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define health behaviours
actions people take to improve/maintain their health
examples: exercising, safe sex, eating healthy, using a seatbelt, meditation
why are health behaviours relevant to morbidity and morality
reducing mortality: health behaviours directly impact mortality rate (such as with smoking- by not smoking individuals reduce their risk of early death)
health behaviours help prevent diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and help manage existing conditions (exercising and eating healthy helps to manage diabetes)
what is the health belief model
decisions about health behaviour are based on four interacting factors:
-perceived susceptibility
-perceived severity
-perceived benefits
-costs
strength and weakness of the health belief model
strengths: 1. includes useful constructs 2. subjective model: focuses on individual’s beliefs
weaknesses: 1. assumes behaviour is rational (ignores emotions) 2. assumes people have skills to alter their behaviour 3. ignores social context of behaviour 4. most relevant for “preventative behaviour”
what are the 3 health behaviour models
health belief model
theory of planned behaviour
transtheoretical model
what is the theory of planned behaviour
Individuals plan what they are going to do, then we can predict behaviour (specifies relationships among attitudes and behaviour)
-behaviour intention shaped by 3 factors:
attitudes towards the behaviour (positive or negative feelings about engaging in a particular behaviour- beliefs about the outcome and evaluation of the outcome)
subjective norm (perceived expectations and beliefs of people who matter to you- motivation to comply with norms)
perceived behavioural control (can i do it? need to feel that you are able to do it and action have intended effect)
strength and weaknesses of the theory of planned behaviour
strengths: includes social aspect of health behaviours (norms) 2. doesn’t assume people want to be healthy (attitudes) 3. includeds persons beliefs about ability to change (control)
weaknesses: 1. predicts intentions not behaviour 2. people dont always do what they intend to do
what is the transtheoretical model
analyzes stages and processes people go through in attempting to bring about behaviour change (originally developed to treat addictive disorders)
what are the stages of the transtheoretical model
precontemplation- no intention of changing behaviour (giving info about problem-experience of feelings)
contemplation- aware a problem exists, no commitment to action (having people assess how they feel)
preparation- intent upon taking action (commiting to act)
action- active modification of behaviour (substituting alternative behaviours)
maintenance- sustained change- new behaviour replaces old (reward self for success)
relapse- fall back into old patterns of behaviour
strengths and weaknesses of the transtheoretical model
strengths: 1. practical-doesn’t force techniques into one theory 2. realistic- acknowledges that people can be at different stages
weaknesses: 1. does not provide new techniques 2. people may be in same stage for different reasons
what are the different behaviour change approaches
self-monitoring, operant conditioning (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment), contingency contracting, stimulus control, implementation intentions
what is self-monitoring
-track the frequency of target behaviour
-track stimuli associated with behaviour
-track consequences that follow (how do you feel (mood); energy levels)
-use data to set goals
(effects tend to be short lived)
what is operant conditioning
-pairs a voluntary behaviour with consequences (an act of chosen behaviour is followed by a reward or positive feedback from the environment
-results: 1. reinforced behaviour is more likely to be tried again 2. punished behaviour is less likely to be chosen in the future
positive reinforcement: get a reward after engaging in behaviour
negative reinforcement: increases likelihood behaviour will occur again by taking away something you don’t like
positive punishment: administer unpleasant consequence (add something bad)
negative punishment: taking away something good to make it more likely you will engage in behaviour again (remove pleasant stimulus)
contingency contracting
create a contract with someone else, who then administers the punishment/reward
stimulus control
poor health habits are often the result of cues in our environment
-stimulus control interventions:
remove “problem stimuli from the environment”
add new cues for healthier choice
implementation intentions
make simple plan that links situations/cues to goal behaviour (how;when;where to implement a health behaviour)
changes in intention lead to changes in behaviour
what is the importance of the speaker, use of fear and message framing in the effectiveness of health communication
speaker: a message is more likely to lead to behaviour change if it comes from an expert, the speaker is perceived as trustworthy, and the speaker doesn’t have anything to gain
use of fear: with too much fear it causes anxiety, defensiveness and backfires. with too little fear, there is no motivation and boredom
message framing: different ways to present the same information (gain and loss framed)
gain-framed messages
emphasizes benefits or advantages associated with behaving a certain way (approach oriented)
loss-framed messages
emphasizes costs or risks associated with not behaving that way (avoidance oriented)
what works better? gain-framed or loss-framed messages
depends on the type of behaviour and person
-illness detection behaviours: loss-frame is better (mammogram, HIV test) (potential for losses: might find a disease)
-health promotion behaviours: gain-frame better (exercise, getting a vaccine) (potential for gain: may prevent illness)
what is physical activity
an bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require expenditure of energy
-natural for humans and different from exercise and physical fitness
-includes yard work, housework, child care, occupational activity, exercise, leisure time activity
what is exercise
planned, repetitive, and purposeful physical activity
-improves or maintains one or more aspects of physical fitness
physical fitness
includes set of attributes or characteristics that people have or achieve that relates to ability to perform physical activity
-cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition
describe the guidelines for physical activity in adults
150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity OR 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity OR Equivalent mix of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity AND 2 or more days of muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscles groups
summarize the physical and psychological benefits of regular exercise
physical: protection against at least 25 chronic diseases and illness; stronger vaccine response; weight regulation; high health-related quality of life
psychological: psychological well-being; happier; lower levels of anger/stress; lower rates of depression and anxiety disorders
describe factors that may contribute to inadequate physical activity, including forecasting myopia and self-efficacy
-lack of time, money, or energy
-individual beliefs regarding health benefits and ability (exercise self-efficacy)
-attitudes about exercise
-environmental barriers (built environment- aspects of one’s surroundings that are human made and modifiable)
-we tend to underestimate how much we will enjoy exercising (affective forecasting)
describe the characteristics of effective physical activity interventions
—incorporate principles of self-control (self-monitoring, setting goals, and planning)
-increase intrinsic motivation
-match individuals to stage of readiness for change
-promote personal values/individualized
-promote general lifestyle changes
circadian rhythm
the bodys natural 24 hour cycle of sleep and wakefulness, roughly matched to the daynight cycle of light and dark
sleep stages
four distinct patterns of brain waves and muscle activity that are associated with different types of consciousness and sleep
Sleep cycles
The patterns of shifting through all the sleep stages over the course of the night “Cycle” through all the sleep stages in about 90 minutes on average
non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep
stage 1: lightest and earliest stage of sleep, important for procedural memory
stage 2: breathing and heart rate evens out, body temp drops, important for encoding new info
stage 3: deep sleep stage important for declarative memory
importance of NREM sleep for health
Restores energy
Strengthens the immune system
Prompts the body to release growth hormone
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep
Eyes move back and forth, breathing and heart rates vary, and dreams occur Important for: Consolidating memories Solving problems
effects of sleep loss on body
brain: diminished focus, poor memory, increased risk of depression
immune system: suppression of immune cell production and increased risk of viral infections
fat cells: increased production increasing chance of obesity
joints: increased inflammation and arthritis
heart: increased risk of high blood pressure
stomach: increased hunger
muscles: reduced reaction time and strength
describe the obesity trends among U.S. adults over the past 40 yrs
heavily increasing, primarily in red states and rural areas
Basal metabolic rate
calories needed to maintain bodily functioning
Set point theory of weight
Each individual has an ideal biological weight, which cannot be greatly modified
what role does insulin play in long-term weight regulation
insulin signals body to store glucose
why do diets fail?
biological reasons: decreased basal metabolic heart rate
psychological reasons
what are the consequences of weight cycling?
-basal metabolic rate slows; making it harder to spend energy
-eating becomes more influenced by cognitive, social and emotional factors
-violating a diet can lead to dropping a diet
-being hungry for long period of time increases the obsession with food
what is weight cycling
weight cycling, also known as yo-yo dieting, refers to the repeated loss and regain of body weight.
what is metabolic syndrome
metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It is characterized by a combination of factors such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waist, abnormal cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance.
the milkshake studies results
-the eating of non‐dieters is influenced more by hunger than by cognitive, social, or emotional factors: they eat less after a preload, It doesn’t matter whether they think the preload is high fat, It doesn’t matter if they are stressed
-the eating of dieters is influenced more by cognitive, social, and emotional factors than by hunger: they eat more after a preload, they eat more if they think the preload is high fat, they don’t eat more if they think the preload is low fat, they eat more after stress
the ancel keys study results
-most participants gained back the weight they lost, plus more
-psychological effects: obsession with food, eating rituals, weak, tired, irritable, no self control, anxious, nervous, self‐centered, apathetic, clinical depression, psychotic reactions (in 1/6thof the subjects)
Obesity-Health Confounds
Sedentary lifestyle, Avoiding the doctor, Poverty/SES
What is Weight Stigma?
Prejudice and discrimination aimed at people based on their body weight or size
Also known as weight bias, weight‐based discrimination, and fatphobia
Weight Stigma in Health care
Physicians view patients with obesity as…
Less self‐disciplined
Less compliant
More annoying
As patient BMI increases, physicians report…
Having less patience
Less desire to help the patient
Seeing patients with obesity as a waste of their time
Having less respect for patients
consequences of weight stigma
higher rates of depression, anxiety and social isolation, poorer psychological adjustment
Global warming
recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earth's surface. Caused by increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Climate change
any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time.
The Climate Paradox
Scientific certainty about climate change and role of human behavior has increased. Meanwhile: little decisive action and little change.
The Role of Psychology in Climate Change
Researchers are working to:
• understand the disconnect between the urgency of the situation and general inaction
• develop ways to counteract it
Psychological Barriers to Climate Action
1.Ignorance
2.Denial
3. Perceived Behavioral Control People may not act because they perceive they have little control over the outcome Solution: promote collective efficacy
4. Social Comparison, Norms People compare their actions with those of others and assign value to their behavior based on that of the people around them
5. Conflicting goals and aspirations: Becoming “greener” may conflict with other important goals
How to Approach Climate Change: Five Insights from Psychological Science
1.People are social beings who respond to group norms.
2.Message framing matters.
3.People tend to discount future and distant events.
4.Appealing to people’s intrinsic motivational needs can be a more effective and long‐lasting driver of behavior change.
5.The human brain privileges experience over analysis.
Note
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