Psychology

1 Pages 266 Words

One way in which health psychologists accomplish this is by studying how changes in behaviour and lifestyle can reduce risk factors for conditions such as cardiovascular disease (Kawachi, et al, 1996), atherosclerosis, hypertension (Smith, Ruiz, & Uchino, 2000), depression and a host of other conditions.


BACKGROUND Health psychology involves the study of the psychological aspects of physical health and the bio-psychosocial aspects of emotional and physical well-being.


However, as Stokols (1992) has noted, there still remains a tendency for the majority of lifestyle change programs directed at disease prevention and/or health promotion to focus primarily on change within individuals rather than the broader environment.

Implicit in this redefining of the nature of lifestyle change, is a shift away from viewing lifestyle change from a purely clinical perspective, towards that of a more public health orientation.

To propose a public health approach to health issues like smoking and nutrition and diet, is not to argue that more clinical approaches are necessarily irrelevant or ineffective, but rather to recognise their significant limitations.

Health psychology clearly has a very important role to play, not only in conducting research which identifies the linkages between particular behaviours and health outcomes, but also in the conduct of interventions which can make a significant contribution to the health of whole communities.

The potential for a much more significant role to be played by health psychologists in developing, implementing and researching strategies which might positively impact on the health of large numbers of individuals and whole populations and to consider how lifestyle change can best be promoted within the wider community as a precursor to preventing disease and promoting health....