Given the current pressure to reform US health care and contain its costs, how might health psychologists and/or research in the field of health psychology be helpful during the development of future policy? Also, how could/will you use the information you learned in this course to shape your own health practices?
The majority of chronic diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers) that drive U.S. healthcare costs are lifestyle-related. Health psychology offers evidence-based methods for behavioral change.
Policy Intervention: Policies could mandate or incentivize the integration of health psychologists into primary care settings (Integrated Behavioral Health).
Research Contribution: Health psychology research provides the data on:
Effective Health Communication: Determining the most persuasive messages and media to encourage preventive behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, smoking cessation) across diverse demographic groups.
Community-Level Interventions: Designing environmental changes (e.g., urban planning to encourage walking) and community programs that make healthy choices the default option, shifting the focus from individual responsibility to systemic support.
Poor adherence to medication and treatment plans (e.g., failing to take medication as prescribed) is a significant driver of costly complications, hospital readmissions, and emergency room visits.
Policy Intervention: Policies could fund programs that train primary care providers and nurses in basic motivational interviewing and other behavioral techniques to identify and address patient barriers to adherence (e.g., financial stress, forgetfulness, fear of side effects).
Research Contribution: Health psychology research identifies psychological barriers to adherence:
Illness Perceptions: Understanding how a patient's belief system about their illness and treatment affects their willingness to comply.
Stress and Coping: Determining how chronic stress and socioeconomic factors (Social Determinants of Health) interfere with a patient’s ability to manage complex treatment regimens. Policy can then target these upstream stressors.
Health psychologists can help policymakers design incentives and structures that encourage cost-effective choices.
Research Contribution: Applying principles of behavioral economics to healthcare:
Designing health insurance plans that use nudges (subtle prompts) to steer patients toward generic drugs or high-value preventative services.
Structuring patient portals and communication to reduce diagnostic errors and unnecessary testing by simplifying information presentation.
The information learned in a health psychology course provides a comprehensive framework for shaping personal health practices by fostering greater self-awareness and proactive behavioral management.
Stress and Coping Strategies: I will actively apply the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman. Instead of merely reacting to stress, I will habitually engage in:
Primary Appraisal: Immediat
Health psychologists and health psychology research can be highly influential in developing future U.S. healthcare policy by focusing on the behavioral drivers of health outcomes and costs. Instead of concentrating solely on medical treatments, this field provides the crucial link between behavior, environment, and wellness, which is key to cost containment and effective reform.
Health psychology is positioned to address two major areas of healthcare cost and quality: prevention and adherence.