Theories of Healthy Living Research

Question 1

BECKER 1978
(Describe the HMB model)
Background

Answer 1

Health belief model predicts whether someone will adopt a healthy behaviour.
Developed by Rosenstock and now used as a means of predicting preventative health behaviours and responses to treatments of ill patients.

Question 2

BECKER 1978

Aim

Answer 2

To use the HBM to explain mothers adherence to a medical regime for their asthmatic children.

Question 3

BECKER 1978

Method

Answer 3

Self report to establish correlation between beliefs reported during interviews and compliance with self reported administration of medication.
70% of participants had a covert blood test to test level of medication and confirm validity of mothers answers.

Question 4

BECKER 1978

Participants

Answer 4

111 mothers
Aged 17-54
Children aged 9 months-17 years

Question 5

BECKER 1978

Procedure

Answer 5

Each mother was interviewed about their perceptions of:
1. Their child’s susceptibility to illness and asthma
2. Their beliefs about how serious asthma is
3. How much their child’s asthma has interfered with their child’s education or mothers activities and caused embarrassment.
As well as their attitudes to their doctors and medication effectiveness.

Question 6

BECKER 1978

Results

Answer 6

Positive correlation between the compliance to the medical regime and the mothers belief of child’s susceptibility and seriousness of asthma.
Demographic factors that correlated with compliance were married and educated mothers.
Negative correlation between compliance and disruption to daily routine/child complaining about it.
One conflict with HBM that mothers who were compliant reported less faith in medical practitioners.

Question 7

BECKER 1978

Conclusion

Answer 7

Overall supports the HBM making it a useful tool to predict and explain different levels of compliance with medical regimes.

Question 8

ROTTER 1966
(Describe LOC with reference to health behaviours)
Intro

Answer 8

The locus of control is the extent to which someone believes they have control over events that occur. Someone with an internal locus of control will believe they are in control of events, whereas someone with an external locus of control assumes they can’t influence due to their lack of control of factors causing the event.

Question 9

ROTTER 1966

Aim

Answer 9

Julian Rotter investigated the locus of control theory when it was applied to health behaviours. He suggested that healthy behaviours are heavily influenced by an individual’s perception of the extent to which they have control over there own health.

Question 10

ROTTER 1966

Method

Answer 10

Review article.

Question 11

ROTTER 1966

Sample

Answer 11

Six pieces of research into individual perceptions of ability to control outcomes based on reinforcement.

Question 12

ROTTER 1966

Results

Answer 12

The research consistently showed that participants who felt they had control over the situation were more likely to show behaviours that would enable them to cope with potential threats, than participants that believed chance determined the effects of their behaviours.
Specifically, research by James et al found that male smokers who gave up smoking and did not relapse had a higher level of internal locus of control than those that did not quit.

Question 13

ROTTER 1966

Conclusion

Answer 13

Rotter concluded that the locus of control theory can be applied to many behaviours, not just health.

Question 14

BANDURA 1977
(Describe self efficacy as a theory of health belief)
Background

Answer 14

Self-efficacy is the belief in ones ability to succeed or fail in a particular situation. It was developed by Bandura from the concept of internal locus of control.

Question 15

BANDURA 1977

Aim

Answer 15

To asses the self-efficacy of patients engaging in systematic desensitisation for snake phobias.

Question 16

BANDURA 1977

Method

Answer 16

Quasi experiment.

Question 17

BANDURA 1977

Participants

Answer 17

9 females 1 male, all snake phobic.
Aged 19-57.
Replied to an advertisement.

Question 18

BANDURA 1977

Procedure

Answer 18

Bandura measured their level of fear and perception of how well they could cope before and after desensitisation. Under controlled conditions they were shown pictures of snakes, once the arousal had reduced they were put in a room with snakes. Eventually they could cope with the snakes.

Question 19

BANDURA 1977

Results

Answer 19

This proved that desensitisation does work as the second fear levels were lower and how well they could cope levels were higher. Also supports self efficacy as it led to a change in perception, as well as finding that it is a cognitive and behavioural concept. Cognitive because of the perception that changes behaviour and behavioural as perception is learned from past experiences, which links to enactive influences that can affect self- efficacy.

Question 20

BANDURA 1977

Conclusion

Answer 20

Bandura found that self-efficacy can be changed and that desensitisation works, which comes from associating the snake with nothing happening. - classical conditioning.