4. LAY HEALTH BELIEFS AND ILLNESS BEHAVIOUR (PART 1) Flashcards
1
Q
- What are Lay Health Beliefs?
A
- they are the beliefs about health and illness held by people who are not medical practitioners
- these beliefs have an impact on illness behaviour
- they are centred around religion, social influences, media, culture, customs, traditions etc
2
Q
- Can you name some subjective beliefs that people hold with regards to health?
A
- vaccines are related to autism
- blood transfusions can be against people’s religious beliefs
(people can view them as a corrupt sin) - Covid vaccines are the cause of blood clotting and memory loss
3
Q
- How do beliefs influence or behaviour with regard to health?
A
- they can lead to patient’s going against the doctor’s advice
- alternative medicine and traditional medicine can be preferred over western medicine
- people can avoid visiting the doctor as they believe they know better
(or they distrust the health system)
4
Q
- What study research technique is usually used in Sociology?
A
- qualitative research
5
Q
- What are some characteristics of qualitative research?
A
- they test fewer subjects, but they test these subjects in depth
- the subjects are usually people that are intensely interviewed
- much personalised information is used in this type of research
- qualitative research is subjective
(it is based on the observation of the tester)
6
Q
- What are the 4 types of lay beliefs when it comes to what “being healthy” means?
A
- Reserve of Health
- Health as an Equilibrium
- Health in a Vacuum
- Health as a Function
7
Q
- What does the Reserve of Health belief believe in?
A
- it believes that being healthy is about having the strength to resist the disease
- it believes that if you can handle your symptoms or condition well, then you are likely to feel healthy
- this belief only focuses on the Physical well-being of a person
(it does not pay attention to the social or the psychological)
8
Q
- Do lay people always agree with what medicine views as ill?
A
- NO
9
Q
- What is an example of the Reserve Health belief?
A
- a person may feel strong enough to resist the flue
- even though they are tired and feverish
(they are showing symptoms)
10
Q
- What does it mean to view Health as an Equilibrium?
A
- the person has a balance inside the body and the mind
- they are generally physically and psychologically well
- the individual feels at peace and in balance with the social world
- they do not feel ill or truly affected by their disease
(even if they are showing symptoms)
11
Q
- What is an example of the Health as an equilibrium belief belief?
A
- a person who is sick, but feels:
-well-balanced physically- well-balanced psychologically
- at peace with their social standing
(not in any conflicts with other)
WILL FEEL OR VIEW THEMSELVES AS HEALTHY
- this is despite any presence of the condition
12
Q
- What does it mean to view Health in a Vacuum?
A
- this means that an absence of the condition equates to a person being healthy
- when there is no official diagnosis, the person believes that they are healthy
(even if they are showing symptoms)
13
Q
- What is an example of the Health in a Vacuum belief?
A
- a person has symptoms and is not feeling well
- the doctor tells the patient that they are not sick at all
- the patient whole heartedly believes the doctor’s diagnosis, and now feels that they are healthy
14
Q
- Who put forward the Health as a Function belief and when?
A
- Blaxter in 2010
15
Q
- What is does it mean to view Health as a Function?
A
- a person will feel healthy if:
- they have the ability to do things in their everyday life
- they can accomplish their daily tasks
- they have the ability to achieve their personal goals
EVEN IF THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS
16
Q
- What is an example of the Health as a Function belief?
A
- a person has a condition/sickness
- they still feel healthy as they are at their same level of functionality
- they can still do the things they want to do
17
Q
- What are the six lay health beliefs for the causes of illness?
A
- nature
- genetics and inheritance
- Spirits and Gods
- sinful behaviour
- social relations
18
Q
- What does the term illness behaviour refer to?
A
- it refers to taking action with regard to identifiable symptoms
19
Q
- Can you name some forms of illness behaviour/illness related action?
A
- doing nothing
- visiting a GP
- asking friends and relatives for advice
- taking medication over the counter
- using alternative medicine
- resting
- self diagnosing and treatment
- googling their symptoms
20
Q
- What 6 factors can influence illness behaviour?
A
- Beliefs about Health and Illness
- Knowledge of the Disease
- Triggers
- Presence of Lay Referral
- Encouragement for Self-Care and Self-Help
- Availability of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
21
Q
- How do Beliefs about Health and Illness influence Illness Behaviour?
A
- beliefs about health are subjective and can lead to a person not seeing it fit to see a doctor
- beliefs about the causes of illness may cease a person from visiting a medical practitioner to seek help
22
Q
- What is another term to describe a knowledge of diseases?
A
- Health Literacy
23
Q
- How does Health Literacy influence Illness Behaviour?
A
- some patients have more medical knowledge than others
- this knowledge can help these patients identify potential symptoms
- this can lead to a patient visiting a medical practitioner early on in the condition and seeking help with urgency
24
Q
- How do Triggers influence Illness behaviour?
A
- regardless of a patient’s cultural beliefs, they may chose to seek or not seek medical help as a result of being influenced by social triggers
- these triggers refer to pressure from others
- restricting and debilitating symptoms that interfere with the person’s lifestyle may also act as a trigger to make them seek medical help
(this is the most influential trigger)
25
Q
- How does the Presence of Lay Referral influence illness behaviour?
A
- family members, relatives and members of a patient’s community are all people that are part of the patient’s lay referral system
- they provide the patient with advice and may refer them to different sources of treatment
- this is the referral between one non-medical practitioner to another
- patient’s use lay referral as they feel understood by the other person who may have experienced a similar illness/condition
26
Q
- How does the encouragement for Self-Care and Self-Help influence illness Behaviour?
A
- it makes self treatment very common
- this is a type of treatment that is often recommended by members of lay referral
- headaches, migraines and period pains are examples of maladies that are often self-treated
27
Q
- How does the Availability of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) influence illness Behaviour?
A
- CAM focuses on:
- individuality
- holism
- self-treatment - CAM examples:
- acupuncture
- massages
- herbal treatment
- aromatherapy
- yoga - the number of people using CAM has increased
- the number of CAM therapists have increased
- this has led to some people ceasing to believe in biomedicine and western medical techniques
28
Q
- Why has Alternative Medicine become so popular?
A
- their is a lack of trust in doctors
- their is a lack of trust in pharmaceutical companies
- their is a stand against the motives of pharmaceutical companies and how they profit off of the sick
- these medicines are viewed as more natural, healthier and safer
- these medicines and practices have been promoted heavily in media and many other media sources
- with the internet being so easily accessible, people can do much of their own research on these
- people are more open-minded to experimenting with different types of health care
29
Q
- Read through this summary.
Does everything make sense to you?
A
- yes
