Psy 320 Health Psychology

a health-related behavior that is firmly established and oftern performed automatically w/o awareness.
Usually develop in childhood.
Ex. Brushing teeth

Precontempleation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance

occurs when a person has no intention of changing his or her behavior, not even aware that they have a problem.

the stage in which people are aware that a problem exists and are thinking about it but have not yet made a commitment to take action

individuals intend to change their behavior but may not yet have begun to do so (unsuccessful in the past, postpone)

the one in which individuals modify their behavior to overcome the problem (requires commitment of time and energy, modify lifestyle)

the stage in which people work to prevent relapse and to consolidate the gains they have made (more than 6 months)

Educational Appeals
Fear Appeals
Message Framing
Health Belief System
Self-efficacy

make the assumption that ppl will change their health habits if they have the correct info.

assumes that if ppl are fearful that a particular havit is hurting their health they will change their behavior to reduce their fear

any health message can be phrased in positive or negative terms
Ex. reminder letter to get flu immunization can stress the benefits of being immunized or stress the discomfort of the flu itself

model states that whether a person practice a particular health behavior can be understood by knowing whether the person perceives a personal health threat and whether the person believes that a particular health practice will be effective in reducing that threat

influenced by general health values (concerns, interst), specific beliefs about personal vulnerability, and beliefs about the consequences of the disorder

whether the individual thinks a health practice will be effective and whether the cost of undertaking that measure exceeds the benefits of the measure

the belief that one is able to control one's practice of a particular behavior

Self Observation/Sel Monitoring, Modeling, Stimulus Control, Self-Control, Self-reinforcement, Contingency contracting, covert self-control, behavioral assignment

the person must understand the dimensions of a target behavior before change can be initiated, assess the frequency of a target behavior and the antecedents and consequences
-learn to discriminate target behavior, recording and charting it

learning that occurs by virtue of witnessing another person perform a behavior

ridding the environment of discriminative stimuli that evoke the problem behvior and creating new discriminative stimuli signaling that a new response will be reinforced

the individual who is the target of the intervention acts as his or her own therapist and with outside guidance learns to control antecedents and consequences of the target behavior to be modified

involves systematically rewarding the self to increase or decrease the occurrence of a target behavior

an individual forms a contract with another person detailing what rewards or punishments are contingent on the performance or nonperfomance of a behavior

trains individuals to recognize and modify these internal monologues to promote health behavior change, also involves cognitive restructuring and an increase in positive self-talk

home practice activities that support the goals of therapeutic intervention

the pairing of an unconditioned reflex with a new stimulus, producing a conditioned reflex

reinforcement, pairs a voluntary behavior with systematic consequences (do something good, get positive reward)

attempts to link health attitudes directly to behavior
-a health behavior is the direct result of a behavioral intention

states whether a person practices a particular health behvior can be understood by knowing two factors--whether the person perceives a personal health threat and whether the person believes that a particular health practice will be effective in reducing that threat

Prive Therapist Office, Health Practicioners Office, Family, Managed Care Facilities, Self-Help Groups, Schools, Work-Site Interventions, Community-Based Interventions, Mass Media

Cognitive Behavioral Strategies, Relapse Prevention Techniques, Stages of Change, Individualized Exercise Programs

contingency contracting, self-reinforcement, self-monitoring, and goal setting

increase awareness of obstacles

targeted to ppl at different stages of readiness to exercise

understanding an individuals motivation and attitudes with respect to exercise provides the underpinnings for developing an individualized exercise program that fits the person well

when all family members are committed to and participate in dietary change, it is easier for the target family member to do so as well, dietary counselor, other family suggestions or from social activities

each approach implemented (booklet, formal ed, behavioral intervention) significantly reduced cholestrerol levels immediately after the intervention but none maintained the behavior change over time, nurtition edu. compaigns in supermarkets have some success, targeting specific groups such as low-income Hispanics, change may also come from social engineering solution to the problem

an excessive accumulation of body fat, believed to contribute to a variety of health disorders, including cardiovascular disease

weighing more than normal or necessary for one's BMI
*14% cancer for men 20% women, atherosclerosis, hypertentsion, diabetes, gallbladder, arthritis, and risk for heart failure

appearance, no long-term monitoring, strees, alters mood and personality, different fashionable diets

Dieting, Fasting, Surgery, Appetite Suppressing Drugs, Mulitmodal Approach