Health behaviours

Question 1

How do we evaluate our health?

Answer 1

“Health is astate of complete physical, mental and social well-beingand not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” World Health Organisation

Question 2

When to seek help/ diagnosis=

Answer 2

• Should evaluate bodily signs/ feelings.
• Symptoms are perceived, evaluated and acted upon.
• Should be compared to norms of the persons, social situation and cultural differences play a important role.

Question 3

What does a diagnosis do?

Answer 3

Often gives a reason for feeling ill/unwell
- Can act as reassurance
- Can legitimise our behaviour to others (not just lazy)
Often gives expectations that doctors/healthcare professionals can treat it

Question 4

What does a diagnosis not do?

Answer 4

• Does not always provide a clear explanation for why you became ill
• Does not always give clear idea of what future holds

Question 5

Illness cognitions/ perceptions

Answer 5

Illness perceptions refer to five attitudinal dimensions:
1- identity
2= perceived cause
3= timeline
4= consequences
5= curability and controllability

= All of theses cognitions were used to develop the Leventhals self-regulatory model.

Question 6

Lventhal’s self regulatory model of illness=

Answer 6

It proposes that in response to an illness or health threat, people form their own common sense beliefs or illness perceptions about their illness and treatment. These illness perceptions influence the types of healthy behaviours and coping strategies that patients use for managing their illness and these may impact on disease outcomes.
There are three stages:
1- Interpretation: symptom perception, social messages
2- Coping= approach coping, avoidance coping
3- Appraisal= was my coping strategy effective?