Understanding patients health behaviour

Question 1

Learning outcomes

Answer 1

1. Define a range of health behaviours, and understand the importance of health behaviour (change)
2. Understand the relationship between health beliefs and health behaviours
3. Describe and understand major models of health behaviour
4. Discuss the extent to which models of health behaviour can be utilised to help people change

Question 2

What are health behaviours?

Answer 2

• “any behaviorperformed by a person, regardless of his or her perceived health status, in order to protect, promote, or maintain his or her health, whether or not such behavioris objectively effective toward that end” -Harris & Guten(1979)
• Sometimes called ‘health related behaviour’ or ‘health protective behaviour’ or ‘health promoting behaviour

Question 3

What 7 behaviours did Belloc and Breslow find were related to mortality?

Answer 3

\:•Sleeping 7-8 hours per day
•Having breakfast every day
•Not smoking•Rarely eating between meals
 •Being near or at prescribed weight
•Moderate or no alcohol
•Regular exercise

• Contemporary research suggests also:
• Healthcare utilisation and screening
• Sexual behaviours
• Adherence
• Diet

Question 4

What are some determinants of health behaviour?

Answer 4

• Heredity
• Learning -operant conditioning and social learning
• Social / environmental influences
• Emotional state
• Interaction with health professionals
• Cognitive factors -beliefs -most researched

Question 5

What are the major models of health behaviour? (focus on now)

Answer 5

Static/ continuum models
•Health Belief Model
•Protection Motivation Theory
•Theory of Planned Behaviour

Stage models
•Stages of Change Model / Transtheoretical Model
•Health Action Process Approach

Question 6

What is the health belief model?

Answer 6

Demographic variables>
1. susceptibility
2. severity
3. costs
4. benefits
5. cue to action
6. health motivation
7. perceived control
> likelihood of behaviour

Question 7

What is the protection motivation theory?

Answer 7

-severity
-susceptibility
- response effectiveness
-self efficacy
-fear >
behavioural intentions
> behaviour

Question 8

What are some shortcomings of health behaviour models?

Answer 8

•Models theorise that intention leads to behaviour, but research shows us that there is a Intention-behaviour gap
-Can be reduced using ‘implementation intentions’ which describe the what, where, how and when of a particular behaviour -goal setting approach

• The major models don’t include ‘anticipated emotions’ (link to ‘Health Beliefs’ tutorial content)
• HOW DO WE USE THESE MODELS TO CHANGE (RATHER THAN EXPLAIN) BEHAVIOURS?

Question 9

Summary of lecture

Answer 9

•Health behaviour models have been developed in an effort to explain and predict and therefore enable the design of effective interventions to encourage health-protective behaviours.

• Continuum / static models identify constructs important for behaviour change, but don’t specify stages. May be more appropriate for some health behaviours, e.g. screening
• Stage models specify that processes involved with behaviour change are different, depending upon what stage the individual is at, for e.g. in smoking cessation
• These models explain health behaviour (change) in relation to important constructs such as ‘self efficacy’, ‘health beliefs’, ‘response efficacy’ etc, but other methods are needed to produce changes in these constructs