Health Psychology at the National Level (UK): Identify a major health issue in the United Kingdom and discuss how Health Psychology might address this concern.

Résumé du document

Essay detailing and discussing the obesity epidemic in the U.K, and the possible steps that need to be taken to address it.

Extraits

[...] Health and Place, 141-145 Sobal, J. (1991) Obesity and socioeconomic status: A framework for examining relationships between physical and social variables. Medical Anthropology, 231-247 Stice, Presnell, Shaw, H. & Rohde, P. (2005) Psychological and behavioral risk factors for obesity onset in adolescent girls: a prospective study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 195-202 Stunkard, A.J. & Wadden, T.A. (1992) Psychological aspects of severe obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 5245-5325 Wang, Y.C; McPherson, Marsh, Gortmaker, S.L. [...]

[...] Whilst this is only a small sample (364 participants in total), meaning we cannot generalise the findings to the entire ethnicity, and must consider there was only two geographical areas explored, this can suggest that there must be more to the risk factors of obesity than genetics and biological factors, leading us to investigate social and cultural factors that may take effect. This leads us to another aspect of Engel's biopsychosocial model - the social factors that affect the United Kingdom's increasing rates of obesity. One area that has been particularly investigated is the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the trends in obesity in the United Kingdom - a factor that is thought to be modifiable within Engel's 1977 model. [...]

[...] Further research has found that those living in areas of deprivation, such as those living in poverty stricken areas, experience 2.5 times more fast food restaurants in their area in comparison to those living in areas of wealth (Reidpath, Burns, Garrad, Mahoney and Townsend, 2002), meaning they will be more exposed to factors that influence unhealthy eating habits. Considering social factors as a cause for obesity, this information could be of use to Health Psychologists in developing interventions to prevent the epidemic from becoming even more severe. [...]

[...] It should be considered, in any intervention developed by Health Psychologists, that these interventions should be designed with compassion at heart. It is likely that despite obesity becoming somewhat a norm in society, the severely obese are likely to have faced discrimination, and are therefore likely to suffer feelings of extreme shame (Stunkard and Wadden, 1992). With this in mind, it remains important that Health Psychologists remember that they are dealing with very vulnerable people, who report low self-esteem and negative emotions (Stunkard and Wadden, 1992), and therefore ethical considerations should be of utmost importance. [...]

[...] More evidence for a genetic link in the cause of obesity comes from twin studies. Price and Gottesman (1991) studied 34 monozygotic twins that were separated in childhood, alongside a matched sample of 38 monozygotic twins that were reared together. The researchers used BMI (Body Mass Index) as a quantitative measure of body fat, and found that there was a correlation coefficient of .61 in those who were separated, and .75 in those reared together. As there is not a correlation of 1.0, this opens the suggestion that there are other factors that influence excess mass in individuals, such as changes in their adult environments, which creates strong evidence for the use of Engel's biopsychosocial model in determining the cause of obesity. [...]