Health Compromising Behaviours

Question 1

How does smoking affect dopamine release

Answer 1

Smoking has the same effect (making us feel good) as dopamine, which tricks it into release more dopamine then necessary. It’s what brings us back to smoking again and again

Question 2

How does smoking take away receptors?

Answer 2

Once we’ve been smoking for a long time, our natural levels of dopamine become not good enough to make you feel good. The body attempts to return to homeostasis by eliminating receptors, limiting the amount of dopamine which promotes even more smoking to get back to that good feeling

Question 3

What can excessive amounts of alcohol do to your body?

Answer 3

Effect your liver, stomach, intestinal tract and immune system among other things

Question 4

What are some health BENEFITS to light drinking

Answer 4

Men - lower risk of heart disease

Women - drinking 3-18 drinks a week have reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

Alcohol may promote the formation of High density lipoproteins (HDL)

Red wine is full of antioxidants - which takes away from oxidation

Question 5

How does hertidity factors contribute to obsesity?

Answer 5

Genes contribute to the development of obesity and to substantial variance in BMI

Question 6

How do hormones and the brain contribute to obesity?

Answer 6

Food intake and energy expenditure are not well understood

Question 7

What is set-point theory?

Answer 7

Body pushes us to our natural target weight using leptin - body doesn’t want to change weight, tries to stay the same

Question 8

How do social norms and values contribute to behaviours that promote obesity?

Answer 8

Stress can lead people to eat certain foods, and eat more or less than usual

People around us influence eating and activity habits (e.g wealth, parents)

Question 9

What is the internality-externality hypothesis?

Answer 9

Weight linked to source of hunger and satiety cues (e.g external or internal)

Question 10

What are two ways to prevent obesity through education

Answer 10

1. Public health campaigns
2. Health care professionals knowing how to treat obese people and facilitate change

Question 11

What are some treatment factors for preventing obesity?

Answer 11

Dieting = most common but weight loss through is usually not maintained

Need permanent lifestyle change

Question 12

What are some pharmacolgical treatments for obesity?

Answer 12

Used to decrease appetite and food consumption

Mostly ineffective, and has negative side effects (you shut down one signal, there’s still multiple others)

Question 13

What are some behavioural treatments for obesity?

Answer 13

Mindful eating - eating when hungry, stop when your not hungry (NOT when full)

20-week programs with various strategies

Question 14

What are some surgical treatments for obesity?

Answer 14

Radical method

Gastric bypass

Question 15

What is the prevalence for eating disorders - exam question

Answer 15

The prevalence for eating disorders is between 1 and 20 percent.

In adolescents 95% are females

Question 16

What is bulimia nervosa? - exam question

Answer 16

It involves binge eating followed by “purging” or vomiting

Also could involve laxative use

This disorder can lead to anemia, inflammation of the GL tract, heart arrhythmias and erosion of the dental enamel

Question 17

What is anorexia nervosa? - exam question

Answer 17

Characterized by lack of eating and extreme weight loss

Fear of gaining weight and may exercise excessively

Most find their weight loss as rewarding

The behaviour is maintained by conditioning to the cues that provided the rewards

Question 18

What are some facts that relate to twin studies and social pressure that influence eating disorders

Answer 18

Twin studies have shown that there may be a gentic component to this behaviour - when one twin suffers from this, the other one usually does aswell

Social pressure to be thin and look youthful

Hypothalamic (hypothalamus) abnormalities have been noted in anorexics (feeding and thermoregulatory (makes you cold) center)

Question 19

What are some psychological factors to developing eating disorders?

Answer 19

-Issues of control
-Low self-esteem
-Sensitivity to others feelings
-Perfectionism
-Maturity fears
-Distorted body image

Question 20

How does lack of control tend to become a contributing factor to developing a eating disorder?

Answer 20

Person may have lack of control in their lives in other areas

Often from families that do not encourage autonomy and are over demanding

Food intake is controllable

Question 21

Explain how targeting the distorted eating behaviour for treatment for eating disorders

Answer 21

Psychophysiofuntion eating

Uses a graph to show person where their eating is vs normal eating behaviour. They track the persons eating and encourage them to match with the normal eating curve

Question 22

Explain how targeting the hypothermia helps to treat a eating disorder?

Answer 22

Cranks up the heat within a room the person is in, making them unable to exercise

Question 23

Explain how targeting the physical hyperactivity helps to treat a eating disorder?

Answer 23

The person is unable to exercise, and is taught ways to eat properly

Question 24

Explain how targeting the social consequences helps to treat an eating disorder?

Answer 24

Gets the person to view themselves objectively

“I look fat” - subjective lense
“I weigh 115 pounds” - objective lense

Question 25

How do you treat bulimic individuals? - exam question

Answer 25

Eating and throwing up is not a normal behaviour, and the person usually knows what they’re doing isn’t normal

Easier to treat out of the two

Question 26

How do you treat anorixa nervosa? - exam question

Answer 26

Not as easily treated out of the two

Hiding behind “not being hungry”