A level: Option: Health psychology

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
. 13.9 Health and Illness 13.9.1 Concepts of health & illness Definitions of health and illness, including reference to illness wellness continuum. Changing views of health and illness throughout history.

Health Psychology The nature and scope of health psychology. Reasons for the emergence of health psychology. 13.9.2 Models of health and illness The biomedical model Assumptions and features of the biomedical model. Current perspectives Assumptions and features of the biopsychosocial model and its relationship to the biomedical model. Humanistic and complementary approaches to health, including aromatherapy, visualisation and meditation.

13.10 Psychological Aspects of Illness 13.10.1 Managing illness The patient-practitioner relationship Interpersonal issues in patient-practitioner communication, including patient and practitioner styles. Patient compliance and non-compliance with medical advice.

Pain Ways of measuring pain, physiological, behavioural and self-report measures. Ways of managing pain, including behavioural, biomedical and cognitive approaches.

13.10.2 Psychological factors in illness Psychosomatic health The role of psychological factors in physical health problems, including diabetes and asthma.

Chronic and terminal illnesses. Precursors of chronic and terminal illnesses, including coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Biomedical and psychological interventions for such conditions.

13.11 Lifestyles and Health 13.11.1 Aspects of healthy living

Exercise Types of exercise, including aerobic, anaerobic, isotonic, isometric and isokinetic.

Positive and negative effects of exercise on health. Nutrition The role of diet in ill-health conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Dieting and weight-loss techniques, including lowfat and high-fibre diets, behavioural and biomedical approaches.

13.11.2 Changing health-related behaviour Risk-taking Behavioural risk factors (including smoking and unsafe sexual practices) associated with ill-health conditions (including cancer and AIDS).

Primary prevention of illnesses associated with behavioural risk factors, including the use of media appeals and harm reduction approaches. Theories of lifestyle change Self-efficacy (Bandura), the health belief model (Becker) and the theory of planned behaviour/reasoned action (Ajzen). The application of these theories in planning interventions to change health-related behaviour and attitudes.