Question
The World Health Organization projected that th e largest increase in cardiovascular diseases
worldwide is occurring in Asia, as a result of rapidly increasing rates of smoking, obesity,
dyslipidemia and diabetes among Asians. A re cent study by the National University Heart
Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) found that the average age of patients with heart failure in Asia
is 60 – a decade younger than their western count erparts. (The Straits Times, June 2014)
Given that cardiovascular diseases are associated with lifestyles, health promotion efforts to
prevent the onset and progression of such conditions need to focus on promoting healthy
lifestyles in the population.
a) Explain the psychosocial factors related to the risk of developing cardiovascular
diseases. [Word limit: 400 words]
(30 marks)
b) As a health psychologist, develop interventions you could adopt to promote healthy
lifestyles among adolescents a nd young to middle-aged adults in Singapore. Provide
examples to illustrate how these interventions would work. [Word limit: 600 words]
(60 marks