Intro Lecture

Question 1

What is wellness?

Answer 1

The state of optimum health

Question 2

What is epidemiology?

Answer 2

Study of

• frequency
• distribution
• causes of
• infectious and non-infectious disease in a population based on an investigation of the physical and social envt.

Question 3

What is morbidity?

Answer 3

No of cases of a disease at a point in time.

Question 4

What is incidence?

Answer 4

No. of new cases at a given time.

It determines the probability of being diagnosed with an illness.

Question 5

What is mortality?

Answer 5

No of deaths due to a particular cause.

Question 6

Describe contemporary views of mind-body rship (four points)

Answer 6

• a holistic view
• physical health interwoven with psychological and social envt
• all types of health and disease interwoven this way
• mind and body can’t be separated in matters of health and illness

Question 7

What is the biomedical model?

Answer 7

• focus on illness
• illness as aberrant physiological processes
• psychological and social processes are independent of disease
• dominant model for past 300 years

Question 8

What is the WHO’s 1948 definition of health?

Answer 8

A complete state of wellbeing including:

• physical (biological) wellbeing
• mental (psychological) wellbeing
• social wellbeing

Health is not absence of disease or infirmity and is on a spectrum

Question 9

What is prevalence?

Answer 9

The total number of existing cases at a given time. It determines morbidity rates.

Question 10

What is the difference between prevalence and incidence?

Answer 10

Prevalence: How many people have this disease right now?”
Incidence: “How many people per year newly acquire this disease?”

Question 11

What are the limitations of the biomedical model?

Answer 11

• Single factor model (illness is only due to biological malfunction)
• illness is reduced to low-level processes e.g. chemical imbalances
• mind-body dualism
• focus on illness, not on health

Question 12

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 12

• Has a system focus

- Assumes that health and illness are the interplay of biological, social and psychological factors

Question 13

What are the advantages of the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 13

• Focus on health and illness
• Macro-level processes (psychological and social factors) are determinants of health (like microlevel processes e.g. chemical imbalance)
• accounts for multiple factors
• Mind and body are indistinguishable in terms of health and illness

Question 14

How do you apply the biopsychosocial model in practice?

Answer 14

• dx must consider interaction of biological, psychological and social factors
• Treatment should also consider biological, psychological and social factors
• Therapy is more individually targeted to the individual
• Relationship between the patient and health care practitioner is important in the effectiveness of health care.