Psychology

Psychology One way in which health psychologists accomplish this is by studying how changes in behaviour and lifestyle can reduce risk factors for conditions such as cardiovascular disease (Kawachi, et al, 1996), atherosclerosis, hypertension (Smith, Ruiz, & Uchino, 2000), depression and a host of other conditions. BACKGROUND Health psychology involves the study of the psychological aspects of physical health and the bio-psychosocial aspects of emotional and physical well-being. However, as Stokols (1992) has noted, there still remains a tendency for the majority of lifestyle change programs directed at disease prevention and/or health promotion to focus primarily on change within individuals rather than the broader environment. Implicit in this redefining of the nature of lifestyle change, is a shift away from viewing lifestyle change from a purely clinical perspective, towards that of a more public health orientation. To propose health, lifestyle, change, significant, disease, within, whole, role, rather, public, psychology, physical, individuals, conditions, clinical, aspects, , wider, well-being, viewing, very, uchino, towards, tendency, studying, study, strategies, stokols, smoking, smith, shift, ruiz, risk, researching, research, remains