Health Psychology and behaviour change Flashcards
What is health psychology
Emphasises the role of psychological factors in the cause, progression and consequences of health and illness.
Aims to put theory into practice by promoting healthy behaviours and preventing illness
What are the three main categories of health behaviours
Health behaviour
illness behaviour
sick role behaviour
What is a health behaviour
a behaviour aimed to prevent disease (e.g. eating healithy)
What is a illness behaviour
a behaviour aimed to seek remedy (e.g. going to the doctor)
What is a sick role behaviour
any activity aimed at getting well (e.g. taking prescribed medications and resting)
What are examples of Health damaging/impairing behaviours
smoking , alcohol & substance abuse, risky sexual behaviour,
sun exposure, driving without a seatbelt
What are examples of health promoting behaviours
taking exercise, healthy eating , attending health checks,
medication compliance, vaccinations
What is health promotion intervention at a population scale
The process of enabling people to exert control over the determinants of health, thereby improving health
What is intervention at a individual level
patient centered approach. Care responsive to individual needs
What forms does health promotion take
Health promotion/ awareness campaigns
Promoting screening and immunisations
What is unrealistic optimism
Individuals continue to practice health damaging behaviour
due to inaccurate perceptions of risk and susceptibility
What are perceptions of risk in unrealistic optimism influenced by
- Lack of personal experience with problem
- Belief that preventable by personal action
- Belief that if not happened by now, its not likely to
- Belief that problem infrequent
What is the NICE guidance on behaviour change
- Planning interventions
- Assessing the social context
- Education and training
- Individual-level interventions
- Community-level interventions
- Population-level interventions
- Evaluating effectiveness
- Assessing cost-effectiveness
What is the health belief model
Individuals will change if they:
- believe they are susceptible to the condition
- believe it has serious consequences
- believe that taking action reduces susceptibility
- believe that the benefits outweigh the costs
What are the cues to action
Internal- something that experienced by the patient e.g. symptoms
External- something that happens to the patient e.g. GP advice
Not always necessary for behaviour change
What are the criticisms of the health belief model
Alternative factors may predict health behaviour such as outcome expectancy (whether if a patient feels healthier as a result) and self efficacy (can’t believe they can make the change)
Doesn’t consider influence of emotions on behaviour
Does not differentiate between first time and repeat behaviour
Cues to action are often missing in HBM research
What is the theory of planned behaviour
Proposes the best predictor of behaviour change is intention
Intention governed by three factors
- attitude to behaviour
- perceived social pressure to undertake behaviour or subjective norm
- perceived behavioural control: the feeling of self efficacy (the ‘i can’ feeling)
What 5 ways can we help people act on their intentions in the theory of planned behaviour
- Perceived control: taking control and responsibility for their own health
- Anticipated regret: reminding patients of consequences based on previous experiences
- Preparatory actions: dividing tasks into small goals
- Implementation intentions: getting patients to think about ‘if and then’ plans e.g. if you make a cup of tea in the morning, put your tablets next to the kettle
- Relevance to self: ensuring the advice is tailored to them and is achievable for them.
What criticisms are there for theory of planned behaviour
Interactions between attitudes, intentions and perceived behavioural control
Habits and routines bypass cognitive deliberation
Assuming that attitudes, subjective norms and PBC can be measured
Relies on self reported behaviour
What is the stages of change model/transtheoretical model
Pre-contemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance
What are the advantages of the transtheoretical model
Acknowledges the individual stages of readiness
Accounts for relapse
Temporal elements
What is social norm theory
Providing accurate information on what the majority are doing to highlight high risk taking behaviour outside of the norm
Critiscm of the social norm theory
What happens if the problem behaviour is the majority and therefore normative.
Hard to target behaviours within subgroups
Doesn’t take into account if others in an individuals circle also consider risky behaviour as a norm.
Can manipulate the truth
What other factors to consider in behaviour change
Personality traits Risk perception Impact of past behaviour/habit Automatic influences on health behaviour Predictors of maintenance of health behaviours Social environment
