Health for all (H4A): A psychosocial approach
Mission
Statement and General Goals
Health for
All (H4A) is the core mission statement of this group,
which aims with its activities to contribute to making health a vital resource
equally available to all individuals regardless of their personal, social, and
cultural backgrounds.
The general
goal of H4A is to do research and develop interventions from a psychosocial
approach to health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 1948).
This means that we examine health related topics (e.g. pain, stigma, mental
health, eating behaviours) based on psychosocial processes (e.g. stereotypes;
social identities; risk perception; multicultural processes).
The
innovative approach of this group comes from the use of the concept of “social
interaction” to integrate, in a coherent framework, the contributions of various
levels of analysis to health issues. Inequalities in healthcare are thus
approached from this perspective, focusing on the socio-cognitive biases, the
communication processes and the spatial dimensions that frame the quality of
healthcare delivery.
We are
especially interested in identifying the social determinants of well being that
can be used in promoting the health of individuals, groups and communities
through research-based interventions.
As the
outreach of the knowledge we produce is very important to us, protocols with
different healthcare providers and user groups are a priority.
Thematic areas of research
H4A has four thematic research areas:
T1. Risk
Perception & Health Communication (research on the
promotion of healthy life-styles, e.g, eating behavior, and communication of
food risks and benefits)
T2. Health of
Social Minorities: Age, Gender, LGBT & Culture (research on ageism and
intergenerational contact, gender and pain, cultural competence and disparities
in care for ethnic minorities, cultural values and international assignments)
T3. Promotion
of Equality & Participation in the Health-Care Processes (research on
the participation of patients in therapy and the evaluation of personalized
treatment)
T4. Health
& Places (research on the health impacts of spaces and the healthy
uses of spaces – e.g., energy efficient and pro-ecological behavior)
Intervention
We design, implement and
evaluate theory-based and research-based instruments and intervention programs
targeting health, social and cultural issues, which can be applied in health
and social institutions.
We also respond to
specific needs of healthcare service providers and social groups. For instance,
we have a strong connection with conducting field research to answer societal
needs in the domain of environment, health management and intergenerational
activities.
Training and Knowledge
Dissemination
We are actively involved in training and
outreaching the knowledge produced through the following activities:
- Training at the graduate and postgraduate level,
by being involved in coordinating and teaching in Master courses, such as the
“Social Psychology of Health” or the “Community Psychology and Child
Protection” Masters. Additionally, we are also involved in the planning and
implementation of various specialization courses.
- Organization of training and dissemination
activities, for example seminars, workshops, and summer schools.
- Dissemination through national and international
publications, including prestigious scientific journals and more traditional
media.
- Presentation of research at national and
international scientific meetings.
- Participation in scientific and organizing
committees in national and international events and promotion of transfer
activities to the community (e.g., interviews to the media, intergenerational
university).
- Regular meetings and collaborations between
members of H4A and with members of the other CIS research groups.
- Collaboration with international teams such as
the EURAGE research group, Harvard Medical School and King’s College of London.
Contact
Current Group Coordinator: Carla Moleiro
(carla.moleiro@iscte.pt)