Psychosomatic and psychosocial aspects of health risks perception rising from living and occupational settings

Czech version

Authors: Vladimír Bencko
Authors‘ workplace: Ústav hygieny a epidemiologie 1. LF UK a VFN v Praze
Published in: Čas. Lék. čes. 2020; 159: 192-195
Category: Review Article

Overview

Psychosocial aspects may be of paramount importance in perceiving potential health risks. This is especially true when our knowledge of the real health implications of human exposure to the environmental risk factor is incomplete, or the intensity of this exposure is in the range of doubts as to possible biological effects. The most serious feature of these situations, particularly among psychologically labile individuals, is the presence of often severe neuropsychic and psychosomatic problems. Despite the difficult objectification, they pose different degrees of difficulty for the wearer to suffering, which cannot be underestimated in terms of the quality of their lives.

Qualified assessment of potential health risks in the living and working environment, related to existing buildings and planned industrial, transport or other building activities/projects, is an essential part of their audit. While the initial phase of the risk assessment, namely its identification and exposure assessment, are of a purely natural nature, the self-estimation of the risk level already includes increasingly arbitrary aspects (e.g. safety factors). Risk communication and in particular risk management mean that, in the psychosocial terms, decision making is then put into a political context.
The prevention of these problems can be systematic and timely educational or explanatory activity, targeted health education at the time of preparation of industrial, transport, military or other constructions and the use and involvement of local civic activists or activities. It does not have to be a cheap risk-shuffling but a clear convincing of the carrying capacity of the measure, with the advantages that the project will bring. Additional attempts to explain to the public the real state of affairs are usually accepted with distrust of hatred, with the information being “well-paid” misinformation that conceal the true state of affairs.

Keywords:

Quality of life – health risk assessment – perception of risk – assessment/estimation of environmental risks – psychosomatic aspects of risk perception

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Article was published in

Journal of Czech Physicians

2020 Issue 5

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