Dualist Beliefs Linked With Less Concern For Healthy Behaviors

 

From the 27 July 2012 article at Medical News Today

Many people, whether they know it or not, are philosophical dualists. That is, they believe that the brain and the mind are two separate entities. Despite the fact dualist beliefs are found in virtually all human cultures, surprisingly little is known about the impact of these beliefs on how we think and behave in everyday life. ..

…Across five related studies, researchers Matthias Forstmann, Pascal Burgmer, and Thomas Mussweiler of the University of Cologne, Germany, found that people primed with dualist beliefs had more reckless attitudes toward health and exercise, and also preferred (and ate) a less healthy diet than those who were primed with physicalist beliefs.

Furthermore, they found that the relationship also worked in the other direction. People who were primed with unhealthy behaviors – such as pictures of unhealthy food – reported a stronger dualistic belief than participants who were primed with healthy behaviors.

Overall, the findings from the five studies provide converging evidence demonstrating that mind-body dualism has a noticeable impact on people’s health-related attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, these findings suggest that dualistic beliefs decrease the likelihood of engaging in healthy behavior.

These findings support the researchers’ original hypothesis that the more people perceive their minds and bodies to be distinct entities, the less likely they will be to engage in behaviors that protect their bodies. Bodies are ultimately viewed as a disposable vessel that helps the mind interact with the physical world.

Evidence of a bidirectional relationship further suggests that metaphysical beliefs, such as beliefs in mind-body dualism, may serve as cognitive tools for coping with threatening or harmful situations.

The fact that the simple priming procedures used in the studies had an immediate impact on health-related attitudes and behavior suggests that these procedures may eventually have profound implications for real-life problems. Interventions that reduce dualistic beliefs through priming could be one way to help promote healthier – or less self-damaging – behaviors in at-risk populations.

 

Related articles

• Mind vs. Body? Dualist Beliefs Linked with Less Concern for Healthy Behaviors (prn.fm)
• Mind vs. body? Dualist beliefs linked with less concern for healthy behaviors (sciencedaily.com)
• Mind vs. Body? Dualist Beliefs Linked with Less Concern for Healthy Behaviors (psychologicalscience.org)
• Mind vs. Body? Dualist Beliefs Linked with Less Concern for Healthy Behaviors (sott.net)
• Mind vs. body? Dualist beliefs linked with less concern for healthy behaviors (medicalxpress.com)
• Mind vs. body? Dualist beliefs linked with less concern for healthy behaviors (eurekalert.org)

 

Like It or Not, Facebook and Friends Can Be Used to Influence Health Behavior

From the 5th July 2012 article at Science News Daily

Most people call it the “art” of persuasion, but public health researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) are trying to pinpoint the “science” behind social influence….

…

Valente, whose research focuses on social networks and influence, has compiled a collection of methods that public health advocates use to stimulate changes in behavior and explains why certain methods may be more effective than others in particular situations. The analysis appears in the July 6 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Science, the world’s leading outlet for scientific news, commentary and research.

Due to the large number of interventions available to researchers — Valente identifies 24, each with at least several variations — the researcher says a more robust framework is needed for deciding which tactics are best used in particular settings.

Word-of-mouth interventions, for example, depend on the social network to succeed. In some cases, word of mouth is used to spread the word and in other cases to create groups of like-minded friends.

“Existing evidence indicates that network interventions are quite effective,” Valente writes. “Yet, the science of how networks can be used to accelerate behavior change and improve organizational performance is still in its infancy. Research is clearly needed to compare different network interventions to determine which are optimal under what circumstances.”

Valente notes that behavioral research is often used in marketing and business arenas; the public health sector is just beginning to implement that information as tools like Facebook and Twitter have made it easier to collect data and spread information, he says…

Related articles

• Like it or not, Facebook and friends can be used to influence health behavior (eurekalert.org)
• “Identifying Influential and Susceptible Members of Social Networks” – Science Mag (brain4biz.wordpress.com)
• The ABC’s of Converting Social Media Into Word-of-Mouth Marketing (openforum.com)
• Identifying, Understanding and Influencing Social Media Users [Infographic] (mindjumpers.com)
• Women’s Facebook Recommendations Spur More Likes From Men – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
• Jure Klepic: Paradox of Online Influence (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Democratization of Social Influence (forbes.com)

Infographic: Where money is spent in health care vs. what makes us healthy

Reblogged from Between The Charts:

Read full report by BPC here

Read full article here

Via WONK blog by @ezraklein

While I'm not sure if there is a one-to-one relationship between money spent on health care and what will result in healthier individuals...still this is a real eye-opener.

10 Possible Reasons Public Health Communication Strategies on Behaviour Change May be Failing: An introduction to the 2-6-10 Slot Model.© « drnyashamboti

From the abstract of a Paper to be presented at the International Association of Media and Communication Researchers, Durban, 2012, University of KwaZulu-Natal

By Nyasha Mboti

University of KwaZulu Natal

Abstract

Every year many millions of dollars are spent on programmes and strategies to motivate ‘at-risk’ populations to ‘change’ their ‘behaviour’. At issue in this paper is the efficacy of such programmes and strategies. The “2-6-10 slot model” is a simple algorithm I have built to explain some of the seemingly obvious failures of Public Health interventions in Africa targeted at so-called ‘Behaviour Change’, specifically in the domain of HIV and AIDS campaigns. The model is draws on unanswered questions about ‘Behaviour Change’ programmes and strategies and is meant to be a critical commentary on the strategic assumptions of such programmes. In building the model, I argue that the notion of ‘Behaviour Change’ is too vague, sometimes to the point of uselessness. As such, the model asks the questions that public health opinion leaders seldom or never ask. The 2-6-10 slot model focuses on the interventions targeted at so-called ‘multi-partnerism’ and the efforts to motivate people to ‘stick to one partner’. It uses ‘slots’ to describe, characterise and reflect on the gaps that conventional Public Health strategies have failed to explain or fill. The model suggests the adoption of more evidence-based modelling of Public Health strategies as opposed to ones that are largely assumption-led. The 2-6-10 slot model is so-called because it comprises of diagrams, or empty slots, that begin at 2 and increase to 6, 10 and so on. The increase in slots represents the increase in failure of a respective public health intervention.

Related articles

• Public health experts condemn plans (mirror.co.uk)
• Collaboration Of Public And Private Health Partners Is Essential For Health Improvement (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Public Health Investments Pay Off (hcfama.org)
• Healthy People? Not Quite Yet – From “The Public’s Health” Blog (jflahiff.wordpress.com)

Four Specific Health Behaviors Contribute to a Longer Life

From the short US Centers for Disease Control feature article,
Four Specific Health Behaviors Contribute to a Longer Life

 

 

Four health risk behaviors—lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption—are responsible for much of the illness and death related to chronic diseases. Seven out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases.¹ Heart disease, cancer, and stroke account for more than 50% of all deaths each year.¹

A new CDC report finds that people can live longer if they practice one or more healthy lifestyle behaviors— not smoking, eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, and limiting alcohol consumption.² Not smoking provides the most protection from dying early from all causes.

People who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 66 percent less likely to die early from cancer, 65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and 57 percent less likely to die early from other causes compared to people who did not engage in any of the healthy behaviors.²

What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and Longer Life

Avoid Excessive Alcohol Use:

• Drink alcohol in moderation (men should have no more than two drinks per day; and women no more than one drink per day).

Avoid Tobacco:

• If you do not smoke, don’t start.
• If you currently smoke, and want to quit, call 1-800-Quit-Now, a free telephone support service that can help you to stop smoking or using tobacco.

Improve Nutrition:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood.
• Eat fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains.

Engage in Physical Activity:

• Participate in moderate intensity physical activity 5 or more days per week (150 minutes), such as brisk walking, or
• Practice vigorous physical activity 3 or more days per week (75 minutes) such as jogging or race walking.

Reference

1. Kung HC, Hoyert DL, Xu JQ, Murphy SL. Deaths: final data for 2005. National Vital Statistics Reports 2008;56(10).
2. Ford ES, Zhao G, Tsai J, Li C. Low-risk lifestyle behaviors and all-cause mortality: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study. American Journal of Public Health., published online ahead of print August 18, 2011.

More Information

• Alcohol and Public Health
• Smoking & Tobacco Use
• Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity
• Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
• Winnable Battles

CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money to have a more secure nation. A US federal agency, CDC helps make the healthy choice the easy choice by putting science and prevention into action. CDC works to help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

Related articles

• Physical Activity Levels Linked to Employment Status (nlm.nih.gov)
• Lifetime legacy (bbc.co.uk)
• Too Much Salt in Diet, and Too Little Exercise, Can Risk Cognitive Decline (sciencedaily.com)
• Benefits of daily exercise are comparable to giving up smoking (guardian.co.uk)