Lecture 7 : Lifestyle Factors(1) Overview

1. Lecture 7 : Lifestyle Factors(1)Overview • STRESS • EXERCISE • SEX • FAMILY SIZE

2. Stress • Stress causes the body to produce catecholamines (e.g. adrenaline) and the release of fats and sugar into the blood system to prepare it for ‘fight’ or ‘flight’. • It is hypothesised that stress without exercise, stress results in the fats accumulating on artery walls, resulting in atherosclerosis and hence an increased risk of heart disease or stroke.

3. Exercise • Regular exercise is recommended for good health. • Manual workers might be expected to get more exercise and have lower fewer heart attacks. In fact, they tend to have more heart attacks. This, however, may be due to other factors exerting an even greater effect than exercise. • Figures reported by Gatrell (2003) suggest that exercise is more common in the lower social classes. If correct, this would again run counter to the notion that exercise is good for you, as mortality rates are higher in the lower social classes.

5. Sex • A number of diseases (STDs) are known to be sexually transmitted. • These declined in the 1940s and 1950s following the introduction of antibiotics, but have increased again since the ‘sexual revolution’ in the 1960s. • A number of diseases, including cancer of the cervix and possibly cancer of the prostate, are now believed to be associated with ‘promiscuous’ sexual activity. • Sexual abstinence may also cause problems. Studies suggest than nuns have a low risk of cancer of the cervix, but an elevated risk of cancer of the breast, ovaries and womb.

6. Family Size • Family size is rarely considered as a health risk, but a Dublin study by Kent and Sexton found that children from large families tended to be smaller. • Studies elsewhere suggest that tall people tend to live longer than short people. • Family size would appear to be a more important determinant of size than social class.

7. Size Of Dublin Children