Health psychology
Substance abuse, addictive behaviour
and obesity
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Activity
•
Betty was quite slim in her teens, but has
gradually increased in weight over the
years and now, aged 35, has been
diagnosed as obese.
•
Betty drives to and from work every day
and eats her lunch at her desk, usually a
takeaway pizza.
•
After work she stops off at a fast food
restaurant on the way home to unwind
with a burger or two.
•
Betty was once a keen hockey player, but
finds she has little time now for exercise.
On arriving home she heats up a highcalorie ready-meal then spends the
evening watching TV while eating fatty
snacks and drinking sugary soft drinks.
What factors can you identify
about Betty’s lifestyle that may
have contributed to her
becoming obese?
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Factors in obesity
Neurological factors
•
Psychodynamic factors
Faulty functioning of the brain structure; the
hypothalamus is seen as associated with the
development of obesity, especially the
ventromedial hypothalamus, which in normal
people acts to inform people that they’re full, so
that eating can cease.
Hormones
•
The amount of leptin influences the POMC and
NPY neurones, which regulate appetite.
•
Insulin affects the storage and usage of energy,
with a link between insulin resistance and
obesity.
•
High levels of cortisol slow down the metabolism,
decreasing the ability to burn fat, leading to
overeating and weight increase.
•
Ghrelin slows down metabolism, decreasing the
ability to burn fat.
Obesity is seen as arising from emotional deprivation
and overindulgence during the oral stage in childhood,
with an adult personality emerging dominated by oralgratification through overeating.
Depression and low self-esteem formed from
unresolved childhood conflicts can also lead to oralgratification through over-eating in adulthood.
How could Betty’s obesity be explained by
the factors outlined here?
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Command words:
The language of the learning outcomes
Learning outcome: Discuss factors related to overeating and the development of
obesity
•
Exam questions will require candidates to describe and evaluate causes of
overeating and people becoming overweight to the point of obesity.
•
This could be achieved by outlining biological and psychological contributors to
overeating and obesity, with differentiation between candidates occurring
through the amount of accurate detail provided.
•
Evaluation could be based upon the degree of research support for individual
factors, as well as practical applications, such as the development of effective
strategies and treatments to address the negative effects of obesity.
•
Evaluation could also centre on the ethical considerations of researching obese
participants, relevant methodological considerations and how factors should
be considered as having a cumulative effect, rather than working in isolation
from each other.
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Prevention strategies for obesity
Health promotion
Physical exercise
Focus is on promoting:
•
Healthy foods and reducing
unhealthy food within the media
and shops.
•
Role models who demonstrate
healthy eating and living.
Focus is on:
• Increasing affordable opportunities for
regular physical activity.
• Reducing sedentary activities, like
watching TV and playing computer
games.
Legislation and public health policy
Health approaches
Focus is on:
• Improving sleep patterns.
• Reducing stress levels.
Focus is on:
• Using the tax system to make healthy
foods accessible to all and limiting
unhealthy foods.
• Controlling food quality in school and
work environments.
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Command words:
The language of the learning outcomes
Learning outcome: Discuss prevention strategies and treatments for overeating and
obesity
•
Exam questions will require candidates to describe and evaluate the different
means by which overeating and obesity can be tackled, including methods of
prevention, as well as therapies for reducing the disorder.
•
This could be achieved by outlining various prevention strategies, such as
promoting healthy living, and specific therapies, such as anti-obesity drugs.
Differentiation between candidates would depend upon the amount of accurate
detail provided.
•
Evaluation could be based upon the degree of research support for specific
strategies and treatments, including combination of treatments rather than just
individual ones.
•
Comparing strategies and treatments could also be used to highlight relative
strengths and weaknesses, as well as a theoretical consideration of the
psychological approaches upon which specific strategies and treatments are
based.
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013
Sleep and obesity
Knutson (2011) investigated the effect
that the quality of sleep has upon
eating behaviour.
Poor quality sleep was found to be
linked with obesity, as it affected
appetite regulation, glucose
metabolism and blood pressure.
Restricting sleep triggered ghrelin
levels to boost appetite, so that food
intake increased, but without any
extra energy usage, leading to weight
increase and heightened risk of
obesity.
1. How does Knutson’s study
suggest that sleep patterns can
contribute to the development of
obesity?
2. How could alterations in sleep
patterns be used to reduce
overeating and obesity?
© Hodder & Stoughton 2013