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| Morbidity |
Morbidity
Review level evidence finds almost unanimous support for an association between higher positive affect and health (Pressman and Cohen 2005). Promoting positive mental health benefits physical health by improving:
• Overall health (Benyamini et al 2000)
• Stroke incidence and survival (Ostir et al 2000; 2001)
• Protection from heart disease: absence of positive mental health is a greater risk factor for CVD
than smoking (Keyes 2004). Psycho-social factors (notably mood, social support and isolation)
are on a par with smoking, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol (Bunker et al 2003;
Kubzansky and Kawachi 2000)
• Lowest number of chronic physical diseases by age (Keyes 2007)
Review level evidence finds almost unanimous support for an association between higher positive affect and health (Pressman and Cohen 2005). Promoting positive mental health benefits physical health by improving:
• Overall health (Benyamini et al 2000)
• Stroke incidence and survival (Ostir et al 2000; 2001)
• Protection from heart disease: absence of positive mental health is a greater risk factor for CVD
than smoking (Keyes 2004). Psycho-social factors (notably mood, social support and isolation)
are on a par with smoking, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol (Bunker et al 2003;
Kubzansky and Kawachi 2000)
• Lowest number of chronic physical diseases by age (Keyes 2007)
Positive affect is particularly associated with improvements in health outcomes subject to motivation or self report bias e.g. pain, limitations in daily living and quality of life. Positive affect may also provide a stress buffering effect that helps people to cope and is associated with lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressure (biological markers of stress response) at baseline and at three year follow up (Steptoe 2005). Leading risk factors are outlined in Leading risk factors
Among the 10 leading risk factors for the global burden of disease measured in DALYs, as identified in the World Health Report 2002, three were mental/ behavioural (unsafe sex, tobacco use, alcohol use) and three others were significantly affected by mental/ behavioural factors (overweight, blood pressure and cholesterol).
WHO 2003 p. 9
Among the 10 leading risk factors for the global burden of disease measured in DALYs, as identified in the World Health Report 2002, three were mental/ behavioural (unsafe sex, tobacco use, alcohol use) and three others were significantly affected by mental/ behavioural factors (overweight, blood pressure and cholesterol).
WHO 2003 p. 9
