Lay Health Beliefs and Illness Behaviour Lecture Notes PDF

Lay Health Beliefs and Illness Behaviour Lecture 2 Prof. Costas S Constantinou 08.10.2024 Revision points from Lecture 1 Beliefs about health: reserve of health, health as vacuum, health as equilibrium, health as function Factors that influence illne...

Lay Health Beliefs and Illness Behaviour Lecture 2 Prof. Costas S Constantinou 08.10.2024 Revision points from Lecture 1 Beliefs about health: reserve of health, health as vacuum, health as equilibrium, health as function Factors that influence illness behaviour: health literacy, health beliefs, triggers, self-help, CAM  Learning Objectives Describe beliefs about the causes of illness Describe how lay health beliefs can influence illness behaviour Apply the sociological principles of lay health beliefs to explain a case of adherence to therapy  Lecture Outline Case 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness 2. How could lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? 3. Applying to the case 4. Summary points  Case Agueda Ferraz is a 53 years old female migrant who suffered a mild heart attack. When her doctor informs her about what happened to her and that she has a cardiovascular condition she reacts and tells her doctor that she has nothing like that. She believes that it is the result of the evil eye act. On this basis, she is concerned about any medical recommendations about lifestyle changes and does not seem keen to take any prescribed medications. In addition, she thinks that she is generally healthy, just a bit tired, because she feels like she can still do the things she used to do.  Case What belief about health is Agueda activating? (please see lecture 1) What belief about the cause of her condition is she utilising? How would you handle this patient? 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness Helman (2007) Supernatural site Social site Natural site Individual site 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness Individual site: disease is attributed to the individual Example: food consumption Natural site: diseases related to environmental factors Example: cold, humidity, pollution 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness Social site: diseases believed to be inflicted by others due to social conflict or jealousy Example: evil eye Supernatural site: diseases inflicted by supernatural entities Example: Gods, spirits or ancestors 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness Where are all these sites/ beliefs more likely to be observed? In which types of societies? Why? 1. Lay beliefs about the causes of illness The individual and natural sites are likely to be observed in western industrialised societies The social and supernatural sites are more likely to be observed in developing counties or tribal societies Why? => Because in western industrialised societies modern biomedicine has been part of people’s life  2. How do lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? How could lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? Are people who adopt the belief “health as function” less likely to seek help or adhere to therapy? Are people who believe that the causes of illness are attributed to social and supernatural sites are less likely to seek help? (Taber et al., 2014) => Lay beliefs are not the only influential factor  Case continues Agueda wants to find someone to help her get rid of the evil eye. However, she is now thinking to take into account her doctor’s advice with regard to lifestyle. She remembers that her father died from heart attack, while her husband exerts particular pressure on her to adhere to medical therapy. 2. How do lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? Perception of symptoms i.e beliefs Initial decision to seek help Triggers - Breakdown of accommodation due to: 1. Inter-personal crisis 2.Perceived interference with work activities 3. Perceived interference with social/leisure activities 4. Sanctioning by others who insist help be sought 5. Symptoms persist beyond arbitrary time limit set by individual Decision to seek help Lay referral Visit G.P. Self-medication Alternative therapies 2. How do lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? Triggers Occurrence of interpersonal crisis Example: death in a patient’s family (Madhavan et al., 2019) Symptoms’ interference with social and interpersonal relations Example: a patient who cannot go to a party due to illness restrictions (Elnegaard et al., 2017) 2. How do lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? Triggers Sanctioning (pressure from others) Example: a spouse who exerts particular pressure on her husband to visit a GP after experiencing chest pain Symptoms’ interference with vocational or physical activity Example: someone who feels very tired all the time and cannot be as productive as before at work (Elnegaard et al., 2017) 2. How do lay beliefs influence illness behaviour? Triggers Temporalisation of symptoms Example: people may place deadlines. If symptoms persist beyond their deadlines then they may seek medical help. (Taber et al., 2014)  3. Applying to the Case In order to apply the sociological knowledge to the case, please answer the following questions: What are Agueda’s beliefs about “being healthy”? What are her beliefs about the causes of her illness? What caused her decide to seek medical help?  3. Applying to the Case Beliefs about health Functional capacity: she does not feel sick because she can still do the things that used to do Beliefs about causes of illness She attributes her condition to the social site: evil eye Reasons for seeking medical help Inter-personal crisis (her father’s death) Pressure from others (her husband)  4. Summary Points People rely on cultural beliefs about health and the causes of illness and may downplay medical diagnosis Patients may be guided by various social triggers Patients’ behaviour with regard to seeking help is guided by both cultural beliefs and social triggers  Sample SBA Agueda has been diagnosed with cardiovascular condition. Though she has to take medications and make lifestyle changes, Agueda does not feel sick because she can do the things she used to do and achieve her personal goals. Which lay belief about health best represents her experience? a. Health as equilibrium b. Health in vacuum c. Health as function d. Reserve of health e. Health as strength  Sample SBA Agueda had a mild heart attack and was diagnosed with cardiovascular condition. However, she thinks that the evil eye was responsible for what happened to her and she would like to find someone to her get rid of it. Based on Cecil Helman’s approach, which “site” is she attributing her condition to? a. Social site b. Supernatural site c. Natural site d. Individual site e. Group site  Reading Barry, A-M and Yuill C (2016). Understanding the sociology of health (4th edition). Chapter 2: pages 26-33. Croydon: SAGE.  References Elnegaard, S., Pedersen, A. F., Andersen, R. S., Christensen, R. D. P., & Jarbøl, D. E. (2017). What triggers healthcare-seeking behaviour when experiencing a symptom? Results from a population-based survey. BJGP open, 1(2). Madhavan, S., Bullis, E., Myers, R., Zhou, C. J., Cai, E. M., Sharma, A.,... & Haga, S. B. (2019). Awareness of family health history in a predominantly young adult population. PloS one, 14(10), e0224283. Taber, J. M., Leyva, B., & Persoskie, A. (2015). Why do people avoid medical care? A qualitative study using national data. Journal of general internal medicine, 30(3), 290-297.