PSYC 2301 Lecture 11: Health behaviors
15 Jun 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Health Behaviors
• Outline
o Announcements
▪ Health behaviour exercises
o Health behaviours
▪ Definitions
▪ Questions re: health behaviours
• Theories
• Self-regulation
• Role of others
• Health behaviors
o A large part of helath psychology because a lot of the helth and disease in the
population are cause by certain behaviours (e.g. how much we exercise, smoking).
o Defined: Activity that people perform to maintain or improve health
o Often involves stopping unhealthy behaviours
o What health behaviors do you engage in?
▪ Drinking water
▪ Getting enough sleep
▪ Walking instead of taking bus
▪ Exercising
▪ Eating healthy
o Helathy lifestyle
▪ Nutrition
▪ Exercise,
▪ sleep,
▪ not smoking
▪ limited alchohol,
▪ hygiene,
▪ wearing seat belt
▪ wearing sunscreen
▪
• Canada
o
• Question re: health behaviors
o Types of health behaviours
o What promotes health behaviours
▪ Theories
o Roadblocks (if we know its good for us then why don’t we engage in them?)
o How can we get ourselves to engage in health behaviours
o How do others in our lives influence our health behaviours
o How can we get others to engage in health behaviours
• What promotes health behaviors?
o Beliefs & attitudes concerning…
▪ Threat, consequences
▪ Importance, benefits
▪ Ability
▪ Norms
o Various models developed to understand why people do or do not engage in health
behaviours
▪ Health beliefs model
▪ Theory of planned behaviour
• Health belief model
o A theory that attempts to explain or predict likelihood of making a specific behaviour
choice
▪ Looks at the conditions that are needed for someone to change their behavior
o According to this model there are 6 things that need to be considered when looking at
health behaviors
▪ 1) perceived susceptibility
• Smoker thinks there is a very small chance that they ill get the disease
▪ 2) perceived seriousness
• Even if I do get the disease it probably wouldn’t be that bad.
• 1 + 2 = the threat.
▪ 3) perceived benefits
• What can I gain by changing my behavior
▪ 4) perceived barriers
• What can stop me from changing this behavior
• Reasons not to do the change
• Barriers need to be minimizes and benefits need to be increased in
order for behavior to chage
▪ 5) self-efficacy
• Even though there are barriers, you are able to overcome them
▪ 6) cues to action
• Things that will push you to change
o Perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits and barriers all modified by individual
characteristics
o Perceived benefits must exceed the perceived barriers or costs for preventive behavior
to occur.
o Likelihood of preventive action is based on the combination of perceived threat and the
cost-benefit ratio.
o Research
▪ Various components tested, not all equally predicative of outcomes
▪ Has tested all 6 componenets – results are mixed but generally reucing barriers
seems to be the most effective strategy and techniques attempting to reduce
seriousness usually backfires.
o Problems:
▪ Does not account for habitual behaviors
▪ No standard way of measuring its components
▪ Providing cues to action is difficult
▪ Stresses personal responsibility
▪ Barriers often outweigh other components.
• Theory of planned behavior
o Started as theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980)
o Based on the assumptions that People are reasonable, make systematic use of
information when deciding how to behave
o People consider the implications of their actions
o Immediate determinant of behavior is the INTENTION to act or not to act
o Peoples health behaviors are influences by their intentions
o Intentiona are influences by people attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived
behaviour control (self-efficacy).
o Attitudes
▪ Is the behaviour a good thing to do?
▪ Determined by behavioural beliefs
• Likelihood that the behavior will lead to a given outcomes
• Subjective valu of outcome.
o Subjective Norms
▪ What do others think of me doing the behaviour?
▪ Determined by…
• Normative beliefs
• Motivation to comply
o Think tat my parents want me to keep exercising, get in a fight
with parents, less likely to exercise.
o Perceived behavioural control (self-efficacy)
▪ How much control do you have over the behaviour?
▪ Determined by how difficult it actually is (is the gym close or far, busy road? Do
you have to take bus? )
▪ Determined by…
• a) complexity of task
• b) effort required
• c) availability of helping resources
o workout budy makes It more likely.
o Research
▪ Many studies showing influence of all three factors on intentions
▪ Numerous behaviours
• Exercising, condom use, smoking, weight loss, vaccines
▪ Interventions can change three factors
• i.e. they change attitudes, change norms, and change self-efficacy
(teching someone how to do something better).
o Problems with theory of planned behavior:
▪ Intentions do not always translate into behaviors
▪ Do people consider implications
• What promotes health behvaiours?
Document Summary
Immediate determinant of behavior is the intention to act or not to act: peoples health behaviors are influences by their intentions. Intentiona are influences by people attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control (self-efficacy): attitudes. Is the behaviour a good thing to do: determined by behavioural beliefs. Interventions can change three factors i. e. they change attitudes, change norms, and change self-efficacy (teching someone how to do something better): problems with theory of planned behavior: In april ther were saked the progress of their goal. Increase resitance: or you can reduce your temptation/ desire. Implementation intentions: habits, plan for obstacles, make good habits automatic, how are you going to implement the goal, a specific plan, set implementation intentions, when, where, how, purpose: make the behaviour automatic, routine. If youre always doing it under the same circumstance then it will become a habit.
