Health Related Behaviours Flashcards
How do Kasl & Cobb (1966) define health behaviour?
Any activity undertaken by a person believing themselves to be healthy for the purposes of preventing disease or detecting it at an asymptomatic stage
What does Kasl & Cobb’s definition of health behaviour not consider?
Many people engage in health-related behaviours for reasons other than prevention of disease, e.g. weight control, appearance, pleasure etc
What is the difference between behavioural pathogens and behavioural immunogens?
Pathogens: Health damaging behaviours
Immunogens: Health protective behaviours
What are the 7 key behaviours the Alameda County Study found are associated with health and longevity?
- Sleeping 7-8 hours per night
- Not smoking
- No more than 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day
- Regular exercise
- No eating between meals
- Eating breakfast
- Being no more than 10% overweight
What are the global top 10 leading risk factors for disease?
1) Underweight
2) Unprotected sexual intercourse
3) High BP
4) Tobacco
5) Alcohol
6) Unsafe water, poor sanitation/hygiene
7) Iron deficiency
8) Indoor smoke from solid fuels
9) High cholesterol
10) Obesity
What diseases/behaviours are associated with a high level of mortality in developed countries?
- Heart disease: Smoking, diet, no exercise
- Cancer: Smoking, diet, alcohol, sexual behaviour
- Stroke: Smoking, diet, alcohol
- Pneumonia/influenza: Smoking, not vaccinated
- HIV/AIDS: Unsafe sex
How do fat intake, cholesterol and salt contribute to disease?
Fat intake/cholesterol: Linked to several serious illnesses including coronary heart disease & cancer
Salt: Linked to hypertension
What are some of the negative consequences of obesity?
Hypertension Heart disease Type-2 diabetes Osteoarthritis/low back pain Psychology ill-health (e.g. low self esteem)
What are the 2 causes of obesity?
- Genetics: Greater number of fat cells, lower metabolic rates
- Behavioural/environmental factors
What is the second most used psychoactive substance in the world, after caffeine?
Alcohol
In what ways can alcohol negatively affect health?
- Alcohol dependence
- Acute/prolonged episodes of heavy drinking
What are some of the problems associated with excessive alcohol intake?
- Accidents
- Behaviour (aggression, suicide etc)
- Liver cirrhosis
- Cancer
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Stroke
What are the Australian guidelines for alcohol intake?
Men
- No more than 4 standard drinks per day on average
- No more than 6 standard drinks on any one day
Women
- No more than 2 standard drinks per day on average
- No more than 4 standard drinks on any one day
What are the main reasons young people take up smoking?
- Modelling: Children with significant others who smoke are much more likely to smoke
- Social pressure
- Weight control: Particularly in young women
- Attitudes
- Risk-taking behaviours
- Health cognition: Unrealistic optimism
What are the main reasons people continue smoking?
- Pleasure/enjoyment
- Habit/addiction
- Stress management/anxiety control
- Lack of belief in ability to quit (low self-efficacy)