Introduction
I have recently been employed as an assistant psychologist and as part of my new job role I
have been asked to produce pieces of work that look at health issues and how people deal with
them. For this piece of work, I will be producing a report that will explain health psychology
issues that include substance dependency, eating behaviours, exercise and childbirth.
Contemporary issues
Contemporary issues in health psychology are present day or upcoming health situations this
can include smoking, alcohol and substance dependency, addictive behaviour such as gambling.
It could also be unhealthy eating behaviours like anorexia, obesity and bulimia and the
treatment for them. Also, obsessive exercising can be a contemporary issue when someone
starts to exercise way too much it can cause serious health problems. The last contemporary
issue I will discuss is childbirth, the cultural and religious issues, the different types of childbirth
and the medicalisation of childbirth.
Health implications of smoking
Smoking, alcohol and substance dependency have massive implications on individual’s health
and causes thousands of deaths every year. Over the year more people have started smoking,
drinking and participating in substance abuse. According to the NHS (2018) “smoking is one of
the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK” Each year up to 78,000 die in the UK from
smoking however, more people have to live with illnesses that come from smoking. Illnesses
that can come from smoking can include cancer in multiple areas of the body such as the lungs,
mouth, throat, kidney, liver, stomach and bowel. Smoking can also affect your heart, your blood
circulation and your lungs which can end up causing heart attacks, strokes, coronary heart
disease, pneumonia and worsen illnesses you already have like asthma. Thousands of people
die from these illnesses or will live with them, you can get these illnesses from smoking yourself
or passive smoking where you are around people who are smoking. Smoking can also cause
decrease the fertility in men and women and can cause men to be unable to get an erection
because of the effect it has on the blood circulation in the body. (NHS 2018)
Health implications of alcohol
Alcohol is a dangerous chemical than have range of effects on the body depending on how
much you drink and what your tolerance is to alcohol. Alcohol can affect your heart, bones,
brain, liver and most parts of your body. The affect this amount of alcohol has on your body
depends on your tolerance to alcohol; 1 to 2 units of alcohol will warm your body up, increase
your heart rate and might make you more talkative and social. 8 to 9 units of alcohol decreases
your reaction time, you might start to slur your words, your vision can become blurry and you
might become careless about the decisions you make. You will most likely wake up with a
hangover after this amount of alcohol as your liver will not be able to filter all the alcohol out.
10 to 12 units of alcohol puts you in serious danger as you will have bad co-ordination, you
I have recently been employed as an assistant psychologist and as part of my new job role I
have been asked to produce pieces of work that look at health issues and how people deal with
them. For this piece of work, I will be producing a report that will explain health psychology
issues that include substance dependency, eating behaviours, exercise and childbirth.
Contemporary issues
Contemporary issues in health psychology are present day or upcoming health situations this
can include smoking, alcohol and substance dependency, addictive behaviour such as gambling.
It could also be unhealthy eating behaviours like anorexia, obesity and bulimia and the
treatment for them. Also, obsessive exercising can be a contemporary issue when someone
starts to exercise way too much it can cause serious health problems. The last contemporary
issue I will discuss is childbirth, the cultural and religious issues, the different types of childbirth
and the medicalisation of childbirth.
Health implications of smoking
Smoking, alcohol and substance dependency have massive implications on individual’s health
and causes thousands of deaths every year. Over the year more people have started smoking,
drinking and participating in substance abuse. According to the NHS (2018) “smoking is one of
the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK” Each year up to 78,000 die in the UK from
smoking however, more people have to live with illnesses that come from smoking. Illnesses
that can come from smoking can include cancer in multiple areas of the body such as the lungs,
mouth, throat, kidney, liver, stomach and bowel. Smoking can also affect your heart, your blood
circulation and your lungs which can end up causing heart attacks, strokes, coronary heart
disease, pneumonia and worsen illnesses you already have like asthma. Thousands of people
die from these illnesses or will live with them, you can get these illnesses from smoking yourself
or passive smoking where you are around people who are smoking. Smoking can also cause
decrease the fertility in men and women and can cause men to be unable to get an erection
because of the effect it has on the blood circulation in the body. (NHS 2018)
Health implications of alcohol
Alcohol is a dangerous chemical than have range of effects on the body depending on how
much you drink and what your tolerance is to alcohol. Alcohol can affect your heart, bones,
brain, liver and most parts of your body. The affect this amount of alcohol has on your body
depends on your tolerance to alcohol; 1 to 2 units of alcohol will warm your body up, increase
your heart rate and might make you more talkative and social. 8 to 9 units of alcohol decreases
your reaction time, you might start to slur your words, your vision can become blurry and you
might become careless about the decisions you make. You will most likely wake up with a
hangover after this amount of alcohol as your liver will not be able to filter all the alcohol out.
10 to 12 units of alcohol puts you in serious danger as you will have bad co-ordination, you
