Perceptions Of Health

Perceptions of health and well being

Lived experiences, health, illness and disease.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Lifestyle and health


Lifestyle and health

How we live, how we think about and understand our lives influences our behaviour.

How we behave affects our health

Our health is determined, to a large extent, by the decisions we make in our everyday lives.


Physical Activity, Fatness and Health


• In addition to allergic diseases, educational level and physical activity are associated with adult onset asthma, which indicates a role for factors associated with life style. (Huovinen et al 2001)

• There is strong evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of colon cancer by up to 50%. (Peters et al 2001)

• Relationships between C-R fitness and CHD risk status in adolescents are mediated by fatness, whereas the observed relationships with fatness are independent of fitness. Primary prevention of CHD during childhood should therefore concentrate upon preventing or reversing undue weight gain. (Boreham et al 2001)

Physical Activity, Fatness and Health


Diet and Cancer


• Cancer is mostly a preventable disease. The chief causes of cancer are use of tobacco and inappropriate diets

• Current data support previous findings that inappropriate diets cause around one-third of all cancer deaths

• Substantial and varied amounts of vegetables and fruits will prevent 20 per cent or more of all cases of cancer.

• Keeping alcohol intake within recommended limits will prevent up to 20 per cent of cases of the aerodigestive tract, the colon and rectum and breast

• Cancers of the stomach and colon and rectum are mostly preventable by appropriate diets and related factors.

Diet and Cancer


Health Behaviour

Why do people adopt positive health behaviours?


Social Behaviour, Cognition and Health


Social Behaviour, Cognition and Health

• Social behaviour is a consequence of perceptions of reality.

• Social cognition is concerned with understanding how individuals make sense of social situations.

• We can divide this into:

Person Perception

• making sense of others

Self Regulation

• making sense of ourselves


Health Belief Model


Health Belief Model


Health Belief ModelThreat

PerceptionsBehavioural Evaluation Cues to Action

Susceptibility BenefitsEfficacy

InternalExternal

Severity Costs Barriers

Health Motivation





InternalExternal


Health Motivation





InternalExternal


Health Motivation


Protection Motivation Theory



Adaptive health behaviour is a

consequence of-

Threat Appraisal Coping Appraisal


consequence of- Susceptibility

Action-outcome efficacy


consequence of-

Severity Self-efficacy




consequence of-






consequence of-





consequence of-






consequence of-



Planned Behaviour Theory



Attitudes



Attitudes Consequences=



Attitudes Consequences=

Value



Attitudes Consequences=Efficacy

Value



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Consequences=Efficacy

Value



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Consequences=Efficacy

Value

Views of Others=



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Consequences=

Compliance+

Efficacy

Value

Views of Others=



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Behavioural Control

Consequences=

Compliance+

Efficacy

Value

Views of Others=



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Behavioural Control

Consequences=

Resources=

Compliance+

Efficacy

Value

Views of Others=



Attitudes

Subjective Norms

Behavioural Control

Consequences=

Resources= Opportunity+

Compliance+

Efficacy

Value

Views of Others=


Self Efficacy Theory


Situation

Outcome

Evaluation of



Situation

Outcome

Evaluation of

Action

Outcome



Situation

Outcome

Evaluation of

Action

Outcome


Self

Efficacy


Situation

Outcome

Evaluation of

Action

Outcome


Self

Efficacy

ActionMotivation


Stress Appraisal: Lazarus



Primary Appraisal



Primary Appraisal

Is this harmful, beneficial, threatening

or challenging?



Primary Appraisal


or challenging?

How do I feel about this?



Primary Appraisal Secondary Appraisal


or challenging?






or challenging?Can I cope?







What are the alternatives?





I can cope








I can cope








I can cope

I can’t cope






Stressful Events


Stressful Events• Salient : What is most important?

• Work, Family, Status, Money

• Overload

• Not just one event but the general background of stressful events

• Ambiguous Events

• Events that are not clearly defined may be more stressful

• Uncontrollable Events

• Surprise or shock

• Predictability may be important


Self EfficacyLazarus and Folkman 1987

I can do this I can’t do this


Self EfficacyLazarus and Folkman 1987

More StressfulLess Stressful

I can do this I can’t do this


Other Theories


Other Theories

• Hardiness (Kobasa 1982)

• Feelings of control

• Desire to accept challenges

• Commitment

• Mastery (Karasek and Theorell 1990)

• The degree to which I think I can manage stressful events.


Physiological Consequences of Stress


Physiological Consequences of Stress

Sympathetic Nervous System Activationincrease in:

• Heart rate• Blood pressure• Sweating• Pupil dilation• Respiration


Some Questions


Some Questions

• Are some people more stress sensitive?

• If so does this mean they suffer more physical consequences?

• Does gender make a difference?

• If we talk about negative stress more (cultural predisposition) do we suffer more?

• Do we learn to be stressed?

• What factors increase stress in contemporary society?


Education

Perceptions Of Health