Lay Beliefs Flashcards
What are the main factors of lay beliefs?
Socially embedded Complex From many sources Cultural, age and gender variations Concept of own control on health
How do lay beliefs affect compliance?
Gaps between lay and medical concepts can cause reduced compliance
What are the different perceptions of health and explain them
-ve: absence of illness: short term, low socioeconomic
Functional: ability to do certain things: elderly, depends on what is important to them
+ve: state of wellbeing and fitness: long term benefits, high socioeconomic, maintenance
What is lay epidemiology?
Observe and generate hypotheses from those around us
1) why and how illness happens
2) why that person at that time
But realise not always like this therefore some fate-> reduced impact of health messages
Define health behaviour
Activity to maintain health and prevent illness eg high socioeconomic don’t smoke or low socioeconomic use smoking as a way to cope
Define illness behaviour
Activity of symptomatic person to define illness, assess if medical problem and seek solution
-influenced by culture, symptom visibility, frequency, disruption to life, resources, lay referral
Define sick role behaviour
Formal response to symptoms in seeking help and acting on it
What is the illness iceberg?
Most symptoms don’t get to the doctor as people hope they will go away or use OTC meds so doctor only sees surface of illness
What is the lay referral system?
Discuss symptoms with others first and they cause you to either see doctor, delay seeing doctor or to not see doctor
Why must we understand the lay referral system?
Understand why patients delay seeking help, for health promotion, be firm as others are influencing the patient, discover what others have suggested
How do lay beliefs influence adherence due to different types of people?
Deniers and distancers-deny having illness or severe illness
Acceptors-no stigma, meds are part of routine
Pragmatists-use preventative if symptoms bad as regard illness as acute
Define lay beliefs
How people with no specialist knowledge understand and sense of health and illness
