Health behaviours and behaviour changes

Question 1

Describe the changes in types of illness

Answer 1

• back in the days: infectious diseases

- Today: lifestyle related diseases - heart attack, lung cancer

Question 2

Alameda County study

Answer 2

Belloc and Breslow 1972

7000 people, 9 year follow up, continued to present day - started in 196. Longer life predicted by seven ‘good’ lifestyles: 7-8 hours sleep per night, no more than 1-2 units of alcohol a day, no smoking, regular physical activity, no snacking, eating breakfast, moderate weight

Question 3

What are health behaviours?

Answer 3

activities undertaken to prevent and detect disease, or improve health and well-being.

Question 4

Social cognition theories

Bandura 1977

Answer 4

Social cognition theories say that behaviour is governed by:

behaviour governed by: expectancies about beahviour and self-effiacy, incentives of conseqences behaviour, social cognitions

Question 5

Theory of planned behaviour

Ajzen and Madden

Answer 5

beliefs, evaluations, motivation and perceived power contribute to attitude towards health, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. These contribue to behavioural intention which induces behaviour.