11/12/2024
Psyc 463:
Health Psychology
Lecture 1
Dr. Margaret Amankwah-Poku
Office Hours- Tuesdays 10:00am-12noon
E-mail- [email protected]
A. Introduction to Health Psychology
What is health?
What does it mean to be healthy or ill?
What does good health mean to you?
WHO (1948) definition of health
What is health psychology?
1
11/12/2024
A. Introduction to Health Psychology
What is health?
From Lyons & Chamberlain (2005)
What do you think health actually is?
Is it simply the opposite of illness?
Do you do anything to stay healthy?
Do you get regular exercise to keep
healthy or do you get regular exercise
for fun, not for health?
A. Introduction to Health Psychology
Is behaving in ways to stay healthy the same as
behaving in ways to prevent getting ill?
Did you give up fizzy drinks etc. for health
reasons?
Do you think psychological factors influence
getting ill?
Does stress really make us ill?– when you feel
stressed, do you also feel as though you are
likely to become ill?
Do things like your gender, your personality,
what you’re doing, what others tell you, what
your beliefs about illness are, influence whether
or not you notice physical symptoms?
2
11/12/2024
What does it mean to be healthy or
ill? (Sarafino & Smith, 2011)
What is health?
WHO (1948) definition of health
A state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity
Is this the perfect definition for health?
3
11/12/2024
Health- WHO definition
According to Lyons & Chamberlain (2006):
A positive definition, – health is not merely
the absence of illness
Dimensions of health status- mental, physical
and social aspects are acknowledged
It is encouraging as it encompasses social
considerations
Well-being may require elimination of
poverty, freedom, social justice etc.
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
During the 1940s, this definition was ground
breaking because of the wide scope it
covered as:
It countered the definition of health as
absence of disease and included
Provided holistic definition of “well-being”-
physical, mental, and social domains
Acknowledged psychological and social
factors
4
11/12/2024
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
For well over 60 years, this definition has
been criticised however it has never
been revised or modified
According to Huber et al., as
populations age and the pattern of
illnesses changes this WHO definition of
health may not be very useful
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
The common criticism of the WHO
definition are:
1. The use of the word “complete” in
relation to wellbeing
2. Since 1948 there has been a
considerable change in the statistics of
populations and the nature of disease
5
11/12/2024
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
In 1948 the main burden of illness was acute
diseases and chronic diseases resulted in
early death
Over the decades, the patterns of disease
have changed considerably
Public health processes such as improved
nutrition, hygiene and sanitation are more
powerful healthcare interventions
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
For decades, the number of people living
with chronic diseases is increasing
worldwide
More and more people are now ageing
with chronic illnesses
Chronic diseases is accounting for most of
the expenditures of healthcare system
6
11/12/2024
Huber et al. (2011)
“How should we define health”
3. The operationalisation of the definition
WHO has developed several systems to
classify diseases and describe aspects of
health, disability, functioning, and quality
of life
Yet because of the reference to a
complete state, the definition remains
“impracticable, because ‘complete’ is
neither operational nor measurable” (Jadad,
Grady & Smith, 2008)
What is health psychology?
Do you think psychology has anything to do
with health?
Do you think psychological factors influence
getting ill?
Does stress really make us ill?
Do things like your gender, your personality,
what you’re doing, what others tell you,
what your beliefs about illness are, influence
whether or not you notice physical
symptoms? Lyons & Chamberlain (2005)
7
11/12/2024
What is health psychology?
Health psychology is the study of
psychological processes that influence
health, illness and health care
Health psychology is the application of
psychological theory, methods, and
research to health, physical illness, and
health care (Marks, Sykes, & McKinley, 2003, p. 7)
What is health Psychology?
The aggregate of the specific educational,
scientific, and professional contributions of the
discipline of psychology to the promotion and
maintenance of health, the prevention and
treatment of illness, and the identification of
etiologic and diagnostic correlates of health,
illness, and related dysfunction (Matarazzo, 1980,
p.815)
Health psychology is devoted to understanding
psychological influences on how people stay
healthy, why they become ill, and how they
respond when they get ill (Taylor, 2018)
8
11/12/2024
Biomedical model
The biomedical model holds the assumption of
mind body dualism- that the mind and body
are separate entities
Disease either
1. Originates from within the body, as
involuntary physical changes, as a result of
chemical imbalance, viruses, bacteria or a
person’s genetic predisposition or
2. Comes from outside the body, and causes
physical changes within the body
Biomedical model
The mind and body function independent of
each other
The mind related to thought and feelings and
therefore cannot influence the physical body
Thus, illness may have psychological
consequences but not have psychological
causes
Thus, care is provided by doctors and other
health professionals e.g. surgeons,
nutritionists, ophthalmologists etc.
9
11/12/2024
Biomedical model
Emphasis is on
diagnosing an illness and
treating individuals for the illness to help
them return to their state of physical
health
Therefore does not focus on the lifestyle or
living conditions of the individual
The reason for illness is not the focus of the
healthcare provider
Biomedical model
This model dominated health for several
years and so medical doctors and hospitals
were the focus of health
The doctor played an active role while the
patient played a passive role receiving
medication, being hospitalised, undergoing
surgery, etc.
10
11/12/2024
Biomedical model
Over time, there has been a changing
pattern of illness and disease
Lifestyle diseases are contributing more
to deaths than contagious diseases and
infections
Thus, behaviour and attitude can play a
major role in illness and disease
Biomedical model
Lifestyles such as excessive drinking,
smoking, over-eating, and lack of exercise
can influence the onset and course of
diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart
disease, diabetes etc.
Also, fighting disease such a cholera,
malaria, etc. can be affected by attitudes
and behaviour
11
11/12/2024
Leading Causes of Death- USA
Heart disease and cancer have remained the top two leading
causes of death for the past 40 years (CDC, 2016)
1) Heart disease 23.4%
(2) Cancer 22.0%
(3) Chronic Low Respiratory Disease 5. 7%
4. Unintentional injuries 5.4%
(5) Stroke 5.2%
(6) Alzheimer’s disease 4.1%
(7) Diabetes mellitus 2.9
(8) Influenza and pneumonia 2.1%
(9) Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis 1.8%
(10) Suicide 1.6%
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-
death
12
11/12/2024
Leading Causes of Death- Ghana
1. Lower Respiratory Infections 11%
2. Stroke 9%
3. Malaria 8%
4. Ischemic Heart Disease 6%
5. HIV/AIDS 5%
6. Preterm Birth Complications 4%
7. Diarrheal Diseases 4%
8. Birth Asphyxia & Birth Trauma 4%
9. Meningitis 3%
10. Protein-Energy Malnutrition 3%
Source: WHO Country Health Profiles 2012: Ghana
Leading Causes of Death- Ghana
Ghana Top 10 Causes of Death
Malaria
Lower respiratory infections
Neonatal disorders
lschemic heart disease
Stroke
HIV/AIDS
Tuberculosis
Diarrheal diseases
Road injuries
Diabetes
Source: GBD Compare 2018, Ghana
13
11/12/2024
The Biomedical Model- Criticism
What do you think may be some of the
criticise of the biomedical model?
Read about these criticisms
14
