Arthritis literally means “joint inflammation.” The terms arthritis and rheumatic disease are usually used interchangeably. These chronic diseases and conditions, of which there are over 100 different types, involve pain and stiffness in or around the joints. Arthritis symptoms can affect nearly every activity of daily living. Arthritis is a leading cause of disability in
Asthma is a reversible obstructive respiratory disorder that produces impaired breathing, which may be accompanied by other respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest. Asthma afflicts many millions of individuals around the world. In the United States, about 17 million people suffer from asthma, and morbidity and mortality rates for the
Psychosocial Aspects of Atherosclerosis Mental or emotional stress has long been considered among the risk factors for heart attack. To begin to understand why, a brief explanation of what causes a heart attack seems in order. The underlying cause of cardiovascular disease that most often leads to heart attack is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develops as a
The term biofeedback has come to be defined as the process of monitoring some biological event with an instrument designed to provide real-time information about that event to the person being monitored. However, clinical biofeedback requires accurate measurement of various physiological processes while providing the client feedback that is sensitive to small changes in his
Bulimia Definition Bulimia literally means “ox hunger” and is short for bulimia nervosa—an eating disorder characterized by binge eating episodes in which an individual feels a loss of control over eating and eats very large amounts of food. The individual reacts to binge episodes by using extreme measures to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced
Cancer, the uncontrolled abnormal growth of cells, is diagnosed in over one million Americans each year (American Cancer Society). This entry provides an overview of the biomedical, psychological, and socio-environmental aspects of cancer. By way of introduction, data on cancer incidence, death rates, and gender differences are provided. The overview focuses on important health psychology
Accidental injuries (also called unintentional injuries) are a significant public health problem in the United States. Unintentional injuries accounted for 97,860 deaths in 1999 and 40.4 million emergency department visits in 2000. By a very large margin, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 1 and 34 years.
Demographics of Aging Older adults represent a large and growing segment of the population, both in the United States and worldwide. Recent population demographic estimates suggest that by the year 2030, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 years old and older. Adults aged 85 years and older are the fastest growing segment
According to recent national surveys, most noninstitutionalized individuals in the United States who are 12 years of age or older drink beverages containing alcohol. In the year 2000 national survey, more than 60 percent of the respondents said that they drank alcohol in the last year and more than 46 percent said that they used
Theories of health behavior change are needed to explain, predict, and improve self-regulation of physical activity. Such theories are being divided into continuum models and stage models. In continuum models, people are positioned along a range that reflects the likelihood of action. Influential predictor variables are identified and combined within one prediction equation. The goal