Behaviour change

Question 1

What is health psychology?

Answer 1

It emphasises the role of psychological factors in the cause, progression and consequences of health and illness

Question 2

What are the aims of health psychology?

Answer 2

promote healthy behaviours

prevent illness

Question 3

What are the three main categories of health behaviour?

Answer 3

• health behaviour
• illness behaviour
• sick role behaviour

Question 4

What is meant by health behaviour?

Answer 4

Behaviour concerning disease prevention - exercise, healthy eating, not smoking etc.

Question 5

What is meant by illness behaviour?

Answer 5

Behaviour concerning seeking remedy - going to the doctors or pharmacy

Question 6

What is meant by sick role behaviour?

Answer 6

Behaviour concerning getting well - resting, taking medication, doing physio etc.

Question 7

What are health impairing behaviours?

Answer 7

Smoking, drinking, too much sun exposure, risky sexual behaviour, driving without a seatbelt

Question 8

What are health promoting behaviours?

Answer 8

undertaking regular exercise, attending health checks, healthy eating, medication compliance, vaccinations

Question 9

What are examples of non-modifiable risk factors?

Answer 9

• age
• sex
• ethnicity
• genetics

Question 10

What re examples of modifiable risk factors?

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What percentage of patients do not fully comply with their medication?

Answer 11

around 50%

Question 12

What is the definition of a systematic review?

Answer 12

Evidence synthesis of conclusions and outcomes from research and pool them all together to create one conclusion

Question 13

What is the definition of a meta-analysis?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What are factors affecting compliance?

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

What is the definition of a cohort study?

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

What statistical analysis method is useful when there is more than one predictive factor towards an outcome?

Answer 16

Regression analysis

Question 17

What are the different levels of intervention?

Answer 17

• Individual-level approach
• Community-level approach
• Population-level approach

Question 18

what is health promotion?

Answer 18

The process of enabling people to exert control over the determinants of health

Question 19

Which intervention level approach is health promotion usually associated with?

Answer 19

Population-level approach

Question 20

What sort of intervention is individual-level approach?

Answer 20

Patient-based

Question 21

What is the main theory explaining why people take risks with their health?

Answer 21

UNREALISTIC OPTIMISM, due to inaccurate perceptions of risk and susceptibility

Question 22

What are perceptions of risk influenced by?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Why else, other than the main theory, may people take risks with their health?

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What is lower risk perception associated with?

Answer 24

reduced attendance to follow up and reduced medication compliance

Question 25

What is the NICE guidance behaviour change?

Answer 25

1. Planning interventions
2. Assessing the social context
3. education and training
4. individual-level interventions
5. community-level interventions
6. population-level interventions
7. evaluating effectiveness
8. assessing cost effectiveness