Health beliefs and illness behaviour

Question 1

What is lay health perspectives

Answer 1

-Sociological research that explores the beliefs that people draw upon in their understanding and defining of health is referred to as ‘lay perspectives research’

Question 2

What is the ‘health as functional capacity model’ about

Answer 2

• Model focuses on the idea of health as the ability to cope with everyday activities,
• Largely a W/C conception of health.
• Health is defined in the negative, and includes the notion of ‘health as the absence of disease’

Question 3

What are some indicators of Health as functionality

Answer 3

• The ability to fulfil social and work roles as a main criterion of healthiness,
• ‘Never having a days illness’, used as a positive moral individual characteristic.

Question 4

What is the disease ‘Candidacy’ model about

Answer 4

• utilised by patients as lay explanations of relative risk (candidacy) of disease, and the relative efficacy of compliance with preventive health behaviours.
• Beliefs about heart disease risk constructed from appearance of person, or circumstances surrounding an event e.g. onset of illness

Question 5

Indicators of the disease ‘candidacy model’

Answer 5

-Retrospective identification of ‘disease candidates’, e.g. ‘he was the last person you would expect to have a heart

Question 6

Health beliefs and patient compliance

Answer 6

Its long established that patient compliance with treatment is built upon an effective relationship of concordance with clinicians. this explains the willingness of doctors to engage with and not be dismissive of patients own health beliefs about disease risk and casualty

Question 7

Help-seeking health behaviour

Answer 7

Zola (1973) found that peoples responses to symptoms were contingent upon their cultural values and beliefs concerning health- their perception of whats normal
-decision to seek professional medical help was either promoted or delayed by social factors

Question 8

What are the 5 different types of incident which trigger the decision to seek medical care

Answer 8

1) Inter-personal crisis,
2) Perceived interference with work activites,
3) Perceived interference with social/leisure activites
4) Sanctioning by others who insist help should be sought
5) Symptoms persist beyond arbitrary time set by individual