Developmental psychology.pdf

Contemporary Social Issues 543
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Figure 20.6
Change in Risk Factors. During the
two years of this study, the risk of
cardiovascular disease increased in
the control town of Tracy, but in
Watsonville and Gilroy, exposed to
the extensive campaigns of health
education, there was a sustained
decrease in the risk of this disease.
(After Farquhar, Maccoby, Wood,
Alexander, Breitrose, Brown, Haskell,
McAlister, Meyer, Nash, & Stern,
1977).
follow a careful diet, keep a fire extinguisher at home, or pay regular visits to the
dentist (Stone, Cohen, Adler, & Associates, 1979).
In one instance three towns in northern California were selected for study,
partly because they were comparable in many respects and partly because one of them,
serving as a control, was isolated from the mass media and from the others. Annual
interviews were conducted with a random sample of approximately 700 adults in each
town, ranging in age from 35 to 59 years. These interviews provided two sets of data.
They gave medical information on each subject's blood pressure, cholesterol, and body
weight, and they provided information on each subject's knowledge of risk factors in
heart disease, especially smoking, exercise, alcohol, and diet. These measures were
combined to yield an overall measure of risk for cardiovascular disease.
The campaign for health maintenance in the two experimental towns emphasized
the risk factors and attempted to promote behaviors which would reduce the
probabilities of cardiovascular problems. In the case of cholesterol, for example, the
campaign focused on consuming margarine instead of butter, skim milk instead of whole
milk, and fish rather than meat. These educational efforts were delivered in television
programs, radio programs, weekly newspaper columns, billboards, posters, and other
signs.
The results were impressive, especially in comparison with the less sophisticated
mass-media campaigns attempted in earlier research. After the first year, there
were significant positive effects for all variables except weight loss, and the net difference
in total risk between the experimental and control groups was approximately 25
percent. In the second year, these differences in risk and knowledge of risk factors were
not only maintained but improved, suggesting that carefully planned mass-media campaigns
can be influential in health maintenance (Farquhar, Maccoby, Wood, et al.,
1977; Figure 20.6).
This concept of prevention is without a doubt the most significant issue in
physical health, and it is here that psychologists can play a most vital role. The reason
is simple. Psychology is the study of behavior, and prevention is behavior. It is doing
some things and not doing others, and the outcome is avoiding disease. If psychological
factors are important in the development and treatment of this and other diseases,
which certainly is the case, then they can be most important in the prevention process
(Norton, 1982).
The old saying about an ounce of prevention applies particularly in health, for
preventing is not only cheaper but usually more comfortable. Here the psychological
procedures are closest to those of consumer psychology, which is the study of the ways
in which people utilize available resources and how such behaviors can be changed.
Specialists in consumer psychology are not restricted to marketing procedures in business.
They have assisted with the school-dropout problem, safety programs, antilitter
campaigns, environmental conservation, and many other noncommercial enterprises.