Behaviour Change

Question 1

What are health behaviours?

Answer 1

Behaviours that are related to the health status of the individual

Question 2

What psychological factors (elements) influence health behaviour and behaviour change?

Answer 2

Threat
Fear
Barriers
Benefits
Subjective norms
Attitudes
Response efficacy
Cognitions
Intentions
Cue to action

Question 3

Why might some people be resistant to behaviour change/relapse?

Answer 3

We are creatures of habit
Simply just giving information isn’t effective
Short term vs long term difficulties/change
Some people don’t like being told what to do/what’s best for them if they don’t believe it themselves
Lack of motivation

Question 4

What is behaviourism?

Answer 4

The scientific study of how reward and punishment affect emotion and behaviour - behaviour is a conditioned response occurring in the presence of a stimuli and is learned - so can also be unlearned/modified through conditioned learning

Question 5

What are two ways in which we can understand behaviour?

Answer 5

The behaviour change wheel: opportunity, motivation and capability (sources of behaviour) are influenced by intervention functions and then policy categories

COM-B model: capability -> motivation + opportunity = behaviour

Question 6

What are the steps to behaviour change in practice?

Answer 6

Define the behavioural problem

What target behaviour will address the problem?

Clear plan of how target behaviours will be performed

Assess change using COMB framework: do they have the capability, motivation and opportunity to engage in the behaviour change?

Question 7

What are the 3 social cognition theories to explain the relationship between social cognitions (beliefs, attitudes, goals) and behaviour?

Answer 7

Health belief model

Theory of planned behaviour

Transtheoretical model

Question 8

Outline the health belief model

Answer 8

Explore susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers to perceived threat and efficacy to change health behaviour

Question 9

Outline the theory of planned behaviour model

Answer 9

Explore behavioural attitude (beliefs and outcome evaluation), subjective norm (normative beliefs/motivation) and perceived behavioural control (self efficacy) to allow behavioural intention and behaviour change

Question 10

Outline the transtheoretical model of stages of behaviour change

Answer 10

5 phases:
Precontemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance/Relapse

Temptations can cause relapse
Pros of behavioural change and self efficacy and influence progression through the stages