BBH 5

BBH 5                       BBH 502 or  Psy 502 - Health -  Biobehavioral Perspectives - 2001

                                               Wednesday 3:35-6:00 pm 127 South Henderson

Lynn KLynn Kozlowski. Professor of Biobehavioral Health    

                 OFFICE: 315 East HHD (Henderson East);  Office Hours by Appointment.

                 PHONE: 863-7256; ltk1@psu.edu

Sheila eShelia West, Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health

     OFFICE: 310 B East HHD (Henderson East); 

     Office Hours Friday 12:30-1:30 or by Appointment.

                 PHONE: 863-0176; sgw2@psu.edu

The course critically evaluates the use of behavioral science and psychology to 

(a) promote and maintain health and 

(b) prevent and treat illness.  

Emphasis is on "physical" rather than "mental" health and illness.  

Critical evaluation is especially important because advice on applications in this difficult area has often exceeded the database or the conceptual base, sometimes with strikingly ineffective and even counter-productive results. 

Text:  Baum, Gatchel & Krantz, An Introduction to health psychology (3rd edition), Random House, 1997.  

The text provides an overview of this area and allows us to spend class-time discussing more advanced issues.  Numerous other primary readings will be assigned (about 2 each class).  

Text:  James C. Scott, Seeing like a state, Yale University, 1998.

AdditiAAdditional book:  Robert Sapolsky, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers? Freeman, 1998.

Addito  Additional Readings:   As assigned

EvaluaEvaluation scheme: 

•  One   One 15-20 page, double-spaced, typed paper on a topic that must be pre-approved by the instructor; 

due by   due by Tuesday, Nov 27, 2001 by 4:00 pm (45 %)

•  One   One 4-page, double-spaced, typed (about 1,000 word) essay written as a small group (n =2-3) project.  

Groups  Groups will be assigned by class 2. For the assigned class, find a more recent interesting report (peer-reviewed article; no review papers   review papers or commentaries, please get instructor approval) related to the assigned papers, provide one copy of the article by a week  before the due date, and in your paper present the strengths and weaknesses of the article. (15 %).

• Two    One page (typed, double-spaced) answers to designated questions on readings (20 %)

• Class   Class participation. (15 %) (Answering and asking questions well; taking part in discussion)

• 20 mi  20 min Class presentation of term paper (5%)

• One-  One miinute essays (0%)

Grades:  A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 86-89, B = 83-85, B- = 80-82, C+ = 76-79, C =70-75, D = 60-69, F = Below 60.  

              (Rounding:  0.5 and up)

Statent    Statement on Academic Integrity with reference to this course.

            Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception.  Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used or concurrently used in another class without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.  Work on the small papers for this course should be done independently and should not be the result of discussions with others.

            The usual punishment for academic dishonesty is an "F" for the course or a lesser penalty if the alleged infraction is of a more minor nature.

Sta Statement on Disability

            The Pennsylvania State University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities.  If you anticipate needing any type of accomodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Office for Disability Services at (814) 863-1807 in advance of your participation or visit.

1. W Aug 22 – (LTK/SGW)

            A.  Overview and introductions.

B.     Brief discussion of Greenhalgh, "How to read a paper" BMJ, 315, 26 July 1997, 243-246 available on the web at: www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/315/7102/243.

C.     A primer on cardiovascular disease

D.     Review and discuss videos on ethics in science (to break the ice and to fulfill a requirement).

2. W Aug 29 - The limits of modern health psychology  LTK

            A. Professional Definition: Chapter one in Baum

            B. Broad themes:  Prevention Paradox and SES Issues

·        Rose, Prevention Paradox, British Medical Journal, June 1981.

·        Adler et al.  Socioeconomic status and health, American Psychologist, 1994.

·        Meyer and Schwartz. Social Issues as Public Health: Promise and Peril. American Journal of Public Health, 2000. 90: 1189-1191

3. W Sept 5 - Biobehavioral perspectives on behavior, stress, and health.  SGW

            • Read Text Chpt 2,3,4

            • Sapolsky, 1,2,3

            • Schnall et al.  Job strain and blood pressure, JAMA, 1990, 1929-1935.*

•Frankenhaeuser,  Psychophysiology of workload, stress, and health:  comparison between the sexes, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1991

            (short paper assigned)

4. W Sept 12  -  Stress--Life Events and Hassles  LTK

            • Raphael, Cloitre and Dohrenwend, Life Events, Health Psych, 1991 (add page)

            • Kanner, Hassles, Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1981*

            • Text Chpt 5- More Stress

            • Kneip et al. Hostility and CHD, Health Psych., 1993

            (short paper assigned)

5.  W  Sept 19 – Estrogen Replacement, Cholesterol Lowering:  effects on morbidity and quality of life.  SGW

•Hulley, et al. Randomized Trials of Estrogen Plus Progestin for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women.  JAMA, 280: 605-613. 1998

•Muldoon et al. 2000.  Effects of lovastatin on cognitive function and psychological well-being.  Am. J. Medicine, 108, 538-546.

La Rosa et al.  Lipids, health and behavior.  Cholesterol lowering, low cholesterol, and noncardiovascular disease.  American Psychological Association.

6. W Sept 26 - Interventions for improving health (Group A)  SGW

•  Jacob et al., Relaxation therapy for hypertension: design effects and treatment effects, ABM, 1991

• Frasure-Smith et al., (1997). Randomized trial of home-based psychosocial nursing intervention

for patients recovering from myocardial infarction.  Lancet, 350: 473-479

· Smyth et al (1997).  Effects of Writing About Stressful Experiences of Symptom Reduction in            Patients With Asthma or Rheumatoid Arthritis, JAMA, 281: 1304-1309.

(Schedule individual meetings).

7 -  W Oct 3 Health Belief Models  &  Risk Perception  (Group B) LTK

            •Weinstein, The precaution adoption process, Health Psych, 1992

            •  Fisher et al, Empirical tests of Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Models of AIDS preventive behavior, Health Psychology, 1994.

            •  Sapolsky Chapter 8.

            •  Gladwell, The New Republic, June, 1991  (Debate)

            • TEXT, CHPT 6 & 8

FALL BREAK (Oct 8 and 9)

8        W Oct 10  Diabetes (J. Ulbrecht) 

·        TBA

9. W Oct 17  minority health . (Keith Whitfield)

·        TBA 

DEVELOPING A TERM PAPER TOPIC:  By October 24^th, send an email to both professors describing your research topic (one or two paragraphs and a list of sources).  It is fine to show work for two topics, we can help you choose.  Give the following details:  what hypothesis are you trying to support with your review of the literature?  What papers have you found?  List the bibliographic info for the papers you have gathered so far.  We’ll be looking to see that you have a well-defined hypothesis for which there is a reasonable set of rigorous studies (10-12 good papers is the target—a hypothesis with 40 papers on it is too broad). Your description of the topic should be brief (a page or two) and we may request changes and refinements before it is approved.

10. W  Oct 24  Discussion of Ethical Issues in Science AND Seeing Like A State (Chapters 1-5) LTK

11. W  Oct 31 - Community Trials and health care system changes LTK (Group C)

Results of the Commit Trial, AJPH, 1995.

            Seeing Like a State  (Chapters 5-10)

12. W  Nov 7, Smoking research and accidents LTK (Group D)

• Peter S Blair et al., Babies sleeping with parents: case-control study of factors influencing the risk of the sudden infant death syndrome BMJ 1999;319:1457-1462 ( 4 December ) http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7223/1457 Plus commentary by Ed Mitchell.

•  Kozlowski, et al., 1989.  Self-selected blocking of vents on low-yield cigarettes. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 33: 815-819..

•  Sweeney, C.T., Kozlowski, L.T., & Parsa, P. 1999. Effect of filter vent blocking on carbon monoxide exposure from selected lower tar cigarette brands. PBB, 63: 167-173.

13.    W    Nov 14  Pre-birth experience and health SGW

·              Wadhwa et al. 1997.  “Prenatal psychosocial factors and the neuroendocrine axis in human pregnancy”

·               Smith, R. 1999, The timing of birth.  Scientific American.

·              Glynn, L. 2001, “WHEN stress happens matters…” Am J Obstet Gyn         

(N   (No class Wed, Nov 21^nd ; classes officially "end" before class-time.)

THAN THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (11/22 - 11/23)

TER     TERM PAPER DUE: One 15-20 page, double-spaced, typed paper on a topic that must be pre-approved by the instruc Instructor; due by Tuesday 4 pm, Nov 27. (45 %)