Background: There are naturally occurring health events, such as illness diagnosis, that motivate people to spontaneously adopt healthy behaviours. Such events are often re-ferred to as teachable moments. They have the potential to increase the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions, when people are already motivated to change behaviour. However, it is unclear what makes illness diagnosis a teachable moment for some people but not for others. This project aims to identify the factors determining whether and for whom diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is a teachable moment, and to explore the components of a potential intervention to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes among high-risk groups. Method: A mixed-methods design, divided into two studies, was employed. The first study was a qualitative study and used semi-structured interviews (n=10 patients and n=13 relatives). It explored the changes occurring in people after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in oneself or a family member in an effort to identify what factors make diagnosis a teachable moment. The study also explored people's suggestions for a potential diabetes prevention intervention. The second study was a quantitative study and used postal questionnaires (n=85 patients and n=55 relatives). It investigated the relationship between potential teachable moment factors and primary outcomes (physical activity, diet, interest in diabe-tes-related information and education course). Results: This mixed-methods study suggests that the factors that may make diagnosis of type 2 diabetes a teachable moment for patients are outcome expectancy, perceived con-trol, severity, self-concept or social role, gender and time since diagnosis; and for relatives: perceived risk, severity, self-concept or social role, and gender. Although there was lack of complete alignment in factors identified through different methods, this study advances understanding of when interventions may be more (or less) successful. The study makes recommendations for potential interventions to capitalise on the teachable moment crite-ria. Conclusion: The current project highlights the complexity of teachable moment criteria and their relationship with behaviour change. Future research is required to further uncov-er these criteria and their utility for health promotion.

This thesis was designed to test the relationship between parents' health attitudes and beliefs and utilization of preventive health services of their children. Four measures of health attitudes and beliefs (HAB) were examined in this study, they were: 1) Interest in and concern with health; 2) Skepticism about physicians; 3) Tendency to consult physicians; and 4) Efficacy. Preventive care utilization included well-child care and immunization.

This study investigated the influence of cultural change and acculturation on health-related help seeking behaviour of Vietnamese-Australians. Using convenience sampling, 94 Vietnamese-Australians, 106 Anglo-Australians, and 49 Vietnamese in Vietnam participated in the study. Beliefs about health and health-related help-seeking behaviours were assessed through measures of common mental health symptoms, illness expression (somatisation, psychologisation), symptom causal attributions (environmental, psychological, biological), and choice of help seeking (self-help, family/friends, spiritual, mental health, Western medicine, Eastern medicine).Vietnamese-Australian data was compared with that of the Anglo-Australian and Vietnamese-in Vietnam. Results revealed that the help seeking behaviours and health related cognitions of Vietnamese-Australians, while significantly different from those of Anglo-Australians, were similar to those of Vietnamese in Vietnam. Specifically, both Vietnamese groups were less likely than Anglo-Australians to somatise and psychologise or attribute the cause of symptoms to environmental, psychological or biological causes. However, the two Vietnamese groups were not different from each other in their style of illness expression or in their symptom causal attributions. The Vietnamese-Australians reported experiencing more mental health symptoms than the Vietnamese in Vietnam but fewer than the Anglo-Australians. In relation to help seeking, the Anglo-Australians chose self-help more than the Vietnamese, but there were few other differences between the cultural groups. To investigate the influence of acculturation on health-related beliefs and help seeking behaviour, Vietnamese-Australians were compared according to their modes of acculturation (integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalisation). Generally, results showed a distinct pattern of response. Those with high levels of acculturation towards the Australian culture (the integration and the assimilation) were found to be most similar (in that they scored the highest in most areas measured) to the Anglo-Australians, while few differences were found between the separated and the marginalised groups. Further, cultural orientation was a powerful predictor of help seeking. In that, original cultural orientation predicted selection of help seeking from Western and Eastern medicine, whereas, the host cultural orientation was a more robust predictor of the other variables. However, neither cultural orientation predicted preference for mental health help. Finally, the study found that, although the combination of symptom score, modes of illness expression, and symptom causal attribution were strong predictors of choice of help seeking of Vietnamese-Australians, acculturation scores further improved predictive power. The results were discussed in terms of the various limitations and constraints on interpretation of this complex data set.

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant relationships exist among terminal values, demographic variables and health care preferences for information and behavioral involvement for graduate students from the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. The Rokeach Value Survey and the Krantz Health Opinion Survey were used to collect data from graduate students at Oregon State University. The data derived from 161 returned questionnaires (91 from the People's Republic of China and 70 from Taiwan) were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, multiple regression, and the t-test. Results showed subjects from the People's Republic of China and Taiwan differed significantly on two terminal values. Students from the People's Republic of China valued more a comfortable life and a world of beauty than the students from Taiwan. The terminal value of health was ranked in the lower half of the 18 terminal values by both groups of students which contradicts the literature. Respondents from the People's Republic of China had a significantly higher preference for information than Taiwan students who had a significantly higher health care preference for active participation and behavioral involvement. Preferences may be related to the political community and institutional differences in the health care delivery in the two countries. The value for an exciting life and use of a community physician or hospital were significant predictors of a health care preference for information. The values a world of beauty and social recognition were significantly related to a health care preference for behavioral involvement. / Graduation date: 1991

Research shows that a considerable number of children and adolescents suffer needlessly from psychological problems and only about 50% of those receive the necessary services. Considering the impact of untreated child psychological problems on problems in adulthood, it is important to examine the influence of attitudes on seeking mental health service for children. Currently, no known measure exists to measure attitudes toward mental health services for children. Building on previous research, the goal of the present study was to develop a measure of individuals' attitudes toward mental health services for children. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure was assessed using a sample of university students (N = 250). In addition, several hypotheses were tested examining the influence of previous experience with mental health services on attitudes towards psychological services and mental health stigma. Finally, differences in child characteristics on intended help-seeking were examined. The measure developed consists of 26-items scored from 0 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Overall, results indicated that the 3-factor structure of the measure developed was valid and reliable. Also, consistent with previous research on mental health services results supported the hypotheses of the current study. Future research will examine whether the 3-factor structure is replicated using a sample of parents.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-226). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR46020

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Perceptions of health and illness which include the perceived cause and recourse play an important role in diagnosis and management of illness. Traditional and allopathic medicines are used simultaneously and sometimes without the knowledge of the health professional and this has an impact on clinical outcomes. Overlooking patients’ subjective experience, health providers’ biases and prejudice may pose a negative impact on clinical outcomes. This study explores patients’, traditional healers’ and psychological counselors’ perception of illness by conducting interviews and administering open-ended questionnaires. The data is analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively through the use of content analysis and non-parametric statistical procedures. The results indicate that the concept of illness is complex and multidimensional with physical and socio-spiritual aspects. Effective management requires a joint approach between indigenous and western health systems. The results further show that traditional healers fully embrace the integrated health approach while there is some skepticism and uncertainty from psychological counselors which could be stemming from their training. There is still work to be done in terms of health planning and policy but also the training of health professionals. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

There is strong evidence supporting the view that beliefs and attitudes influence health behaviour. Furthermore, cultural and social beliefs also have been shown to influence the way health care facilities are used. Although western medicine plays a dominant role in the mass control of disease, traditional or folk medicine continues to play an important role in the health care of black communities. They therefore, possess unique attitudes, values and beliefs about health and illness which integrally influence their health behaviour. This study aims therefore to: understand phenomenologically the urban African’s perception of illness, disease and health; identify attitudes that directly influence health behaviour: identify “trigger factors” that precipitate health action and isolate factors that contribute to “negative” health behaviour. The sample in this study consisted of 3 groups of urban Africans who were 20 years and older. Group 1 comprised first time attenders to a medical outpatients department Group 2 and Group 3 were sample groups drawn from the Umlazi Township and the Kwa Mashu Township respectively. The Health and Illness Battery in the language of the participants were administered by trained interviewers. This study has demonstrated the following: urban Africans have a personal conception of illness, health and disease that influences their manner of help‐seeking; there are certain attitudes and beliefs that directly influence both positive and negative health behaviour;. there are several health beliefs which interact in a complex way and may lead to medical help‐seeking. Health action was found to be influenced by significant individuals in the subject's environment; demographic variables, such as, age, sex, education and urbanisation strongly influence the health and illness beliefs; these results validated some of the fundamental aspects of the common western health and illness models; the use of services and facilities are determined by the location, accessibility and the quality of services; financial costs, time, transport, lack of community supports, negatively affected helpseeking; symptoms have been identified as a “trigger factor” of help‐seeking. Individuals use other forms of treatments independent of medical treatments. A model of help‐seeking for urban Africans is proposed. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, 1993.