Health Promotion

Question 1

primary care

Answer 1

promoting behaviour that facilitates the avoidance of disease, ill health or injury

Question 2

secondary care

Answer 2

treating an illness once it has developed

Question 3

health psychologists are increasingly recognising that in order to have a healthy society they need to

Answer 3

have a more proactive primary care approach of health promotion instead of the inadequate reactive stance that is secondary care

Question 4

Strategies for promoting health

Answer 4

– fear arousal
– Yale model of communication
– providing information

Question 5

Fear arousal

Answer 5

-a key feature of many health promotions
campaigns
-works by letting people know bad things will happen to them unless they change their ways

Question 6

Fear arousal was investigated by

Answer 6

*Cowpe (1989)
*Janis and Feshbach (1953)

Question 7

Aim of Cowpe’s (1989) study

Answer 7

-In the UK from 1976-1984, chip-pan fires were the major cause of domestic fires and accidents
-The study aimed to test the effectiveness of an advertising campaign warning people about chip pan fires

Question 8

How chip pan fires were a problem

Answer 8

-Approximately 1/3 of all domestic fires were caused by chip pans
-In 1981, there were 21 deaths and 1372 injuries caused by 15000 chip-pan fires in the UK
-Chip-pan fires were a major cost to the taxpayer in terms of providing emergency rescue crews and police and the associated costs to the National Health Service

Question 9

What type of experiment was Cowpe’s (1989) study

Answer 9

quasi-experiment

Question 10

Describe the advertisement campaign the UK made to combat chip pan fires

Answer 10

-Two sixty-second advertisements involving the usage of chip pans were made, as well as advertisements dedicated to avoiding chip pan fires
-These advertisements were screened on UK Television between 1976 and 1984
-Ten regions were shown the advertisements

Question 11

How Cowpe (1989) measured the effectiveness of the campaigns

Answer 11

through the usage of fire brigade statistics

Question 12

The results of Cowpe’s (1989) study

Answer 12

-an overall 12% decrease in fires (7-25% depending on area) over 12 months
-largest reduction was actually during the time that the campaign was running
-high awareness levels and recall of the adverts existed for a considerable time as shown by questionnaires

Question 13

Conclusions of Cowpe’s (1989) study

Answer 13

-advertising campaign was proved effective as shown by the reduction of chip pan fires
-as time passes the effectiveness of the campaign passes away
-viewers are less likely to be influenced by the campaign if overexposed

Question 14

Aim of the study conducted by Janis and Feshbach (1953)

Answer 14

to test if a level of fear would have a behavioral consequence in relations to tooth-brushing

Question 15

Sample of Janis and Feshbach’s (1953) study

Answer 15

-50 high-school students (mean age 15 years) divided into 4 groups
-Depending on the group they were in, they either received:
*a strong fear message involving tooth decay
*a moderate fear message involving tooth decay
*a low-fear message involving tooth decay
*a video involving the functions of the human eye (control group)

Question 16

The results of Janis and Feshbach’s (1953) study

Answer 16

-76% of the high fear group worried (42% increase after watching the video) about tooth decay
-46% of the low fear group felt worried (24% increase after watching the video) about tooth decay
-28% of the high-fear group reportedly changed habits after being exposed to the video
-50% of the low fear group changed their tooth-brushing habits after being exposed to the video
-Minimal fear elicited the most resistance to the counter-propaganda and strong fear, the least resistance

Question 17

Conclusions of Janis and Feshbach’s (1953) study

Answer 17

-Students in the high-fear group had a quick emotional reaction but less behaviour change
-Fear appeals can be helpful in changing behaviours, but it is important that the level of fear is tailored to each audience

Question 18

Who created the Yale Model of Communications?

Answer 18

Hovland et al (1953)

Question 19

What does the Yale Model of Communication state

Answer 19

-there are several factors that will affect how likely a person is to change their behaviour in response to a cue in the environment
-takes into account the fact that a person’s behaviour is unlikely to change unless their thoughts or attitude towards the behaviour change first

Question 20

The aspects of communication the model focuses on

Answer 20

*The communicator (who says it)
*The communication (what is said)
*The audience (to whom it’s said)

Question 21

The Communicator

Answer 21

Focuses on credibility, as well as sources for the message given. This can be achieved through using academic advice, appropriately qualified people, as well as personal experiences and trustworthiness (e.g. group-based drug therapies led by ex-drug user)

Question 22

The Communication

Answer 22

Focuses on the arousal given by the message promoted. The Health Belief Model suggests that perceived threat is a prerequisite for positive health behaviours. The Yerkes–Dodson Law of Arousal states that each individual has their own optimal level of arousal and it is important for an effective message to be strong enough to increase attention, but not too unpleasant as to produce high levels of anxiety

Question 23

The Audience

Answer 23

Focuses on considering the proper demographic and type of issue that is being promoted. With complicated issues, it is better to spell out the conclusions whereas when there is a simple message or it is addressing well-informed people, let them make their own conclusions. Also, where possible, the audience should be involved in some way by posing questions or using point-of-view filming

Question 24

Outline what the Health Belief Model says about healthy behaviour

Answer 24

States that people are motivated by fear to protect their health

Question 25

A study that supports the Health Belief Model views on health promotion

Answer 25

Leventhal (1967)

Question 26

Findings of Leventhal’s (1967) study

Answer 26

-Demonstrated the health belief model with an experiment involving cigarette smokers
-Participants who were exposed to high fear appeal, involving watching a film of a lung surgery changed their intentions regarding smoking more than those exposed to moderate fear appeal

Question 27

The study on ‘providing information’ was conducted by

Answer 27

Lewin (1992; 2002)

Question 28

why is providing information important in health psychology

Answer 28

Giving patients information to make them informed decisions could be a good way to promote healthy behaviours

Question 29

Aim of Lewin’s (1992) study

Answer 29

wanted to find out if home-based programmes would reduce psychological distress in making decisions

Question 30

The procedure of Lewin’s (1992) study

Answer 30

randomly allocated 176 patients who had suffered
a heart attack to either a self-help rehabilitation program based on a heart manual or receive standard care plus a placebo package of information and informal counselling

Question 31

How psychological distress was measured in Lewin’s (1992) study

Answer 31

They measured psychological adjustment which was assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Question 32

Results of Lewin’s (1992) study

Answer 32

-Psychological adjustment was better in the rehabilitation group at one year
-Rehabilitation group also had less contact with general practitioners during the following year and significantly fewer were readmitted in the first six months
-Clinically anxious or depressed patients had the most significant improvements

Question 33

Conclusion of Lewin’s (1992) study

Answer 33

While the cost-effectiveness of the home-based programme has yet to be compared with that of a hospital-based programme, the findings of this study indicate that it might be worth offering such a package to all patients who have had a heart attack

Question 34

Issues and Debates of strategies for promoting health: Individual vs Situational

Answer 34

-All strategies must tackle both individual and situational factors as people could adhere to these strategies depending on the situational gains for them whereas others may be more affected by campaigns that are directed towards them personally (by age, behaviour or sex for example)
-The interaction between these needs to be considered so that theories do not become too deterministic and promote the ideas that a person’s health behaviour can be changed through the use of one simple strategy

Question 35

Issues and Debated of strategies for promoting health: Applications to Everyday Life

Answer 35

-Both Fear Arousal and the Yale Model of Communication can be used to create strategies that marketing companies and practitioners can use to change health behaviours although Janis and Feshbach’s Fear Arousal Model is best used for addictive negative health behaviours such as smoking and drinking
-Prevention of illness is a more effective way to deal with illnesses
-Campaigns that promote healthier lives (such as encouraging exercise) helps not only an individual but the entire medical community

Question 36

Who conducted research into health promotion at schools

Answer 36

Tapper et al. (2003)