Topic 3: lay health beliefs Flashcards
Define ‘lay health beliefs’
Beliefs of people with no medical training have about health + illness = may impact illness behavior
What does ‘being healthy’ mean according to Herzlich
- Reserve of health
- Heath as equilibrium
- Health in a vacuum
Define reserve of health
Having strength to resist disease e.g. feels strong enough to go on even with symptoms
Define health as equilibrium
Balance between body + mind + individual + social world e.g. feels well balanced and not in conflict despite presence of condition
Define health in a vacuum
That absence of condition = being healthy e.g. no diagnosed conditions means they are healthy even if not feeling well
What does ‘being healthy’ mean according to Blaxter?
Health as a function
Define health as function
Despite the presence of a condition:
- Ability to do things in everyday life
- Ability to achieve personal goals
Define illness behavior
Taking action with regards to identifiable symptoms
Give examples of illness related action
- Do nothing
- Visit GP
- Ask people
- OTC meds
- Alternative medicine
What are the 6 factors that influence illness behavior?
1) Beliefs
2) Knowledge
3) Triggers
4) Lay referral
5) Encouragement of self-care/help
6) Availability of CAM
Explain beliefs as a factor of influence on illness behavior
Beliefs about health or about cause of illness may impact seeking help
Explain knowledge as a factor of influence on illness behavior
- Health literacy
- Some people have more knowledge than others = able to identify potential symptoms
Explain triggers as a factor of influence on illness behavior
Something that prompts a person to seek medical help, despite other factors such as cultural beliefs
- Pressure from others
- Restricting nature of symptoms
Explain lay referral as a factor of influence on illness behavior
Asking family, friends, and community for advice or due to similar past experiences
Explain encouragement for self-care/help as a factor of influence on illness behavior
- Self-treatment is common as people opt to not seek medical help and research themselves + OTC meds
- Main conditions: headaches, migraines, period, nausea
- Often the option recommended by lay referral
Explain availability of Complementary and Alternative Medicin as a factor of influence on illness behavior
- CAM focuses on holism + self-treatment
- E.g. acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy
- Recent increase in CAM as some people have stopped believing in biomedicine
What are the 4 lay beliefs about causes of illness?
1) Individual site
2) Natural site
3) Social site
4) Supernatural site
Define individual site
Attributed to self e.g. food consumption
Define natural site
Related to environmental factors e.g. cold, pollution
Define social site
Inflicted by other due to conflict e.g. evil eye
Define supernatural site
By supernatural entities e.g. God, spirits
Where + why are all these sites more likely to be observed?
- Individual + natural = western industrialized societies
- Social + supernatural = developing countries / tribal societies
- Because western industrialized societies = integrate modern biomed into peoples lives
Describe the process of seeking medical help
1) Perception of symptoms
2) Initial decision to seek help
3) Triggers
4) Decision to seek help
- Lay referral
- GP
- Self med/ alternative med
What triggers can cause decision to seek medical help + examples?
- Interpersonal crisis = death in family
- Symptom interfere with social/personal relations = can’t go to social gatherings due to restrictions
- Sanctioning = family exerts pressure to visit GP
- Symptom interfere with physical activity = tired all the time and cannot be as productive at work
- Temporalization of symptoms = give self deadline and if symptoms presist they seek medical help
