Health Psych Exam

How is obesity measured?

BMI

abdominal obesity

stomach weight, increases as BMI goes up

Visceral fat

Deep fat near organs

Male-pattern obesity

apple shape, predominantly around stomach

Female-pattern obesity

pear shape, store fat in upper arms and hips

What are some problems with BMI?

does not account for muscle mass which weights more

Why does muscle mass help us maintain weight?

takes more calories for muscle to maintain itself than fat

NHANES

National health and nutrition examination survey

Why are obesity levels rising?

Food change (shift towards fast food, UPF and sugary drinks, more available and cheaper), increased cost of living, sedentary lifestyle (technology, increased screen time)

What are some consequences of obesity?

cardiovascular disease, hypertension, T2D, asthma

Adipocytes

collapsible body cells that store fat

Biological basis of weight regulation

fat cells expand and contract but when they reach their maximum storage of fat they divide

Fat-cell hyperplasia

dramatic increase in number of fat cells from normal, very hard to lose them at this point

Hazards of obesity

hyperinsulemia, metabolic syndrome

Etiology of obesity

biology, psychosocial factors, behavioral choices

Hereditary Obesity

contribute approximately 50%, 60% of obese people had obese biological parents

Support for heredity

body weight of adopted children correlate more strongly with weights of biological parents

What does genetics influence?

metabolism (basal metabolic rate)

Basal Metabolic Rate

the minimum number of calories your body requires to perform essential life-sustaining functions while at rest

Calorie

Measure of food energy equivalent to the amount of energy needed to raise temperature of one gram of water one degree celsius

Set point hypothesis

body has a sweet spot for weight, you can move beyond this point in either direction but the body tries to protect its settling point. This is adaptive because the body expects long periods hunger and can rely on fat stores but our access to food now is not what the evolutionary system was created for.

ethnicity and gender with obesity

lowest rates with non-hispanic asian, highest in non-hispanic black women and latinx men

which group has the highest prevalance of obesity in the US?

native americans

Food Deserts

geographical areas with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet

Substance use disorder

pattern of behavior characterized by impaired control, social impairment, and risky use of a drug

Behavioral Addiction

new category, gambling, gaming

How many deaths does SUD cause?

more than any other preventable health conditions

Drugs and adolescence

prevalence and incidence increase every year from age 10 to 25 then decrease, use before 18 is strong indicator of later abuse

Recognizing and Diagnosis Abuse

the continued use of a substance despite repeated occurrence of significant adverse consequences related to the use of that substance

Tolerance

the more you use something the more you will need to have the same effects, body is changing so it can avoid intoxication

Withdrawal

if stopped cold turkey, the body needs time to readjust as it has been working harder to keep you alive under the influence

Why are opiods the most painful withdrawal?

hijack pain system

how do most people die from opioids?

overdose: go through withdrawal, get clean, use again at same amount as when they stopped, but tolerance is lower, death

Psychoactive Drugs

hallucinogens, stimulants, and depressants

Hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs; marijuana, LSD; sensory changes that are not biologically real

Cannabis

hallucinogenic, depressant, and stimulant effects. At low doses, serene, positive and relaxed feelings. At high doses, paranoia, schizophrenia, heart racing. Effects last 3-6 hours.

Physical and Health risls of cannabis

chronic daily use can lead to long-term psychiatric problems, psychosis, cancer, cognitive slowing, can become dependent

Stimulants

Nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines. boost CNS activity, highly rewarding, rapid development of dependence

What is the most powerful stimulant known?

cocaine

Amphetamines

manufactured, tolerance develops quickly (when come down you get very depressed or tired)

Depressants

alcohol, sedatives, opiates. At low doses they are calming. At high doses they affect our ability to process information and our motor skills. Highly addicitve and death often occurs from slowed breathing or aspirating

Biomedical model of SUD

genetics, adopted children are more susceptible to dependency if one or both biological parents were. higher coincidince with idetical twins than fraternal twins.

Withdrawal-reflief hypothesis

the idea that drug use serves to restore abnormally low levels of key neurotransmitters, people with lower levels of these (depression, anxiety, low self-esteem) feel even better than their counterparts on the same dosage

Reward Model

Mesolimbic dopamine system

Mesolimbic dopamine system

composed of the VTA (ventral tegumental area) and NAc (nucleus accumbens). This VTA-NAc circuit is a key detector of a rewarding stimulus

Incentive-Sensitation Theory

Two-stage theory, use it to start feeling good but then become conditioned

Social Learning Models

substance use shaped by environment with parents being a strong indicator,

Social Control Theory

kids that have alot of unmonitored free time are more likely to use whereas their counterparts in alot of activities are less

Peer Cluster Theory

who you hang out with affects your usage patterns

Physical Effects of Alcohol

affects all parts of the body, major effects on hippocampus (memory)

Korsakoffs Syndrome

alcohol use dementia, inability to store new memories due to usage, deficiency of thiamin (vitamin b) and is completely reversible

Other damaging effects of alcohol

cardiovascular disease (biggest risk), liver disease, cancer, digestive issues, immune supression

Treatment Plan for Obesity

Lifestyle interventions (nutrition, exercise, maintenance, coping skills training)

Nutrition (what doesn’t work, treatment plan for obesity)

diets don’t work because people are not accurate at estimating calorie needs, hard to stick with and poor knowledge of food