belief that it is preventable by personal action
- belief that if it has not happened by now, it is unlikely to
- belief that the problem is infrequent
Why else, other than the main theory, may people take risks with their health?
- lack of finance - unable to get transport to appointments, pay for prescriptions, unable to afford time off work…
- childcare/responsibilities - inability to go to appointments
- age
- cultural variability
- situational rationality
What is lower risk perception associated with?
reduced attendance to follow up and reduced medication compliance
