03
HEALTH BEHAVIOR
Why do people make unhealthy choices? Lifestyle and behaviour What may we be thinking about when we say health behavior? It may be: Unhealthy
weight,
consumption
of
over-
energy-dense
food and drink Physical
inactivity,
inconvenient
opportunities to undertake active travel Substance through
misuse alcohol
whether or
illicit
substances Risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected
sex
or
having
multiple concurrent partners
SO, what might drive such behaviors? AND
why
undertake
do
so
many
so
many
people
of
these
behaviors?
Why? There are multiple reasons why
It is sometimes difficult to understand
people
why people make unhealthy choices.
behaviors, some of these reasons are
For example, there’s been evidence for
weather complicated. Some behaviors
years to tell us that smoking is harmful
are done for recreational purposes or
to
just to keep pace with society and
our
including
health. health
However,
people
professionals
still
choose
to
carry
out
such
friends.
make the choice to engage in this
Behaviors are not easily controlled by
behavior. Another example, no one
an on and off switch but rather they
ignores the fact that a high calories
are
diet influences obesity, however, our
multidimensional
fridges are still full of unhealthy food.
how easy or difficult it is to carry them
more
complex which
and
influences
out.
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