How Health Psychology can contribute to environmental health
5 likes3,019 views
The document discusses the role of health psychology in promoting environmental health, focusing on behavior change models and effective communication strategies. It emphasizes the importance of understanding target behaviors and contextual factors, along with collaborative approaches like motivational interviewing to encourage healthier lifestyle choices. Additionally, the document outlines steps for successful intervention planning and highlights the need for evidence-based practices and community involvement.
How Health Psychology can contribute to environmental health
- 1. Understanding Behaviour: how Health Psychology can contribute to Environmental Health Beds and Herts Branch of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, 23 Sept 2014 Michelle Constable Health Psychologist in Training & Jim McManus Director of Public Health
- 2. Content • Lets start a conversation! • What is health psychology? • Models of behaviour change • Communication • How to communicate your message • Things to consider when planning a project
- 3. Lets start a conversation! • What does current practice look like? • What tools/support are available? • What methods/theories do you use? • How do you communicate your messages? • What challenges do you face?
- 4. Health Psychology? • Promotion and maintenance of health • Prevention and treatment of illness • Cause and diagnostic relationship of health and illness • Health care system and health policy • Consultancy • Teaching and training
- 5. Areas Health Psychologists research • Health cognitions/beliefs • Communication • Risk behaviours – smoking/alcohol • Health protective behaviours • Long term conditions – coping/resilience • Stress • Implementation of evidence based practice
- 6. Current Applications • Public Health (various) • Driver speeding and behaviour • Young People • Drug and Alcohol recovery • Offending behaviour • Recycling behaviour • Pro social behaviour
- 7. Models of Behaviour change
- 9. Next Slides • We gratefully acknowledge the permission of UCL Centre for Behaviour Change to use some of their slides on the COMB model and behaviour change wheel, and we recommend their training. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-change • We hope to organise their training for Hertfordshire agencies soon
- 10. The COM-B Model Michie S, M van Stralen, West R (2011) The Behaviour Change Wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6, 42.
- 11. Michie, 2011
- 12. The Behaviour Change Wheel
- 13. Again • Our thanks to UCL colleagues for permission to use the preceeding slides http://www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-change
- 14. Environmental Health • Many environmental problems rooted in behaviour • Consider the behaviour you are trying to target • Contextual factors may facilitate or constrain e.g. availability of recycling bins • Costs may outweigh motivation – need to consider infrastructure • What is the evidence base?
- 15. Communication
- 16. Brief intervention A 3 step 30 second systems based approach
- 17. Make Every Contact Count (MECC) • Offering brief advice on healthy lifestyles opportunistically, smoking, weight, physical activity • Giving information about importance of behaviour change • Simple advice and signposting • Aims to reduce health inequalities • Encourages patient to take responsibility for own health • http://learning.nhslocal.nhs.uk/feature-list/making-every-contact- count • http://www.alcohollearningcentre.org.uk/eLearning/IBA/
- 18. MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING What is MI? MI is a collaborative, goal-orientated style of communication which pays particular attention to the language of change. It’s aim is to strengthen personal motivation and commitment to a specific goal (like increasing physical activity) by exploring the person’s own reasons for change.
- 19. FEATURES OF MI • MI’s style is conversational and accepting • It’s a shared decision making conversation • It’s collaborative and solution focussed • EQUALITY- They are the expert in their own behaviour but you have the skills and knowledge to help them!
- 20. THE TASK OF MI CONVERSATIONS • Identify when behaviour is inconsistent with the client’s goals or ambitions. • Focus where there is a discrepancy between their values i.e. I don’t want to smoke and their current behaviour i.e. smoking. • It’s very hard to be resistant to someone who is trying hard to understand you. • With MI we don’t necessarily wait for the client to be ready for change, MI is good for people who are in two minds.
- 21. Instead of…Could you? Have you thought of…? TRY • How might you best go about that? • What would that be like for you? • What are your thoughts? • What strengths do you have? • How confident are you in making this change? • Where should the focus of our conversation be today, to make it as helpful as possible for you?
- 22. Clear messages? • Importance of clear information • Stoke-on-Trent study • Readability assessment • Identify jargon • Patient/public involvement group • Lower then anticipated reading age
- 23. Things to consider in the planning phase 1. Base interventions on a proper assessment of the target group, where they are located and the behaviour that is to be changed 2. Work with other organisations and the community itself to decide on and develop initiatives 3. Build on the skills and knowledge that already exists in the community, for example, by encouraging networks of people who can support each other 4. Take account of – and resolve – problems that prevent people changing their behaviour (for example, the costs involved in taking part in or lack of knowledge about how to make changes) 5. Base all interventions on evidence of what works 6. Train staff to help people change their behaviour 7. Evaluate all interventions.
- 24. Next steps? • Consider psychological factors when setting up a project/intervention • Review the evidence to see what works • Think about the skill mix within your team • Work with partners • Communication is key to success • Contact the Public Health Service • Health Psychology in Public Health Network
Editor's Notes
- #5: All aspects of health and illness across the lifespan Might treat stress in a high stress occupations so it wont adversely effect health Influences on how people stay healthy, Why they become ill How they respond when they do get ill Why people smoke even though they know it increases the risk of heart disease and cancer – understanding the behaviour helps to refine interventions
- #6: primary prevention “Lifestyle” behaviours: major cause of illness and premature death smoking alcohol use poor diet physical activity unsafe sex driving habits violence secondary prevention Reduce delay in seeking help adherence to treatment Health professionals implementation of evidence-based practice Knowledge Translation Gap Influence population behaviour
- #8: Recognition of importance of behaviour change
- #9: Knowledge Skills Role and identity Beliefs about capabilities Beliefs about consequences Motivation and goals Memory, attention and decision processes Environmental context and resources Social influences Emotion Self-regulation
- #11: It takes a number of different factors to come together to change behaviour. Complex process.
- #22: What would be your best reason for making this Change? What might you hope to gain from making this change? How confident are you in making this change? What could help with your confidence? What specifically will you do? What might get in the way of you making this change? How will you know if the change is working? When do you think you might start?
- #23: Sexual health study on leaflets in GP surgeries Assessed : readability Reader friendliness Usability Method Readability assessment using Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade level Discussion with patient invlovement group to identify jargon and reader friendlieness Tested with target group Findings: Average reading age 13-15 While some leaflets had an acceptable readability score but long sentences, jargon and poor lay-out made leaflets more difficult to understand. Recommendations: Materials should be aimed at reading level of 10-11yeas old Simplified material Readability does not ensure compreension and need to be assessed by lay people to ensure target audience will understand message.
- #24: Evaluation – What are you evaluating? Other measures self-efficacy – coping – QOL? What measure? Incentives? Follow – up? When and for how long? Sustained changes