Why will you break your New Year’s Resolutions?

By PRSD, on Sunday, December 28, 2008

posted by Cptn

What better time to have a conference looking into why we break our resolutions and don’t live healthier lifestyles?

The UK Society for Behaviour Medicine annual conference, which will look at what influences our decisions to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle, takes place at Exeter and Peninsula Medical School on Tuesday and Wednesday January 6
and 7.

The conference will focus on ‘how our behaviour affects our health’ and ‘the processes by which those behaviours can be altered to improve our health and prevent illness’.

According to the blurb: “The conference is also about getting evidence into practice, to ensure that science ends up making a positive contribution to improving quality of life and health care for large numbers of people.”

Which we guess may mean a move to informing rather than preaching, which can be a right turn off to healthy living.

Here’s what Dr Colin Greaves of the Peninsual Medical School, had to say: “Behavioural medicine is about tackling the root causes of some of the biggest health problems in our society – tackling the low-active lifestyles and weight problems which are causing huge increases in diabetes and heart disease; stopping smoking, excessive drinking and drug use, which cause problems in society as well as health problems.

“It is also about helping people to manage long-term illnesses once they occur – how can you help people to manage their depression or diabetes better for instance?

“The aim of behavioural medicine is to bring together theoretical insights from behavioural, social and population health scientists with real-world experience from doctors and nurses and patients and health services researchers.

“By putting all these experts together, we can start to generate real-world solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the nation’s health.

“At this conference we will be exploring the latest and most groundbreaking research to discover how we can support people of all ages to live and enjoy healthier lives.”

Thanks doc.

And up the academic food chain, Professor Adrian Taylor of the University of Exeter’s School of Sport and Health Sciences, told the PRSD: “Many people fail to keep up with their New Year resolutions of giving up smoking, eating more healthily or become more physically active. But why? This conference will give leading experts a chance to share the latest research that explores how individuals, public and private services, and business can make a difference to the health and well-being of UK PLC.”

Possibly the use of UK PLC is a bit of a turn off.