In Form E learning session

Index

Index
Introduction

In this e elearning session we will explore the range of factors that can influence health behaviours and especially those
that can influence children's eating habits and attitudes towards food and nutrition.

This learning session is divided into three sections.

1. Overview

Personal Constructs

Planned Behaviour Theory

Sense of Coherence

Social Cognition and Health

The Health Belief Model

2. Learning Activity to help you think about how these theoretical perspectives might be used in practice.

3. Background Readings to help you develop a more detailed knowledge of topics covered.

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Learning Activity

Learning Activity

Menu If you have read through the brief overviews , followed the links in the text and looked at one
or two of the suggested readings you should be in a good position to start thinking about
Introduction how some of these ideas might be of value in work with young children and their families on
food related issues.
Background Readings
For example, if we take the Health Belief Model as a starting point, it is self evident that
Overview young children's capacity for rational decision making is relatively limited. According to the
health belief model when we are working to support behavioural change with obese children
Personal Constructs (or adults) one of our tasks is to make sure that they have adequate and reliable information
to help them understand the different components of a healthy diet. This approach assumes
that, given the correct information, each person is capable of making a positive choice about
Planned Behaviour Theory eating habits that will improve their health.

Sense of Coherence However if we take into account Planned Behaviour Theory which proposes that we also
take into account Subjective Norms- the views of others and our willingness to comply with
Social Cognition and Health those views, then the decision becomes much more complex. All of us are subject to 'peer
pressure' and depending on our personality (Personal Constructs) we are more or less likely
The Health Belief Model to fall in line with what is going on around us rather than step out on our own, even when
previously accepted rational decisions suggest that we should.

For young children the desire to conform to subjective norms, especially those of our family
and friends, is very strong. What this suggest is that even if we can teach the child the
basic requirements of a healthy diet, even if they agree to eat in a 'healthy' manner, the
influence of family and friends is likely to be more important in influencing actual behaviour
than rational judgements based on health education guidance such a the 5 a day
programmes that operate in many countries. This suggest that attempts to support positive
lifestyle changes in obese children will need to focus on 'cultural' change within families and
peer groups rather than the simple transmission of good advice.

Activity

Now that you have finished this part of the learning session it's time to think and share your
thoughts. I have set up a forum for this learning session which will enable you to share your
ideas on psychological and social aspects of food and nutrition. Please visit the forum and
share your ideas about the following:

1. If health behaviours are influenced by experiences of everyday life then it should follow
that obese children have predominantly been influenced by counter health giving
experiences at home and school. What can we do during the summer camp to help
participants understand how their experiences and behaviours can be modified to produce
more healthy eating and dietary habits?

2. Selecting at least one aspect of the theories presented in this session suggest an activity
for the summer camp that could help to improve awareness of reason ing and awareness of
personal factors influencing our eating behaviour.

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Personal Constructs

Personal Constructs
Menu Personal Construct Theory was developed by psychologist George Kelly to explain how we
use personal constructs- ways of viewing the world and ways in which we are likely construe
Introduction or make sense of the world as we experience it. According to Kelly developing personal
Background Readings constructs (sets of ideas about the world) help us to make sense of the world. they help us to
operate within the world. We develop these constructs in response to the experiences we
Learning Activity have as we go through our lives.

Overview Kelly used this notion of personal constructs to devise an interview technique that would
enable researchers or therapists to build a map of the key personal constructs that the
interviewee used to make sense of the world. This interview strategy is known as Repertory
Sense of Coherence Grid method.

Social Cognition and Health Follow this link fro a brief explanation of how repertory grid technique is used.

The Health Belief Model The Repertory Grid is a useful tool for helping researchers and practitioners understand the
personal constructs that interviewees use to inform their behaviour. Understanding how
people put these constructs together can provide practical insights into ways of helping
people change existing behavioural norms.

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Personal Constructs

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Menu The Theory of Planned Behaviour was developed by Icek Ajzen to explain the links
between attitudes and sociual behaviour.
Introduction
According to this theory we decide upon a course of action through three kinds of
Background Readings consideration.
1. Behavioural beliefs - positive or negative attitudes towards a given behaviour,
Learning Activity their value, their efficacy and the consequences of the proposed behaviour.
2. Normative beliefs- How other people view this behaviour, our willingness to
Overview comply with the views of others
3. Control beliefs- The internal and external resources avilable to support adoption
Personal Constructs of a behaviour, the opportunity available to take action.

Sense of Coherence



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Sense of Coherence

Sense of Coherence

Menu Aaron Antonovsky proposed the Sense of Coherence referring to â€œThe
extent to which one has a pervasive, enduring though dynamic, feeling of
Introduction
confidence that oneâ€™s environment is predictable and that things will
Background Readings work out as well as can reasonably be expected.â€

Learning Activity Sense of Coherence consists of three components

Overview 1. Comprehensibility- the extent to which we perceive our lives to be
structured, predictable and explainable.
Personal Constructs
2. Manageability- the extent to which we consider that personal and
Planned Behaviour Theory external resources can support our chosen actions.

Social Cognition and Health 3. Meaningfulness- the extent to which the proposed behaviour is
meaningful in our own lives.
According to Antonovsky people with a high sense of coherence are likely
to enjoy perceive themselves to enjoy a greater amount of health and
well being.

Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence model builds on his work on salutogenic
health. Salutogenic perspectives on health focus on factors that support
health and well being running contrary to pathogenic perspectives which
focus on the notion of the body as an organism and the factors that
contribute to illness and disease. Pathogenic models, which dominate
western medicine, tend to see health in terms of the absence of disease,
disability or impairment.

For more on Antonovsky's ideas about salutogenic health see

Antonovsky, A (1996) The salutogenic model as a theory to guide health
promotion, Health Promotion International, Vol, 11 (1)

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Sense of Coherence

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Social Cognition

Social Cognition
Social behaviour, how we behave in different social situations, is a consequence of how
Menu we understand the social world. We learn the social rules, ways of acting, the
conventions and normative expectations of everyday life through interaction with others.
Introduction
The process of socialisation, provides the opportunities for learning what to expect, how
Background Readings to be have and how to make sense of the world. It starts from our earliest childhood
experiences and continues throughout our lives helping us construct, review and
Learning Activity reconstruct notions of reality. It is our social experiences that largely determine how we
think, what we think and how we act upon our ideas about reality.
Overview
Socialisation provides the basis for Social Cognition the process by which we think about
Personal Constructs our world. In very simple terms we can break this down into person perception- how we
make sense of others, and self regulation- how we make sense of ourselves.
It is through these process of socialisation and social cognition that we decide how we
Sense of Coherence will think about and act in relation to perceived health challenges.

Social Cognition and
Health


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Social Cognition

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Menu The Health Belief Model draws on a number of psychological perspectives and sets
out the key aspects of health related decision making. According to this model we
Introduction make decisions about health related behaviours according to three key areas-
Threats to our health, evaluation of our behavioural potentials and the main cues
Background Readings that prompt a positive response to perceived health challenges.

Learning Activity The health belief model assumes a more or less rational approach to everyday life.
It assumes that we weigh up the pros and cons of available actions and make a
Overview choice based on our evaluation of the perceived benefits. Following the steps
outlined in the model a practitioner hoping to influence the behaviour of an obese
Personal Constructs person


Sense of Coherence


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Page Index

Page Index
Background Readings

Index

Learning Activity

Personal Constructs


Sense of Coherence

Social Cognition


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Background Readings

Background Readings

Menu Antonovsky, A. (1984) The sense of coherence as a determinant of health. John Wiley & Sons,
Ball, K., Mishra, G.D. & Crawford, D. (2003) Social factors and obesity: an investigation of the
Introduction role of health behaviours. International Journal of Obesity, 27, 394-403.
Learning Activity
Braet, C. & Mervielde, I. (1997) Psychological Aspects of Childhood Obesity: A Controlled Study
Overview in a Clinical and Non Clinical Sample. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 59-71.

Personal Constructs Eriksson, M. & Lindstrom, B. (2005) Validity of Antonovskyâ€™s sense of coherence scale: a
systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health, 59, 460-466.

Sense of Coherence
Vamosi, M., Heitmann, B.L. & Kyvik, K.O. (2009) The relation between an adverse psychological
Social Cognition and Health and social environment in childhood and the development of adult obesity: a systematic literature
review. Obesity Reviews
Walker, L. et al. (2009) Obesity: The Role of Child Mental Health Services. Child and Adolescent
Mental Health, 14, 114-120.

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Category 'ToDo'

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