Public health refers to those activities by which a society attempts to increase life expectancy, decrease morbidity, and help improve health-related quality of life. A distinction is sometimes made between clinical or high-risk approaches to disease treatment and prevention versus population-based strategies. Although there is some utility in distinguishing between these approaches, they should be
Health is probably the most valued human asset. In fact, studies on the preference for different states of being show that virtually everyone rates health as most important. Despite the perceived importance of health, health status has remained difficult to define. There are two common themes in definitions of health. First, premature death is undesirable
Psychophysiology, a discipline that traces its roots back to ancient Greek society, is one of several scientific disciplines that examine relations between mind and body. Psychophysiology has traditionally been defined as any research in which the dependent variable is a physiological measure and the independent (or predictor) variable is a behavioral one. Studies examining how
Religion and health have always been, and continue to be, important aspects of human existence. Throughout history, civilizations believed that health and disease were related to particular religious beliefs or practices. For example, some Christians believed that good health was the result of proper Christian living and poor health was a punishment for sin. Though
Pain is one of the most complex of human experiences. It is the most common reason for which patients seek medical care. More than 80% of all physician visits are due to pain. Pain accounts for over $70 billion annually in health care costs and lost productivity. It is defined by the International Association for
Pregnancy is the period of embryonic and fetal development, or gestation. In humans, a normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from conception to birth. Delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, known as preterm delivery, is associated with greater risk for a number of adverse conditions in the newborn including low birth weight (less than 2,500 g).
The link between social and occupational standing on the one hand and health on the other has long attracted interest. Michael Marmot has investigated this issue for over 30 years, a program of research for which he received a knighthood in the United Kingdom. In a diverse and broad collection of studies, Marmot and his
Introduction The health belief model (HBM) emerged from the work of U.S. public health researchers Godfrey Hochbaum, Stephen Kegels, Howard Leventhal, and Irwin Rosenstock, who were attempting to develop models to explain why individuals fail to engage in preventive health measures. Early studies by Hochbaum concerned why people seek diagnostic x-rays for tuberculosis. In 1956
At the beginning of the 20th century acute diseases, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, and other infectious diseases, were the primary causes of death in the United States. By the end of the 20th century this pattern had undergone a major shift. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, chronic and preventable diseases, including
Helplessness refers to maladaptive passivity in situations where an active response can alleviate negative conditions or produce positive ones. Helplessness entails not just a deficit in activity, but also a lack of motivation, aversive feelings—notably anxiety and depression—and cognitive difficulties in recognizing that certain behaviors indeed affect what happens. Helplessness has been explained from theoretical