Unit 27: Health Behaviour
Date: 07/02/2024
- Leader:
- Prof. Dr. Julika Loss
- Deputy:
-
Dr.
Gert Mensink
Dr. Susanne Jordan
Tasks
With regard to the most important health-relevant behaviours – i.e. physical activity, dietary behaviour, maintenance of a normal body weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption – we investigate, and report on, the following aspects:
- The prevalence of aspects of these health behaviours and their intensity in the population as a whole as well as in population groups, thereby identifying social inequalities in health behaviours and their social determinants
- The epidemiological relationship between health behaviours and other health parameters (e.g., disease-related risk factors, chronic diseases) as well as the relationship among these health behaviours (e.g., combinations of risky behaviours)
- The effects of factors influencing health behaviours on the individual level, especially health literacy, information behaviour, and motivation
- The effects of factors and barriers influencing health behaviour on the environmental / structural level, e.g. bicycle paths in the living or working environment.
- The changes in health behaviour at the population level over time - against the backdrop of societal developments (e.g. climate change and climate awareness) and long-term political measures (e.g. laws, prevention programs).
These issues should be monitored and analysed at all stages of life. Through complementary assessment of existing evidence (e.g., based on systematic reviews), we develop recommendations for policy and practice in order to foster effective and customised health promotion and prevention or for population groups with special needs.