CHS 100 Exam 2 Questions and
Answers22
Behavior and health: Key concepts - ANSWERS--Death and disease from preventable causes
remain high worldwide
-Behavior is an important factor in determining health
-Health disparities are partly caused by unhealthy behaviors
-Hence, behavior change holds promise for:
•Improving the health of the population AND Reducing health disparities
Top 10 risk factors for preventable disease: - ANSWERS-1. Maternal and child underweight
2. Unsafe sex
3. High blood pressure
4. Tobacco use
5. Alcohol use
6. Unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene
7. High cholesterol
8. Indoor smoke from solid fuels
9. Iron deficiency
10. High body mass index or overweight
Risk Factors - ANSWERS--Factor that contributes to risk in a causal pathway
•E.g.: Smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer
•Therefore, reducing smoking should decrease lung cancer
,Risk Marker - ANSWERS--Factor that is associated with, but does not necessarily contribute
causally, to risk
•E.g., Short stature is a risk marker for poor obstetrical outcomes
•But direct alteration of the risk marker does not necessarily alter the outcome
-To improve health outcomes, focus on risk factors which meet three conditions:
•For serious conditions
•Changeable
•High priority
>To communities
>To policymakers
-Risk markers can be used to identify individuals likely to benefit from interventions
Reading: Williams - ANSWERS-•research on race-related stressors that can affect the mental
health of socially disadvantaged racial and ethnic populations
•reviewing the research on self-reported discrimination and mental health
•racism can also affect mental health through structural/institutional mechanisms and racism
that is deeply embedded in the larger culture
•priorities for research include
-more systematic attention to stress proliferation processes due to institutional racism
-the assessment of stressful experiences linked to natural or manmade environmental crises
-documenting and understanding the health effects of hostility against immigrants and people
of color
-cataloguing and quantifying protective resources
-enhancing our understanding of the complex association between physical and mental health.
•Understanding the ways in which the social context of populations of color affect their mental
health requires detailed and comprehensive characterization of the exposures in their social
context that can affect health
, •Other conditions linked to race and ethnicity can also play a role in shaping the mental health
of disadvantaged populations, and we need to understand these stressors in their full
complexity.
•Future research must characterize this full range of risk factors and resources that may be
unique to or more prevalent among stigmatized racial and ethnic populations and identify how
they combine with each other over the life course to affect patterns of mental health.
•Research must be attentive to the changing social context of racial-ethnic status and
incorporate emerging threats to mental health as well as opportunities that may arise to
promote enhanced mental wellbeing
Theories - ANSWERS--Why is theory important?
•Theory explains why interventions should lead to behavior change
-Moves beyond "intuition" or "personal experience"
-Consistent with evidence-based interventions
•Theory provides a road map for
-Identifying problems
-Developing appropriate interventions
-Evaluation, e.g., indicators that should be monitored & measured
•Theory-driven programs are most likely to achieve desired outcome
•Permits generalization beyond the one particular application
-Important to cumulative knowledge about how to change behavior
What is race? - ANSWERS--Race/ethnicity are socially constructed categories based on
appearance/cultural background
-No biologically-based difference between races, but comes with socially-derived differences
that influence health, like SES
-Race is not a "cause" of disease—rather, the context, SES, and experiences of discrimination,
and behaviors that affect health
-Stressors by race/ethnicity can be due to:
Answers22
Behavior and health: Key concepts - ANSWERS--Death and disease from preventable causes
remain high worldwide
-Behavior is an important factor in determining health
-Health disparities are partly caused by unhealthy behaviors
-Hence, behavior change holds promise for:
•Improving the health of the population AND Reducing health disparities
Top 10 risk factors for preventable disease: - ANSWERS-1. Maternal and child underweight
2. Unsafe sex
3. High blood pressure
4. Tobacco use
5. Alcohol use
6. Unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene
7. High cholesterol
8. Indoor smoke from solid fuels
9. Iron deficiency
10. High body mass index or overweight
Risk Factors - ANSWERS--Factor that contributes to risk in a causal pathway
•E.g.: Smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer
•Therefore, reducing smoking should decrease lung cancer
,Risk Marker - ANSWERS--Factor that is associated with, but does not necessarily contribute
causally, to risk
•E.g., Short stature is a risk marker for poor obstetrical outcomes
•But direct alteration of the risk marker does not necessarily alter the outcome
-To improve health outcomes, focus on risk factors which meet three conditions:
•For serious conditions
•Changeable
•High priority
>To communities
>To policymakers
-Risk markers can be used to identify individuals likely to benefit from interventions
Reading: Williams - ANSWERS-•research on race-related stressors that can affect the mental
health of socially disadvantaged racial and ethnic populations
•reviewing the research on self-reported discrimination and mental health
•racism can also affect mental health through structural/institutional mechanisms and racism
that is deeply embedded in the larger culture
•priorities for research include
-more systematic attention to stress proliferation processes due to institutional racism
-the assessment of stressful experiences linked to natural or manmade environmental crises
-documenting and understanding the health effects of hostility against immigrants and people
of color
-cataloguing and quantifying protective resources
-enhancing our understanding of the complex association between physical and mental health.
•Understanding the ways in which the social context of populations of color affect their mental
health requires detailed and comprehensive characterization of the exposures in their social
context that can affect health
, •Other conditions linked to race and ethnicity can also play a role in shaping the mental health
of disadvantaged populations, and we need to understand these stressors in their full
complexity.
•Future research must characterize this full range of risk factors and resources that may be
unique to or more prevalent among stigmatized racial and ethnic populations and identify how
they combine with each other over the life course to affect patterns of mental health.
•Research must be attentive to the changing social context of racial-ethnic status and
incorporate emerging threats to mental health as well as opportunities that may arise to
promote enhanced mental wellbeing
Theories - ANSWERS--Why is theory important?
•Theory explains why interventions should lead to behavior change
-Moves beyond "intuition" or "personal experience"
-Consistent with evidence-based interventions
•Theory provides a road map for
-Identifying problems
-Developing appropriate interventions
-Evaluation, e.g., indicators that should be monitored & measured
•Theory-driven programs are most likely to achieve desired outcome
•Permits generalization beyond the one particular application
-Important to cumulative knowledge about how to change behavior
What is race? - ANSWERS--Race/ethnicity are socially constructed categories based on
appearance/cultural background
-No biologically-based difference between races, but comes with socially-derived differences
that influence health, like SES
-Race is not a "cause" of disease—rather, the context, SES, and experiences of discrimination,
and behaviors that affect health
-Stressors by race/ethnicity can be due to:
