Health Psychology and Related Fields

Health Psychology is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the application of psychological knowledge and techniques of health, illness and health care. Various disciplines including Psychology and Medicine have done sufficient contributions to Health Psychology. Some of the follows.
Epidemiology, the scientific study of the distribution and frequency of disease and injury, has close relationship with Health Psychology. Epidemiologists determine the occurrence of illness in a given population and organize the data in terms of when and where the disease or injury occurred, and to which gender, age and racial or cultural groups. Some terms used in epidemiology are
a) Mortality: death, on a large scale.
b) Morbidity: illness, injury or disability.
c) Prevalence: the number of cases (previously reported or new) of a disease or of persons infected at risk.
d) Incidence: number of new cases.
e) Epidemic: The incidence, generally of an infection disease has increased rapidly.
Public Health is a field concerned with protecting, maintaining, and improving health through organized efforts in the community. They examine and give orientation about immunization, sanitation, health education and awareness and ways to provide community health services.
Sociology focuses on human social life. It examines groups or communities of people and elevates the impact of various social factors, such as the mass, media, population, growth, epidemics and institution. Medical sociology is a sub-field of sociology, studies a wide range of issues related to health.
Anthropology is the study of human cultures. Medical Anthropology examines differences in health and health care across cultures.
The combined information health psychologist obtain from Epidemiology, public health, sociology and anthropology describes the social systems in which health, illness and person exist and develop. Health Psychology is also related to some non-psychology careers also, such as nursing, physician assistants, dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and social workers.