# Prevention/treatment of a health problem

> IB Psychology · IB Psychology 2027 First Assessment
> Source: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-hwb-prevention-treatment-of-a-health-problem/

The explanation and effectiveness of one or more prevention and/or treatment strategies for one or more health problems.

## Learning objectives

- The explanation and effectiveness of one or more prevention and/or treatment strategies for one or more health problems.

## How often is this tested?

Based on OwlsPrep's analysis of official CIE IB_PSYCH P2 past papers (2019–2025): **Prevention/treatment of a health problem** appears **23 times** in the last 7 years — **8%** of all P2 questions (23 of 288).

Most-tested forms: Essay: Discuss (22 marks) (21), Essay: To what extent (22 marks) (2).

## Core concept

Prevention and treatment strategies for a health problem (as opposed to a disorder) are the programmes designed to stop it developing or to reduce it — for example anti-obesity interventions or programmes to curb problematic social-media use. They draw on the biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches (changing diet, beliefs, environments and models) and are judged on effectiveness: does the programme actually change behaviour, by how much, and for whom? A recurring finding is that effects are often real but small and highly variable across studies, so honest evaluation matters more than describing the problem.

## Key studies

IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:

**Loh, Yaw, and Lau (2023)** — A meta-analysis of RCTs found social-media-based obesity-prevention interventions produced a statistically significant but small weight reduction, with substantial heterogeneity between studies. — *Effectiveness evidence for a prevention strategy — significant but modest, illustrating honest evaluation of a health-problem intervention.*

**Manwong et al. (2018)** — Group activity-based motivational enhancement therapy reduced social-media-use duration and depression scores in Thai high-school students, with effects emerging over time. — *A treatment strategy for a behavioural health problem (problematic social-media use), showing what and how much it changed.*

## Evaluation (AO3)

**Strength — measurable, comparable effects** — Trial and meta-analytic designs (Loh, Manwong) give measurable effectiveness estimates and identify workable levers (environment, motivation, models).

**Limitation — small effects and responsibility** — Effects are often small with high heterogeneity (Loh) and short follow-ups, and there are questions of who is responsible — individual behaviour versus the 'obesogenic' or attention-economy environment.

## Scope

> **note**
>
> This card is prevention/treatment of non-disorder HEALTH PROBLEMS (obesity, addiction) and its effectiveness. Biological and psychological treatment of a DISORDER are HWB_8 and HWB_10; the SLT that underpins many programmes is HWB_6.

## Common pitfalls

- **Wrong:** Describing the health problem or the programme's content instead of evaluating its effectiveness.
  - Why it fails: A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
  - Correct: Focus on the studies: report the effect size and its limits (Loh's effect was significant but small and heterogeneous), the follow-up and generalisability — evaluate the strategy, do not just outline the topic.

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