Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health

A popular "Q&A" feature at the end of each chapter provides answers to organizing questions posed in the chapter opener, enabling students to revisit and reinforce what they have learned. A media resource section lists references and web links that students can use to expand their knowledge of important health psychology topics.

Coverage of physiology and biology is integrated throughout the text rather than placed in a separate chapter. This approach makes it easier for students who lack a biology or science background to understand and appreciate how these subjects relate to health psychology.

The text's emphasis on diversity in health psychology includes coverage of international health research; the impact of issues such as ethnicity, age, gender and sexual minority status on health and research; and exploration of the increasing variety in approaches to health care.

Numerous feature boxes offer insightful discussions of interesting contemporary topics such as controversy about vaccination, health risks of watching televised sports, chocolate's impact on heart disease, benefits of a cognitively challenging job and how sleep can affect weight.