Health Psychology

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Transcript Health Psychology

Health Psychology
Spring 2013
Prologue Discussion
What weight loss strategy “works”?
Objective 3.4(EQ):
Discuss prevention strategies and
treatments for overeating and obesity
S Clearly, the best way to deal with obesity is stop its development
in the first place. The following strategies are designed prevent
the rise of obesity and overeating:
S Healthy Eating
S Dieting
S Surgery
S The difficulty of preventing obesity
S Obesity is a complex condition, one with serious social and
psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and
socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed
and developing countries.
S In 1995, there were an estimated 200 million obese adults
worldwide and another 18 million under-five children classified as
S The difficulty of preventing obesity
S As of 2000, the number of obese adults has increased to over 300
million. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is
not restricted to industrialized societies; in developing countries, it is
estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related
S So how can we prevent this epidemic?
Is there anything we can do to prevent this epidemic?
S The response: making healthy choices easy choices
S WHO began sounding the alarm in the 1990s, spearheading a series
of expert and technical consultations. Public awareness campaigns
were also initiated to sensitize policy-makers, private sector partners,
medical professionals and the public at large.
S They also poured millions of dollars into researching preventative
strategies for combating this epidemic.
S According to a research team gathered by WHO (British
Nutrition Foundation, 2007), parents who increased fruit and
vegetable intake significantly helped prevent weight gain in their
S The families consumed more fiber, which helped them eat
healthy and feel full. The parents in the study also learned to
shop for healthy foods while maintaining their food budget and
learning to store fresh fruits and vegetables -- all factors that
contribute to healthy eating habits.
The BNF also created the “eatwell plate”.
The eatwell plate is based on the five food groups:
S The eatwell plate is a visual representation of how different
foods contribute towards a healthy balanced diet-thus
preventing overeating and obesity. The plate model has been
tested extensively with consumers and health professionals.
S The size of the segments for each of the food groups is
consistent with Government recommendations for a diet that
would provide all the nutrients required for a healthy adult or
child (over the age of two).
S Political intervention
S Food labels
S In the USA, food labels are required by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) so consumers can make an informed
choice about the food they eat.
S However, according to Obesity Action, foods sold in
restaurants, hospital cafeterias and airplanes ,or sold by foodservice vendors (including vending machines) or food shipped in
bulk (e.g. that which may be shipped to a restaurant for
preparation) are exempt from labelling.
How often do you look at the caloric intake in the
foods you eat?
Extra Credit Calorie Challenge
This weekend, record the daily calories that you
consume Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
We will discuss this on Monday!
S An international team of scientists headed Havard University
ensures that reading the labels on food products is linked to
obesity prevention, especially in women.
S According to the study which used data from the USA, female
consumers who consult food labels weigh nearly 8 lbs. less
than those females who report never making a conscious
effort to read food labels.
S The abstract, and the study itself, makes clear that nutrition
labels by themselves will not solve the obesity problem in the
U.S. but are a tool to reduce obesity.
S As the abstract declares, "These findings imply that health
education campaigns can employ nutritional labels as one of the
instruments for preventing obesity.“
S Would knowing the calorie and fat content in fast food and
restaurants make a difference? Why or Why not?
S Laws which govern where fast food outlets can open are under
the control of national and local governments.
S Mair et al. (2005) stated that wealthier neighbourhoods have
more than three times as many supermarkets as the poorest
neighborhoods (compared to their availability of fast food).
S How could the availability of supermarkets play a role in preventing
obesity and overeating?
S The prevalence of fast food in low-income urban neighborhoods
across the United States, combined with the lack of access to
fresh, healthy food, contributes to an overwhelmingly
disproportionate incidence of food-related death and disease
among African Americans and Latinos as compared to whites.
S Urban communities of color suffer the harshest effects of poor
S Individuals living in these communities often lack sufficient
access to adequate health care and education, compounding the
deleterious effects of a diet monopolized by fast food.
S Read more:
Is the problem within the fast food industry or within
the people who choose to eat fast food?
Treatment strategies try to counteract the biopsychsocial facotrs
that influence obesity. These include but are not limited to:
S Low-sacrifice diet
S Appetite suppressants
S Cognitive Therapy
S Surgical Treatment
S In 1992 the National Institutes of Health recognized that
hypertension (high blood pressure) was a major health risk
contributing to the increase of heart attacks, strokes, and
S In order to address this growing concern funding was given to
the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to
research how blood pressure could be reduced through dietary
choices. This study became known as the DASH study.
S The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension, is a research-based diet that was originally
created to help people suffering from elevated blood pressure.
S The diets emphasizes nutrient-packed foods such as fruits,
vegetables, and nuts (which have been shown to increase
metabolism and promote weight loss) while reducing sodium,
saturated fats, cholesterol, red meat and sugar (which decrease
metabolism and decrease weight loss).
S The study was broken into two parts which were conducted
between 1993 to 1999.
S During this time over 850 participants were evaluated by
leading researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Duke
University, and Stanford.
S Researchers found that within just a few weeks of the
participants eating diets high in fruits and vegetables and low
in sodium, their blood pressures were significantly reduced. The
reduction in blood pressure also stimulated weight loss.
What limitations come along with most “dieting”
treatment strategies for overeating/obesity?
S When you start a diet, a wide variety of foods immediately
become off-limits. In some cases, eliminating these foods from
your daily diet can actually lead to significant health risks.
S Without a lifestyle change, many diets end not working in
favor of the culturally unhealthy eating behavior.
S Dieting also usually does not solve the physiological need to
(See Blair-West notes from book)
S Appetite Suppressants:
S Most available weight-loss medications approved by the FDA are
appetite-suppressant medications.
S Appetite suppressants are supplements that dieters use to enable
them treat overeating without the disruption caused by hunger and food
S Without suppressing appetite, many dieters have found that their
cravings have rendered them unable to achieve their desired weight loss
goals. Usually because they still feel the physiological need to eat and or eat
S When a person has feelings of hunger the hypothalamus relays
signals causing a physiological reaction.
S These signals tell a person that they are “feeling hungry”. The
value of appetite suppressants is that they deceive the
hypothalamus into believing that the body is not hungry.
S As a result, the hypothalamus sends serotonin and
norepinephrine signals to the body feelings of fullness.
S Surgery as a treatment for obesity.
S Gastric bypass procedures (GBP) are surgeries leading to a marked
reduction in the functional volume of the stomach. They are
accompanied by an altered physiological and psychological
response to food.
S There are many variations designed to impact different areas of the
digestive tract but most procedures involve reducing the size of the
stomach pouch to limit food intake.
S Weight loss support groups
S Weight loss support groups may offer a solid support system with
regards to weight loss problems.
S The members of the support group can relate to experiences
because they are people that are going through or have actually
been through a weight loss struggle.
S Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
S Aim to change cognitions and eating behavior.
S (See notes from book pg. 246)