Illness can involve diminished physical, emotional, intellectual, social, or spiritual functioning compared to a person's previous experience. Risk factors for illness include genetics, age, environment, and lifestyle. Common causes of disease are biological agents, genetic defects, physical and chemical agents, tissue response to injury, metabolic processes, emotional stress, and medical treatment. Illness behavior is determined by factors such as symptom recognition, perceived severity, knowledge, and access to treatment resources. It progresses through stages from initial symptom experience to assuming a sick role to seeking medical care to dependent patient role to recovery.

1. ILLNESS
CAUSES & RISK FACTORS
ILLNESS BEHAVIOUR
Mr. Melvin Jacob
MSc (Nursing)
1Mr. Melvin Jacob

2. INTRODUCTION
 Illness is a personal state in which the person feels
unhealthy or ill.
• Illness may or may not be related todisease.
• Illness is a state in which a person’s physical,
emotional, intellectual, social, developmental or
• spiritual functioning is diminished or impairment
compared with previousexperience.
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3. Risk factors
1.Genetic and Physiological Factors- Heredity, or genetic
predisposition to specific illness, is a major physical risk
factor.
2.Age increases or decreases susceptibility to certain illnesses
(the riskof heart diseases increases with agefor both sexes)
•The risk of birth defects and complications of pregnancy
increase in women bearing children after the ageof 35 years
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4. 3. Environment
• The physical environment in which a person works or lives can
increase the risk
4. Lifestyle
•Many activities, habits and practices involve riskfactors.
• Lifestyle practices and behaviours have positive or negative
effects on health.
•Stress can be a lifestyle risk factor if it is severe or prolonged, or if
the personis unable to cope.
• Stress can threaten mental health & physical well-being
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5. Common causes of disease
1. BiologicAgents
2. Inherited GenericDefects
3. PhysicalAgents
4. ChemicalAgents
5. Tissueresponse to irritation/injury (fever,inflammation)
6. Faulty chemical or metabolicprocess
7. Emotional or physicalreaction tostress
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6. Accordingto EtiologicFactors
• Hereditary. Due to defect in the genes of one or other parent
which istransmitted to theoffspring.
• Congenital. Due to a defect in the development, hereditary
factors, or prenatal infection; present at birth.
(e.g. cleft lip, cleft palate)
• Metabolic. Due to disturbances or abnormality in the
intricate processesofmetabolism.
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7. • Deficiency. Results from inadequate intake of
absorption of essential dietaryfactors.
• Traumatic.Dueto injury
• Allergic. Due to abnormal response of the body to
chemical or protein substances or to physical stimuli.
• Neoplastic. Due to abnormal or uncontrolled
growth of cells.
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8. • Idiopathic. Cause is unknown; Self-originated; of
spontaneousorigin.
• Degenerative. Results from the degenerative
changesthat occur in tissue andorgans.
• Latrogenic. Results from the treatment of a
disease
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9. According to Duration orOnset
1. AcuteIllness. Usually hasashort duration andsevere.
The signs and symptoms appear abruptly, subside after a relatively
shortperiod.
• Following an acute illness a person may return to normal level
of wellness
2. Chronic Illness. Slow onset. Persists, usually longer than 6
months and canalso affect functioning in anydimension.
• long term diseaseprocess,maybelifethreatening
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10. Dimensions of health
1.Physical dimension
Genetic make-up, age, developmental level, race and
sex are all part of an individual’s physical dimension
and strongly influence health status and health
practices.
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11. 2. Emotional dimension
• How the mind and body interact to affect body
function and to respond to body conditions also
influences health.
• Long-term stress affects the body systems and
anxiety affects health habits
• conversely, calm acceptance and relaxation can
actually change body responses to illness.
11Mr. Melvin Jacob

12. 3. Intellectual dimension
• The intellectual dimension encompasses cognitive
abilities, educational background and past
experiences.
• These influence a client’s responses to teaching
about health and reactions to health care during
illness.
• They also play a major role in health behaviors.
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13. 4. Environmental dimension
• The environment has many influences on
health and illness.
• Housing, sanitation, climate, and pollution of
air, food and water are aspects of
environmental dimension.
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14. 5. Sociocultural dimension
 Health practices and beliefs are strongly influenced by a
person’s economic level, life style, family and culture.
 Low-income groups are less likely to seek health care to
prevent or treat illness; high-income groups are more prone
to stress-related habits and illness.
 The family and the culture to which the person belongs
determine patterns of living and values about health and
illness that are often unalterable.
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15. 6. Spiritual dimension
• Spiritual and religious beliefs and values are
important components of the way the person
behaves in health and illness.
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16. ILLNESS BEHAVIOUR
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17. DETERMINANTS OF ILLNESS BEHAVIOR
Recognisability of illness symptoms.
The extent the person perceives symptoms as serious.
Information, knowledge and cultural assumption.
Disruption in family work and social activity.
Frequency of appearance.
Toleration level.
Physical proximity of treatment resources
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18. 18
Edward suchman (1972) identified stages of illness behaviour.
Mr. Melvin Jacob

19. Stages of illness behavior
Stage 1: Symptom experience
 The person is aware that "something is wrong". A person
usually recognizes a physical sensation or a limitation in
functioning but does not suspect a specific diagnosis.
 The person's perception of a symptom includes awareness
of a physical change such as pain, a rash or a lump;
evaluation of this change and a decision that it is a
symptom of an illness, and an emotional response.
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20. Stage 2 : Assumption of the sick role
• If symptoms persist and become severe, clients
assume the sick role.
• At this point the illness becomes a social
phenomenon
• Sick people seek confirmation from their families and
social groups that they are indeed ill
• Excused from normal duties and role expectations.
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21. Stage 3: Medical care contact
• If symptoms persist despite the home remedies,
become severe, or require emergency care, the
person is motivated to seek professional health
services.
• In this stage the client seeks expert
acknowledgement of the illness as well as the
treatment.
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22. Stage 4 : Dependent client role
• The client depends on health care professionals for the relief
of symptoms.
• The client accepts care, sympathy and protection from the
demands and stresses of life.
• A client can adopt the dependent role in a health care
institution, at home, or in a community setting.
• The client must also adjust to the disruption of a daily
schedule.
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23. Stage 5 : Recovery and rehabilitation
• This stage can arrive suddenly, such as when
the symptoms disappeared.
• In the case of chronic illness, the final stage
may involve in an adjustment to a prolonged
reduction in health and functioning.
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24. Important terminologies
• Disease. Disturbance of structure or function of the
body or its constituentparts.
• Morbidity. Condition of beingdiseased.
• Morbidity Rate. The proportion of disease to health
ina community
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25. • Mortality. Condition or quality of being
subject todeath
• Familial -occurs in several individuals of the
same family (e.g. hypertension,cancer)
• Venereal - Usually acquired through sexual
relation (AIDS,gonorrhea)
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26. • Epidemic. Attacks a large number of individuals in a
community at the sametime(SARS)
• Endemic. Present more or less continuously or recurs in
thecommunity.
• Pandemic. Epidemic diseases which is extremely
widespread involving anentire country orcontinent.
• Sporadic.Adiseasein which only occasionalcases occur.
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27. • Epidemiology. Study of the patterns of health and
disease, its occurrence and distribution in man, for the
purpose of control and prevention ofdisease.
• Susceptibility. The degree of resistance the potential
host hasagainst the pathogen.
• Etiologic Agent. One that possesses the potential for
producing injury or disease. (e.g.Streptococcus,
Staphylococcus)
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