Abstract
Individual attitudes and behavior related to health and disease are major components
of clinical encounters. These factors shape lifestyle, presentation of symptoms, access
to patient care, interactions between patients and physicians, adherence to medical
advice, and response to treatment. Health attitudes and behavior may range from anxiety
and worry about illness to various forms of denial, such as delay of seeking care
and lack of adherence to treatment. When attitudes result in health-damaging behavior,
they may be particularly difficult to understand and become a source of frustration
to both physicians and patients. Devising appropriate responses by health care providers
may contribute to improving final outcomes and decrease health care costs. In particular,
health behavior is likely to play a major role in the process of convalescence, in
self-management of chronic conditions, in determining a state of recovery, and whenever
a rehabilitation process is involved. Understanding the spectrum of health attitudes
and behavior is also crucial for motivating people to make beneficial changes (lifestyle
medicine), as well as for implementing safety procedures in the community.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 06, 2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing this manuscript.
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