scholarly journals An adaptive behavioral immune system: a model of population health behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian M. Saad ◽  
James O. Prochaska
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Population Health ◽  
First Century ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Disease Epidemics

AbstractThe understanding that immunity could be strengthened in the general population (e.g., through vaccine interventions) supported global advances upon acute infectious disease epidemics in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. However, in the twenty-first century, global populations face chronic disease epidemics. Research demonstrates that diseases largely emerge from health risk behavior. The understanding of how health behavior, like the biological immune system, can be strengthened in the general population, could support advances in the twenty-first century. To consider how health behavior can be strengthened in the general population, the authors present a theoretical model of population health behavior. The model operationalizes health behavior as a system of functions that, like the biological immune system, exists in each member of the population. Constructs are presented that operationalize the specific decisions and habits that drive health behavior and behavior change in the general population. The constructs allow the authors to present parallels (1) among existing behavior change theories and (2) between the proposed system and the biological immune system. Through these parallels, the authors introduce a model and a logic of population-level health behavior change. The Adaptive Behavioral Immune System is an integrative model of population health behavior.

Sick Body, Vigilant Mind

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1467-1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul L. Miller ◽  
Jon K. Maner
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Interactive Nature ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
Recent Illness ◽  
Shed Light

Activation of the behavioral immune system has been shown to promote activation of the biological immune system. The current research tested the hypothesis that activation of the biological immune system (as a result of recent illness) promotes activation of the behavioral immune system. Participants who had recently been ill, and had therefore recently experienced activation of their biological immune system, displayed heightened attention to (Study 1) and avoidance of (Study 2) disfigured individuals—cognitive and behavioral processes reflecting activation of the behavioral immune system. These findings shed light on the interactive nature of biological and psychological mechanisms designed to help people overcome the threat of disease.

scholarly journals Utilizing Health Behavior Change and Technology Acceptance Models to Predict the Adoption of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: Cross-sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Tomczyk ◽  
Simon Barth ◽  
Silke Schmidt ◽  
Holger Muehlan
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Technology Acceptance Models

BACKGROUND To combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing apps have been discussed as digital health solutions to track infection chains and provide appropriate information. However, observational studies point to low acceptance in most countries, and few studies have yet examined theory-based predictors of app use in the general population to guide health communication efforts. OBJECTIVE This study utilizes established health behavior change and technology acceptance models to predict adoption intentions and frequency of current app use. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and July 2020 in a German convenience sample (N=349; mean age 35.62 years; n=226, 65.3% female). To inspect the incremental validity of model constructs as well as additional variables (privacy concerns, personalization), hierarchical regression models were applied, controlling for covariates. RESULTS The theory of planned behavior and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology predicted adoption intentions (R<sup>2</sup>=56%-63%) and frequency of current app use (R<sup>2</sup>=33%-37%). A combined model only marginally increased the predictive value by about 5%, but lower privacy concerns and higher threat appraisals (ie, anticipatory anxiety) significantly predicted app use when included as additional variables. Moreover, the impact of perceived usefulness was positive for adoption intentions but negative for frequency of current app use. CONCLUSIONS This study identified several theory-based predictors of contact tracing app use. However, few constructs, such as social norms, have a consistent positive effect across models and outcomes. Further research is required to replicate these observations, and to examine the interconnectedness of these constructs and their impact throughout the pandemic. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that promulgating affirmative social norms and positive emotional effects of app use, as well as addressing health concerns, might be promising strategies to foster adoption intentions and app use in the general population. CLINICALTRIAL

Reflections on happiness

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-91
Author(s):  
Woody Caan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
First Century ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Therapies ◽  
Twenty First Century

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the twenty-first century reach and impact of “happiness” work by one individual (Professor Lord Richard Layard). Design/methodology/approach The author approaches his work as a public health case study, with the caveat that the author knew this “Case” personally, which could influence the author’s assessment. Findings During 2005-2018, Richard Layard stimulated discussion of “happiness” as a field of study. This field now has global relevance to mental health, although its relationship to practice for population health is still debated. Originality/value Layard’s ideas are behind many initiatives, such as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies.

scholarly journals Preregistered replication of “Sick body, vigilant mind: The biological immune system activates the behavioral immune system”

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Benedict C Jones ◽  
Lisa Marie DeBruine ◽  
Joshua Ackerman ◽  
Vanessa Fasolt
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Original Study ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Subsequent Infection ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
System P ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
The University ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

The tendency to attend to and avoid cues to pathogens varies across individuals and contexts. Researchers have proposed that this variation is partially driven by immunological vulnerability to infection, though support for this hypothesis is equivocal. One key piece of evidence finds that recently ill participants – who may have a reduced ability to combat subsequent infection – allocate more attention to faces with infectious disease cues than do participants who have not recently been ill. The current manuscript reports a direct replication of this study using a sample of 402 individuals from the University of Michigan, the University of Glasgow, and VU Amsterdam – over four times the sample size of the original study. No effect of illness recency on attentional bias for disfigured faces emerged. Though not supporting the original finding, this replication provides suggestions for future directions for research on the psychological underpinnings of pathogen avoidance.

scholarly journals The Role of Age and Gender in Perceived Vulnerability to Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Díaz ◽  
Ángela Beleña ◽  
Jesús Zueco
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability To Disease ◽  
System Variables

Background: The study of the immune system has been approached using two separate paths, the biological immune system and the behavioral immune system. Recently, Gangestad and Grebe proposed a unique integrated compensatory immune system, where both systems work together and one of them could compensate for the other when necessary. However, few studies have confirmed the existence of this integrated compensatory immune system. Our study represents an attempt to explore the existence of this unique immune system, investigating if the behavioral immune system variables increase when the biological immune system weakens with age. Material and Methods. The cross-sectional design study was made up of a final sample of 1108 participants (45.2% men and 54.2 women) aged 18–64 years. The younger group (18–21 years) was made up of students, whilst the older groups (22 to 64 years) were composed by their relatives and acquaintances, following the snow ball process. The participants completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire that assesses perceived infectability and germ aversion. Correlations, analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and independent group comparisons were performed. These analyses showed the relationships between the variables studied, the effects of age and gender in perceived infectability and germ aversion, and the differences that perceived infectability and germ aversion presented in different age-groups separated by gender. Results: A pattern emerged where germ aversion increases as both men and women get older, but perceived infectability decreases up to the age of 50, and then it increases in women from that age onward. Gender differences are only significant in younger participants, with women having higher scores than men in both variables. Conclusion: The results partially support the existence of a unique integrated compensatory biological/behavioral immune system.

scholarly journals Preregistered Direct Replication of “Sick Body, Vigilant Mind: The Biological Immune System Activates the Behavioral Immune System”

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1461-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Benedict C. Jones ◽  
Lisa M. DeBruine ◽  
Joshua M. Ackerman ◽  
Vanessa Fasolt
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Subsequent Infection ◽  
Behavioral Immune System ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Biological Immune System ◽  
The University ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

The tendency to attend to and avoid cues to pathogens varies across individuals and contexts. Researchers have proposed that this variation is partially driven by immunological vulnerability to infection, though support for this hypothesis is equivocal. One key piece of evidence (Miller & Maner, 2011) shows that participants who have recently been ill—and hence may have a reduced ability to combat subsequent infection—allocate more attention to faces with infectious-disease cues than do participants who have not recently been ill. The current article describes a direct replication of this study using a sample of 402 individuals from the University of Michigan, the University of Glasgow, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam—more than 4 times the sample size of the original study. No effect of illness recency on attentional bias for disfigured faces emerged. Though it did not support the original finding, this replication provides suggestions for future research on the psychological underpinnings of pathogen avoidance.

Introduction

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud S. Mandel
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
General Population ◽  
First Century ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Jews In France ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Different Levels

This introductory chapter discusses the roots of the conflict between Muslim and Jews in France. It reviews the cultural and historical connections linking these two populations. It describes the vastly different levels of Muslim and Jewish communal development in the metropole that created sharply divergent processes of integration. By the early twenty-first century, Jews proved more economically mobile, better educated, and professionally better placed than the general population and certainly than French Muslims. However, the organized community was often criticized for failing to defend Jewish interests successfully, particularly with regard to foreign policy around Israel. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.

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