Future challenges Cont.
Challenges for healthier people
Increasing the span of healthy life
Not life expectancy
Reduce health disparities
Social and economic factors
Age, income, education, ethnicity, occupation
Challenges for health care
• Controlling costs
– High technology
– Physician specializing
– Unneeded diagnostics for liability
– Profit orientation
– Effective lobbying efforts to reduce control
– Health Psychologists can help by
• Changing unhealthy behaviors
• Prevention to reduce health costs
Reducing costs
• Switch from hospital based care to prevention,
home and electronic monitoring, and self
care.
Factors encouraging the growth of
Health Psychology
• Equality between mental and physical health
• More holistic view of health
• Increased focus of behavioral factors
What are college students most at risk
for?
• Injuries
– Car crashes
• Alcohol
• Cell phones
• Sexual and partner violence
• Suicide
Become a critical consumer of health
information
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
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•
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•
•
Don’t smoke
Don’t drink (or in moderation)
Regular exercise
Maintain a healthy weight
Get 7-8 hours of sleep