1/8/2020 1 Chapter 2 Conducting Health Research Health Psychology (PSYC 172) Professor: Andrea Cook, PhD January 9, 2020 1 Placebos • Placebo - inactive substance or condition that has the appearance of an active treatment • A belief in the effectiveness of a treatment boosts the treatment’s effectiveness • Placebo effect may account for around 35% of treatment effects • Placebos have been shown to lead to positive health outcomes for many health disorders and symptoms – Migraine headaches, pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, asthma, hypertension Research and the Placebo • Treatments are effective when the treatment is more effective than the placebo • To determine if treatments are effective – Need to directly compare treatment versus the placebo – Use two groups of people: one group receives treatment and one group receives placebo What you think about the treatment will impact its effectiveness. Who should you believe to decide if a treatment is likely to be effective? 1/8/2020 2 Correlation Studies Correlation is not causation 4 Correlation Studies 5 Correlation Studiies 6 http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations 1/8/2020 3 Correlation Studies 7 http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations Correlation Studies • Example – cholesterol – Consumed cholesterol raises blood cholesterol – Dietary guidelines recommend low cholesterol diet for last 50+ years without validation – Today causal relationship completely invalidated • The French Paradox (1991) – Serge Renaud, French researcher – Disconnect French high saturated fat consumption and low rates of cardiovascular disease – Attributed to large red wine consumption 8 Longitudinal Studies 9 1/8/2020 4 Longitudinal Studies • Longitudinal studies draw conclusions about how individuals change over time – Follow the same set of participants over time – Example - if a researcher wanted to know how dietary choices affect health across the lifespan • Annual diet survey over 20 years and analyze major medical diagnoses • Challenges – self report accuracy, other lifestyle factors Determining Causality • Correlational, cross-sectional, and longitudinal designs only examine relationships between variables – They do not determine causality - if one variable directly causes another variable Experimental Design • Experimental designs — compare at least two groups to be able to draw cause and effect conclusions – The experimental group receives treatment – The control group does not receive treatment • Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) — similar to experimental studies – Participants are randomly assigned to either a study group or a control group – RCTs are considered the “gold standard” of research design 1/8/2020 5 The Hidden Side of Clinical Trials 13The hidden side of clinical trials | Sile Lane | TEDxMadrid (YouTube) Research for Marketing Purposes 14 Research for M ...

1. 1/8/2020
1
Chapter 2
Conducting Health Research
Health Psychology (PSYC 172)
Professor: Andrea Cook, PhD
January 9, 2020
1
Placebos
• Placebo - inactive substance or condition that
has the appearance of an active treatment
• A belief in the effectiveness of a treatment
boosts the treatment’s effectiveness
• Placebo effect may account for around 35%
of treatment effects
• Placebos have been shown to lead to positive

2. health outcomes for many health disorders and
symptoms
– Migraine headaches, pain, depression,
anxiety, insomnia, asthma, hypertension
Research and the Placebo
• Treatments are effective when the treatment is more
effective than the placebo
• To determine if treatments are effective
– Need to directly compare treatment versus the
placebo
– Use two groups of people: one group receives
treatment and one group receives placebo
What you think about the treatment will impact its
effectiveness.
Who should you believe to decide if a treatment is likely to
be effective?
1/8/2020

3. 2
Correlation Studies
Correlation is not causation
4
Correlation Studies
5
Correlation Studiies
6
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
1/8/2020
3
Correlation Studies
7
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
Correlation Studies
• Example – cholesterol
– Consumed cholesterol raises blood cholesterol
– Dietary guidelines recommend low cholesterol diet

4. for last 50+ years without validation
– Today causal relationship completely invalidated
• The French Paradox (1991)
– Serge Renaud, French researcher
– Disconnect French high saturated fat consumption
and low rates of cardiovascular disease
– Attributed to large red wine consumption
8
Longitudinal Studies
9
1/8/2020
4
Longitudinal Studies
• Longitudinal studies draw conclusions about how
individuals change over time
– Follow the same set of participants over time
– Example - if a researcher wanted to know how

5. dietary choices affect health across the lifespan
• Annual diet survey over 20 years and analyze
major medical diagnoses
• Challenges – self report accuracy, other lifestyle
factors
Determining Causality
• Correlational, cross-sectional, and
longitudinal designs only examine
relationships between variables
– They do not determine causality - if one
variable directly causes another variable
Experimental Design
• Experimental designs — compare at least two
groups to be able to draw cause and effect
conclusions
– The experimental group receives treatment
– The control group does not receive treatment
• Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) — similar

6. to experimental studies
– Participants are randomly assigned to either a study
group or a control group
– RCTs are considered the “gold standard” of research
design
1/8/2020
5
The Hidden Side of Clinical Trials
13The hidden side of clinical trials | Sile Lane | TEDxMadrid
(YouTube)
Research for Marketing Purposes
14
Research for Marketing Purposes
15
1/8/2020
6
Heart-Healthy Oils

7. • Conflicting information
• Some research shows vegetable oils
promote health
• A large randomized controlled trial of
corn oil versus saturated fat showed that
the corn oil consumers were more likely
to have a heart attack and die.
(Hyman, 2019)
16
Heart-Healthy Oils
What are the best types of oil for your heart?
• Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats
– Plant-based, e.g., extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
– Contain Omega-3 fatty acids
What are the worst types of oil for your heart?
• Trans Fats (trans fatty acids)
– Partially hydrogenated oil
– Margarine, shortening, artificial coffee creamer

8. Video: How to Cook with Fats
https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/11/18/heres-
determine-healthiest-fats-cook/
17
In-Class Exercise
Class #2 In-Class Exercise
Health Information
Where do you go to find health information?
How do you know if the information is valid?
18
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7
Website Information
Mental Health
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – www.nami.org
• APA (American Psychological Association) – www.apa.org
• NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) -
www.nimh.nih.gov

9. Physical Health
• Mayo Clinic - www.mayoclinic.org
• NIH (National Institutes of Health) - www.nih.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – www.cdc.gov
• Cochrane Review Organization - www.cochrane.org
Functional/Alternative Medicine
• Mark Hyman, MD – drhyman.com
• Kelly Brogan, MD (psychiatrist) - kellybroganmd.com
• Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac - https://chriskresser.com
• Michael Ruscio, DC - https://drruscio.com
Buyer Beware
• Catchphrases: "scientific breakthrough," "secret ingredient,"
or "medical
miracle"
• Conspiracy theories: "Doctors don’t want you to know about
this because it
will put them out of business"
• Cure-alls: No single treatment will cure multiple conditions or
treat all cancers

10. • Money-back guarantees: The marketer may be out of business
before you
can get a refund
• "Buy now!" promotions: "Supplies are limited" or "Don’t miss
this one-time
offer"
• Technical jargon: Sophisticated language that will obscure the
fact that there
is no scientific backing
20https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4093414/
Be Patient
Finding “truth” is hard, if not impossible.
Theories are developed, supported, and
tested.
“Truth” sometimes changes as new
information becomes available.
21
1/6/2020

11. 1
Welcome
to
Health Psychology (PSYC 172)
Professor: Andrea Cook, Ph.D.
January 7, 2020
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity.” World Health Organization (1948)
Meditation
• Why meditate before each class?
– Growing popularity mental health and medical care
– Benefits
• Chronic stress in today’s world
• Using breath to manage stress
• Breathing and the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic Nervous System
1. Adrenaline increased
2. Heart rate increased

12. 3. Blood sugar increased
4. Digestion inhibited
5. Immune system suppressed
6. Reproduction inhibited
7. Memory inhibited
Fight, flight, or freeze
1/6/2020
2
Parasympathetic Nervous System
1. Immune system increased
2. Digestion increased
3. Reproduction increased
4. Memory increased
Rest & Digest or Feed & Breed
Power of Breath
• Both Autonomic and Central Nervous System
• Cues shift to parasympathetic nervous system

13. • Helps regulate impact of stress
• Practice throughout day
Deep Breathing
6
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3
Deep Breathing
Practice 4 by 4 Breathing
7
In-Class Exercise #1
Get into groups of four
Write your name on the form
Identify if you are on the waitlist
Answer the following questions:
• What interests you about Health Psychology?
• What are you hoping to learn about?
How do you define health?

14. • Usually we focus on defining illness not health
• More than just absence of disease
• Sometimes fitness
• Thrive, flourish, enjoy life
9
Defining Health
1/6/2020
4
Changing Pattern of Disease and Death
• Leading cause of death in the 1900s
• Infectious diseases
– caused by organisms e.g., bacteria, viruses,
fungi or parasites
– examples: pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhea,
enteritis
• Leading cause of death in the 2000s
• Chronic diseases

15. – long lasting, or recurrent, disease
– examples: heart disease, cancer, stroke
10
Causes of Death - 1900
11
Causes of Death - 2013
12
1/6/2020
5
Drug Overdoses by Age Group (1999-2016)
13
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db294.htm
Drug overdose death rates by opioid category
14
synthetic = fentanyl, tramadol
natural/semisynthetic = oxycodone, hydrocodone,
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db294.htm

16. Opioid Epidemic
15Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015)
1/6/2020
6
Veterans and Opioids
• 50-60% veterans have chronic pain
• 2012 JAMA - vets mental health disorders and PTSD
were three times more likely to receive opioids for pain
• 2016 – 400% increase overdoses/suicidal behavior by
Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans
• polypharmacy 5+ psychotropic and opioid Rx
• 2016 VA study - highest dose opioid painkillers more
than twice as likely to die of suicide
16
Changes in Life Expectancy
• In 1900, life expectancy was 47.3 years
• In 2016, life expectancy was 79 years

17. – #1 factor – decrease in infant mortality
– Other factors – disease prevention, vaccinations, safer
drinking water, better nutrition, healthier lifestyle, more
efficient disposal of sewage
• In 2019, life expectancy DECREASED last few
years
– "Tragically, this troubling trend is largely driven by
deaths from drug overdose and suicide.” (CDC Director
Robert Redfield, M.D.)
17
What is Health?
• Traditional view of health is the
biomedical model
– Views health as the absence of disease
– Focus on physical/biological aspects of disease
– Infectious disease model
– Disease results from exposure to a pathogen
18

18. 1/6/2020
7
What is Health?
• Current view of health is the
biopsychosocial model
– Chronic disease model
– Disease results from a combination of biological,
psychological, and social influences
19
Health Psychology
• Health Psychology
– Branch of psychology that concerns individual
behaviors and lifestyles affecting a person’s
physical health
– Recognized by the APA as a sub-field of
psychology in 1978
– APA Division 38 – Society for Health Psychology
20
Behavioral Medicine

19. • A similar discipline to health
psychology is behavioral medicine
• Concerned with the integration of biomedical
science with behavioral sciences
21
1/6/2020
8
The Profession of Health Psychology
• What training do health psychologists
receive?
– Graduate training in psychology
– Special courses and training in health
– Internships in integrated settings
© 2018 Cengage
The Profession of Health Psychology
• What jobs can health psychologists do?
– Health research, in university or government
agency settings

20. – Hospitals or clinics
– Veterans Administration (VA)
– Private practice
23
After Class
• Email section change requests
• Quizzes Chs 1 & 2 due Tues (1/14)
• First Film Response Paper: Escape Fire
– Will review paper requirements Thurs (1/9)
– Paper due Thurs (1/16)
• In-Class Exercise – give to TAs
– Be sure identified if on waitlist