BSS- Acquiring health beliefs + behaviours

Question 1

What is health behaviour? What are the 2 types?

Answer 1

• Behaviour related to the health status of the individual
  –Health impairing habits
  (behavioural pathogens, maladaptive behaviours)
  –Health protective behaviour
  (behavioural immunogens, adaptive behaviours)

Question 2

How does Socialisation explain how health behaviour is acquired?

Answer 2

• The shaping of an individual’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviour through the training that the social environment provides
  > Can be explained by behavioural theories of learning

Question 3

How does Learning explain how health behaviour is acquired?

Answer 3

• A relatively permanent change in behaviour as a result of experience….
  > Does not always involve deliberate activity
  > May be adaptive or maladaptive (e.g. addiction)
  > Maladaptive learned behaviour can be changed or modified

Question 4

What do behavioural theories of learning explain? What do they not take into account? What are the implications of them?

Answer 4

• Acquisition of habits and other patterns of behaviour
• Explain the initiation, acquisition and maintenance of
  addictive (and other) behaviour
  > Do not take into account thoughts and beliefs
• Offer principles for treatment and management of addictive behaviour

Question 5

Classical conditioning is 1 type of behavioural theoriesof learning.
- Describe what it is
- Relate it to the acquisition of an alcohol habit

Answer 5

• Simple form of learning not concerned with “higher” mental processes, e.g. thought
• Association of an already existing ‘automatic’ response with a new stimulus
• Responses not under voluntary control

Question 6

How can we use classical conditioning for the treatment of alcoholism?

Answer 6

Question 7

Operant conditioning is 1 type of behavioural theories of learning.
- Describe what it is

Answer 7

• Learned association between voluntary actions and their consequences or outcomes:
• Stimulus > Response > Reinforcement
  > Explains:
  – the acquisition of new responses
  – how behaviour, beliefs and attitudes can be shaped
  – how behaviour can be maintained

Question 8

What are the 2 key principles of operant conditioning?

Answer 8

• Reinforcement:
  Increases probability of response
  – Positive/negative
• Punishment:
  Decreases probability of response

Question 9

Social learning is 1 type of behavioural theories of learning.
- Describe what it is?

Answer 9

• Modelling/observational learning can occur without reinforcement
• Learning is more likely if the model is:
  – Similar, e.g. gender, age
  – High status
• Important in initiation of behaviour and acquisition of beliefs and attitudes

Question 10

What is a habit? What are the dependent on? Are the hard to change?

Answer 10

• Behaviour that is well established and performed automatically
• Does not involve cognitions (e.g. beliefs)
• A habit is not dependent on reinforcement
• It’s more dependent on antecedent cues
  (triggers)
  > Hard to change - need to change antecedent cues to change the behaviour

Question 11

Can we predict health behaviour from beliefs?

Answer 11

• Yes using social-cognition models
• Assume behaviour is under voluntary control
  1– The Health Belief Model
  2– The Theory of Reasoned Action/ The Theory of Planned Behaviour

Question 12

What does the health belief model explain? What are the implications of the model?

Answer 12

• Individual’s health related action is the result of:
  1- the perception of one’s susceptibility to illness,
  2- perceived seriousness of that illness
  3- potential benefits and costs involved in one’s actions.

*Provides a useful framework for understanding why people engage in health behaviours and how to design effective health promotion interventions.

Question 13

What do the theory of reasoned action/ theory of planned behaviour explain?

Answer 13

• Human behaviour is under voluntary control and hence is largely guided by intention to engage in a particular behavior
  > 3 factors contribute to the formation of these intentions:

Question 14

What part of the TPB model do the following statements apply to?
1- How likely is it you will regularly eat healthy food?
2- To eat healthy food regularly is boring/reasonable/useful
3- Most people important to me approve of me eating healthy food
4- How easy/difficult will it be for you to eat healthy food?

Answer 14

1- Behavioural intention
2- Attitude towards behaviour
3- Subjective norm
4- Perceived behavioural control (strongest predictor of intentions)

Question 15

What part of the Health belief model do the following statements apply to?
1- Why don’t people stick to diets and exercise programmes?
2- Why is screening behaviour low?
3- What are effective cues to action?

Answer 15

1- Low susceptibility/severity, barriers outweigh benefits
2- Barriers
3- Fear arousing campaigns