Model - 1

A model is

Most specific; it identifies important variables related to a health issue, and possible relationships among them (but not always)

A theory explains

relationships (how variables influence each other) and allows researchers to develop testable predictions

A framework is

The broadest because it organizes ideas, concepts, or perspectives often across many health conditions or disciplines.

if health psychology is like designing a house: framework would be

blueprint sketch

if health psychology is like designing a house: theory would be

would show how rooms connect

if health psychology is like designing a house: model would be

zoom in on the kitchen sink, which is detailed and focused.

Biomedical model use

biological and genetic explanations, and it led to incredible advances in diagnostics, surgery, and pharmaceuticals

Biomedical model ignore

everything else: trauma, grief, relationships, culture, environment, injustice

Biopsychosocial model: Engel argues that

Health isn’t a biological issue; it is a dynamic interaction between biology, psychology, and the social world

Ex: of Covid-19 + Biopsychosocial model

It help us see how these factors interact—how trauma multiplies when communities are biologically vulnerable, emotionally isolated, and socially abandoned.

Critique of the Biopsychosocial model: 1) while it expands the scope of health, it can be

too individualistic (only focus on individual behavior)

what does it mean to be too individualistic?

only focusing on what’s “wrong“ inside a person rather than the system harming them

Critique of the Biopsychosocial model: 2) The “social“ part gets

watered down

what does watered down means?

“social“ is often used to mean “family support“ instead of systemic racism, state violence, public policy, healthcare system, or environmental conditions

Critique of the Biopsychosocial model: 3) Not expansive enough

Ex: what about broader level like policies or climate

Ecological Model first introduced by

developmental psychologist: Urie Bronfenbrenner

Ecological Model help us understand

how health and behavior are shaped by multiple layers of context (ex: personal relationships, community systems, broader cultural values, and change over time)

5 nested system in Ecological Model: 1) Microsystem

direct relationship like family, school, peers, and work

5 nested system in Ecological Model: 2) Mesosystem

interactions between 2 microsystems, like parent-teacher relationships, or when your best friend meets your parents

5 nested system in Ecological Model: 3) Exosystem

systems that indirectly affect the person, like a parent’s workplace or your partner’s workplace

5 nested system in Ecological Model: 4) Macrosystem

broader content like cultural or societal norms, laws, and ideologies

5 nested system in Ecological Model: 3) Chronosystem

the dimension of time, including life transitions and historical changes

Ecological Model recognize how health is shaped by systems, not just

individual

Neal and Neal's (2013) work extended the ecological model to have an understanding that

it’s more like a network connecting people and system rather than nested system

Structural Model of Health is developed by

Cohen and Colleagues (2000)

Structural Model of Health: Theory of Bad Apples

If you only identify and intervene with people who are at risk, it may only change the outcome among targeted individuals without changing the conditions continually producing risk

That is why Cohen and Colleagues extends ecological thinking by

emphasizing large-scale social and environmental structural influence on health behavior (instead of focusing on simply telling people to make better choices, this structural intervention is changing the conditions around people)

Instead of focusing on “high-risk” individuals, Structural Model interventions aim to

shift the curve by changing the entire distribution of risk across a population

Ex of Structural Model intervention

• Rather than targeting breast cancer screenings only to people who have the BRCA gene or a family history of breast cancer,

• They would include a system-wide efforts such as increasing the number of clinics, training local providers, launching public education campaigns, and revising health care policies to improve access

4 key Structural Model factors: Availability

accessing health-promoting resources (local clinics/grocery stores) or health-harming resources (ex: liquor stores) - like which on is more available

4 key Structural Model factors: Physical structures

the built environment, including parks, streetlights, and infrastructure safety

4 key Structural Model factors: Social structures

the laws, policies, and regulations that shape behavior (e.g., mask mandates, vaccine requirements)

4 key Structural Model factors: Cultural and media messages

Refer to cultural and media narratives that influence perceptions and behaviors

• Ex: COVID-19

  • Governments worldwide implemented many structural changes that affected our behavior and launched widespread media campaigns

Structural Model is use when

If the goal is to shift environmental conditions, institutional practices, or community-wide behaviors

But Structural Model doesn’t replace

individual interventions; they complement the interventions. 

A case that show both ecological and structural models

The case of Mexico’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax implemented in 2014

This policy aimed to

reduce obesity and diabetes by taxing sodas and using the revenue to fund public health initiatives. 

Ecological lens

this intervention affected multiple levels, including individual consumption, family grocery habits, and national marketing trends. 

Structural lens

It also disrupted corporate influence on health and shifted government priorities toward prevention