Health and Medical Lecture Summary
Lecture 1: Explaining Health Behaviors (Ch 1,3,4 &5)
Where do Health and Medical Psychologists work?
• Health care→ primary health care, private practice, organizational health/burnout prevention,
secondary health care, medical psychology department hospital
• Primary Prevention Training→ municipal health organizations, public health service, companies,
national health foundations and societies
• Research and Policy→ universities and research institutes, local, regional or federal government,
developmental aid organizations
Lay Perceptions of Health:
• Health as not ill- no symptoms and no doctor visits
• Health as reserve/resources- strong family, recover quickly
• Health as behavior- look after myself
• Health as physical fitness and vitality- energetic
• Health as psychological wellbeing- in harmony, balance, proud, enjoyment
• Health as function- to do what I want/have to do
Understanding Health and Illness:
• Biomedical Model→ underlying
pathology, neural and/or biochemical
activity
- Such as – exposure to contagious
agents or an insufficient immune
response
• Other predictors of health and illness→
health behaviors, stress/emotions,
social relations
• Biopsychosocial Model:
- Body and mind interaction
determine health and illness
- Interplay of biological,
psychological and social factors
- The different systems influence
each other continuously
Prevention:
• Primary prevention→ prevention of problem,
illness or casualty
- Target group is healthy people
• Secondary prevention→ tracing illness in an early
phase, for early treatment or for prevention of more
serious complaints
- Target group is healthy people with and increased risk for disease
• Tertiary prevention→ Prevention of complications and worsening of symptoms through optimal care
- Target group is sick people
,Health Behaviors:
• Alameda 7→ 7 health factors for longevity
1. Exercising
2. Drinking less than 5 drinks in 1 sitting
3. Sleeping 7-8 hours a night
4. Not smoking
5. Maintaining a desirable weight for height
6. Avoid snacks
7. Eating breakfast
• Matarazzo (1984)→ makes distinction between:
- Behavioral pathogens→ health risk behaviors like smoking, unsafe sex, drunk driving, no ear
protection, etc.
- Behavioral Immunogens→ Health protective behaviors like physical activity, eating vegetables,
sun protection, etc.
• Important to influence health behaviors as:
- Health behavior is related to morbidity and mortality
- Socio-demographical differences in health behavior increase socio-economic differences
- The prevalence of risk behaviors is high
- Health behavior is not always an informed
choice
3 Ways of Understanding and Explaining Health
Behavior:
1. Getting Motivated → Health Belief Model,
Social Cognitive Theory, theory of planned
behavior/reasoned action approach
2. Preparing for action and starting to change→
Self-determination Theory, Health Action
Process Approach
3. Staying On Track→ Dual Process Theories,
Reflective Impulsive Model
Getting Motivated:
• Health Belief Model (Becker, 1974)
• Social Cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977)
• Social Cognitive Theory revised (Bandura, 1989)
, • Theory of reasoned action/Theory of
Planned Behavior/Reasoned Action
Approach (Fishbein & Azjen,
1975/1988/2010)
Preparing for Action and Starting to Change:
• Self Determination Theory (Deci &
Ryan,
1985/2000)
• Health Action
Process
Approach
(Schwarzer,
1992)
Staying on Track:
• Dual process
Theory
• Reflective Impulsive Model (Strack & Deutsch, 2004)
- Systems of reflective and impulsive operate in parallel- asymmetry where impulsive is always
engaged
- The reflective system requires high cognitive capacity
