Week 2 – 25th January 2022
Health Beliefs and cognitions
Learning Objectives:
- Appreciate role of behaviours, beliefs and related cognitions in health
- Recognise how cognitive and social cognitive approaches from psychology help us to
understand and influene these
- Identify and define key cognitions related to health, illness and treatment and give examples
of how they influences people’s health related behaviour
- Describe and critique some of the psychological models developed to understand how
cognitions influence people’s health as determinants of their health related behaviours
4 parts of lecture
1. Introduction – what are health related behvaiours,w hy and when are they important and
how can psychology help us understand and influence them?
2. Example – importance of beliefs, how they develop and are investigated, conceptualised and
affect behaviour
3. Social cognition model: role of beliefs and other cognitions in determining health related
behvaiours
4. Summary – limitations of social cognitive approaches, and targeting key cognitions for
behaviour change.
What are health related behaviours?
- Smoking
- Physical activity
- Diet
- Weight control
- Drug and alcohol use
- Contraception
- Sunscreen use
- Tooth brushing
- Uptake of vaccination and screening
- Presenting at services
- Healthcare attendance
- Medication adherence
- Self-monitoring
- Trigger avoidance
- General self care
Health related behaviours in COVID 19
- Physical distancing
- Social distancing
, - Hand washing and sanitisation
- Wearing masks
- Not touching face
- Quarantine
- Taking up vaccination
- Covering coughs/sneezes
- Using testing service
- Isolating if unwell/exposed
- General self care
Why are these behaviours important?
These kinds of behaviours can contribute to health outcomes
Khaw et al. 2008
- In this UK study, they followed up 20,000+ people over 11 years and found that those who
didn’t smoke, were physically active, drunk moderately, ate 5+ portions of fruit and veg
every day, were 4 times less likelt to have died than those engaging in none of these things.
The impact that those positive health behaviours had was equivalent to them being 14 years
younger.
Department of Health, 2010
Reducing obesity, smoking, physical inactivity and improving diet could prevent:
- Most cases of type 2 diabetes
- 50% of deaths from circulatory diseases
- 30% of cancers
But…
Despite having this knowledge, in the UK:
- 2/3 adults and 1/3 children are overweight or obese
- <40% of adults participate in adequate levels of activity
- The majority concume unhealthy diets high in saturated fats, sugar and low in fruit and veg.
When are behaviours important
In all aspects of health and healthcare:
- Primary prevention health bhevaiour
- Secondary prevention illness behaviour
- Treatment and recovery sick-role behaviour
- Ongoing management self-care behaviour
These behaviours are important throughout the life-course, from infancy to old age.
Health Beliefs and cognitions
Learning Objectives:
- Appreciate role of behaviours, beliefs and related cognitions in health
- Recognise how cognitive and social cognitive approaches from psychology help us to
understand and influene these
- Identify and define key cognitions related to health, illness and treatment and give examples
of how they influences people’s health related behaviour
- Describe and critique some of the psychological models developed to understand how
cognitions influence people’s health as determinants of their health related behaviours
4 parts of lecture
1. Introduction – what are health related behvaiours,w hy and when are they important and
how can psychology help us understand and influence them?
2. Example – importance of beliefs, how they develop and are investigated, conceptualised and
affect behaviour
3. Social cognition model: role of beliefs and other cognitions in determining health related
behvaiours
4. Summary – limitations of social cognitive approaches, and targeting key cognitions for
behaviour change.
What are health related behaviours?
- Smoking
- Physical activity
- Diet
- Weight control
- Drug and alcohol use
- Contraception
- Sunscreen use
- Tooth brushing
- Uptake of vaccination and screening
- Presenting at services
- Healthcare attendance
- Medication adherence
- Self-monitoring
- Trigger avoidance
- General self care
Health related behaviours in COVID 19
- Physical distancing
- Social distancing
, - Hand washing and sanitisation
- Wearing masks
- Not touching face
- Quarantine
- Taking up vaccination
- Covering coughs/sneezes
- Using testing service
- Isolating if unwell/exposed
- General self care
Why are these behaviours important?
These kinds of behaviours can contribute to health outcomes
Khaw et al. 2008
- In this UK study, they followed up 20,000+ people over 11 years and found that those who
didn’t smoke, were physically active, drunk moderately, ate 5+ portions of fruit and veg
every day, were 4 times less likelt to have died than those engaging in none of these things.
The impact that those positive health behaviours had was equivalent to them being 14 years
younger.
Department of Health, 2010
Reducing obesity, smoking, physical inactivity and improving diet could prevent:
- Most cases of type 2 diabetes
- 50% of deaths from circulatory diseases
- 30% of cancers
But…
Despite having this knowledge, in the UK:
- 2/3 adults and 1/3 children are overweight or obese
- <40% of adults participate in adequate levels of activity
- The majority concume unhealthy diets high in saturated fats, sugar and low in fruit and veg.
When are behaviours important
In all aspects of health and healthcare:
- Primary prevention health bhevaiour
- Secondary prevention illness behaviour
- Treatment and recovery sick-role behaviour
- Ongoing management self-care behaviour
These behaviours are important throughout the life-course, from infancy to old age.
