Health Psychology Studies

Quist-Paulsen et al. (2003)

Aim

To determine whether a nurse-led smoking cessation intervention affects smoking cessation rate in patients admitted for coronary heart disease.

Method

Field Experiment

Procedure

• Sample consisted of 240 individuals under 76 years old in a Norwegian hospital

  • All participants had myocardial infarction and were regular smokers

• Participants in the experimental condition were given booklets focused on fear arousal around the benefits of quitting smoking while the control condition received no interventions

  • The fear arousal was operationalized through a message stating that they will likely experience another heart attack if they continue smoking

  • The booklets also outlined ways to prevent relapse and use nicotine alternatives

• Smoking cessation rates were determined after 12 months using a self-report questionnaire and biochemical verification

Results

• 57% of patients in the experimental condition (intervention group) quit smoking

• 37% of the control group (non-intervention group) quit smoking

Conclusion

• This study indicates that using the health belief model can help individuals engage in healthier behaviour

  • The fear arousal of the threat of further heart attacks increases perceived susceptibility and severity

  • Information on quitting smoking helps increase self-efficacy by providing feasible solutions

  • Highlighting the benefits of quitting increases modifying variables

• Overall, the study’s success indicates that influencing the cognitive processes outlined in the Health Belief Model can lead to more effective health promotion

Strengths

• Provides Evidence of Long-Term Effects

  • The use of a longitudinal design allows for the long-term effects of this strategy to become apparent

• High Validity of Results

  • Use of both self-report data and a biochemical test (method triangulation) improves the results’ validity by limiting social desirability effect from participants

Limitations

• Low Generalizability

  •  The results cannot be generalized to other cultures since the sample only contained participants from Norway, a low PDI country

  • Research such as Meeuwsen, van den Brink-Muinen, and Hofstede (2009) indicate that cultures with different PDI have different doctor-patient interactions

  • This approach of health promotion may be less successful in countries with different expectations of doctor-patient interactions

• Experimental Mortality

  • A portion of the sample did not complete the experiment due to withdrawing or passing away

  • These participants may have had more difficulty quitting smoking and thus not wanted their data collected or may have suffered from a more severe addiction, leading to further harms on health

  • By excluding this portion of the sample, the results may not be as accurate to the general population of smokers

Khoshgoftar et al. (2019)

Aim

To determine if an HBM-based intervention would encourage healthier mobile phone use.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

• A total of 112 female high school students were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group, with 56 students in each

• The intervention consisted of six 90-minute educational sessions based on HBM constructs, delivered over six months

  • Some were educational about the risks, highlighting perceived severity and susceptibility

  • Other sessions focused on the benefits of healthy phone use

  • The last few sessions consisted of building self-efficacy through teaching goal-setting and given small groups to encourage each other in

Results

• Before the intervention, participants had similar baseline phone addiction characteristics

• At the two-month follow-up, the experimental group has significantly lower phone use

Conclusion

• By highlighting the benefits and risks associated with phone use, researchers induced greater perceived threat and evaluation of current behaviour

• The lessons on goal-setting and support groups help increase self-efficacy, encouraging individuals to try to achieve healthier behaviour

Strengths

• The study measures the constructs it intends to increase along with overall effect of intervention

  • Since the results also demonstrated an increase in the constructs of perceived risk and self-efficacy, this indicated that the results actually reflect the study’s intention

  • Helps ensure that the operationalization is correct and reliable

Limitations

• Use of only questionnaires increases the effect of social desirability bias and therefore reduces the validity of results

  • Especially true for a sample of teenage girls who likely experience high self-consciousness and would like to be viewed more positively

Lowe et al. (2004)

Aim

To investigate the role of SCT on healthy eating (increased fruit and vegetable intake) in British school children

Method

Field experiment and questionnaire

Procedure

• Sample consisted of students from two schools where one school was the experimental group and the other was the control group

• Students were provided an option of fruit/vegetables or snacks

  • Researchers used a 5-point scale to quantify the rate of selection

• Parents received a questionnaire about their children’s eating habits

• Experimental condition was shown the Food Dudes program

  • Depicted people defeating the Junk Punks and commenting on the deliciousness of healthier food

  • Teachers read a letter from the Food Dudes and students received a package about healthy eating

  • Prizes and encouragement were offered for healthy eating

Results

• Students in the experimental condition significantly increased vegetable and fruit intake (from 4% to 68%)

  • The effect persisted over time with students eating 12 times their original fruit consumption

• Students in the control group had no change despite being offered fruit and vegetables

Conclusion

• The videos incorporated aspects of social cognitive theory which helped cause students to replicate the behaviour of the Food Dudes

  • Attention and retention through the depiction of beating up villains (Junk Punks)

  • Motivation through rewards likely increased motivation for further replication

  • Package explaining healthy eating and greater accessibility towards healthier foods increased self-efficacy

Strengths

• Data triangulation through having both the questionnaire and measuring intake at school

  • Collecting information from two environments provides a more holistic understanding of students’ behaviour

  • Use of directly measured data reduces the potential social desirability effect from parents’ responses to questionnaire

• The operationalization of social cognitive theory involved most of the theory’s aspects

  • Provides a more accurate reflection of how this model can improve health promotion

Limitations

• This approach may not be feasible for many populations

  • Many schools may not have the regular attendance or funding to provide regular sessions and healthier food options

  • Thus, this specific method caters towards the richer population, reducing equity of health

Sanderson and Yopyk (2007)

Aim

To test how social cognitive theory can be applied to increase practice of safe sex.

Method

True laboratory experiment

Procedure

• 220 participants joined the study via an advertisement (self-selected sample)

• Participants either watched an HIV prevention video or were part of a ‘waitlisted’ control group

  • Within the experimental condition, the people depicted in the video were either all male or all female

  • The videos discusses safe condom use, respect for one’s partner, and how to decline sexual activity if the partner does not want it

  • Participants watched these videos alone for comfort and to reduce confounding variables from social interaction

• Immediately after the videos, they filled in a questionnaire about their history of condom use and confidence in using them

• Another questionnaire was asked 3 months later with the same questions

Results

• Individuals who watched the video were more likely to have used condoms during their most recent sexual experience than the control condition

• Participants who saw the female-only video condition were more likely to have consistent condom use

Conclusion

• The video explanations help increase self-efficacy and therefore the probability of replicating the behaviour outlined in the intervention

Strengths

• Has higher internal validity, something difficult to achieve in research on health promotion

  • The separation of participants as they watched the video eliminates reactions of others changing behaviour

  • Having a video allows for complete consistency across participants, improving reliability of results

• Social desirability effect is somewhat limited by keeping participants anonymous

  • Participants are more likely to provide sensitive information if their identity is unattached to their data

Limitations

• The sample consisted solely of university students who are likely more educated and richer than the average individual

  • They therefore have greater access and original understanding of birth control/protection

  • The sample may not represent other populations which have greater perceived barriers to accessing condoms

  • The sample also did not exclude any homosexual participants who have unique barriers (eg. stigmatization) which are not explored in this study