Ch 3 Reading

Chapter 3: Health-Risk Behaviour

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

  • Identify health costs of behaviours.

  • Define health behaviour and health-risk behaviour.

  • List key health behaviours associated with elevated disease risk and their negative health effects.

  • Discuss influences on the uptake and maintenance of health-risk behaviour.

  • Discuss challenges facing risk behaviour treatment.

Health Risk Statistics

• The leading risks for death globally (World Health Organization, 2009a):

  • High blood pressure (13% of deaths)

  • Tobacco use (9%)

  • High blood glucose (6%)

  • Physical inactivity (6%)

  • Overweight or obese (5%)

• Roughly a third of deaths from prevalent diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, could be eliminated through behaviour changes.

• Human behaviour significantly impacts morbidity and mortality; patterns often established during childhood or adolescence.

Definitions of Health Behaviour

• Kasl and Cobb (1966) define health behaviour as any activity undertaken by an ostensibly healthy person to prevent disease or detect it early.

• Harris and Guten (1979) expanded this to encompass actions aimed at health maintenance, regardless of perceived health status.

• Matarazzo (1984) distinguished between behavioural pathogens (damaging to health) and behavioural immunogens (protective to health).

Understanding Health Risks

• WHO defines risk as the probability of an adverse outcome or a factor that increases this risk.

• Recognition of changing health-risk behaviours through history, e.g., smoking and sun exposure have differing perceived health effects today than in the past.

Major Health-Risk Behaviours

• Certain health-risk behaviours have been linked to increased mortality in developed countries, including:

  • Heart Disease: associated with smoking, high-cholesterol diets, and lack of exercise.

  • Cancer: linked to smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and sexual behaviour.

• The elderly population is increasing, creating higher demands on healthcare systems due to rising disease prevalence.

Specific Risk Factors and Deaths

• Top 10 risk factors according to income level:

  1. High blood pressure

  2. Tobacco use

  3. High blood glucose

  4. Physical inactivity

  5. Overweight and obesity

  6. High cholesterol

  7. Unsafe sex

  8. Alcohol consumption

  9. Childhood underweight

  10. Indoor smoke from solid fuels

Smoking

• Smoking accounts for about 9% of global deaths.

• Rates of smoking are declining due to various public health measures and education.

• Plain packaging legislation was enacted in Australia to combat smoking, along with restrictions on tobacco advertising and availability.

Alcohol Consumption

• Alcohol is the second most widely used psychoactive substance, with significant social implications.

• Current consumption levels are addressed through guidelines which vary globally.

• High-risk drinking behaviours are reported among middle-aged adults, especially men.

Illicit Drug Use

• Use of illicit drugs is associated with physical and mental health risks, though the prevalence remains lower than tobacco and alcohol.

Diet and Obesity

• Poor diet is responsible for a significant portion of cancer deaths.

• Obesity is linked to several health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes; lifestyle changes and education are necessary for prevention.

• BMI is a common measure, though it does not encompass all factors, including body composition.

Psychological Factors and Behaviours

• Factors influencing health-risk behaviours include:

  • Genetic predispositions

  • Curiosity and peer influence

  • Social learning and reinforcement

  • Self-concept and esteem

  • Stress and emotional responses

Importance of Interventions

• Encouraging healthier behaviours requires understanding the psychological, social, and emotional contexts.

• Challenges in measuring behaviours due to self-report biases must be addressed in research.

Summary of Key Points

• Health behaviours are associated with health outcomes and can be classified as either risk or protective.

• Effective health interventions must consider the complex interplay of various factors influencing behaviour changes.

• Understanding the societal and personal implications of these behaviours is essential for effective health promotion.