3.5 Health promotion

3.5.1 Strategies for improving health.

• fear arousal: use of fear to improve health, including a study, e.g. Janis and Feshbach (1953).
• providing information: giving information so people know how to improve their health, including a study, e.g. Lewin et al. (1992).
• Relevant issues and debates and methodology for this topic include: individual and situational explanations, cultural differences, longitudinal studies, objective and subjective data, ethics.

This matters because —strategies for improving health determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —strategies for improving health to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Strategies for improving health is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.

3.5.2 Health promotion in schools and worksites.

• schools, with a focus on healthy eating, including a study, e.g. Tapper et al. (2003).
• worksites, with a focus on health and safety, including a study, e.g. Fox et al. (1987).
• Relevant issues and debates and methodology for this topic include: use of children in research, experiments, longitudinal studies, quantitative and qualitative data, generalisations.

This matters because —health promotion in schools and worksites determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —health promotion in schools and worksites to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Health promotion in schools and worksites is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.

3.5.3 Individual factors in changing health beliefs.

• unrealistic optimism: reason for disregarding positive health advice, including a study, e.g. Weinstein (1980).
• positive psychology: defining positive psychology. Three focuses: pleasant life, good life, meaningful life, including a study, e.g. Seligman (2004).
• application of positive psychology (exemplified by the following key study).
• Key study on using positive psychology in schools to improve mental health: Shoshani and Steinmetz (2014).

This matters because —changing health beliefs determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —changing health beliefs to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Changing health beliefs is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.