Psychosocial Determinants of Chronic Disease: Implications for Lifestyle Medicine

Garry Egger; John Stevens; Andrew Binns; Bob Morgan

doi:10.1177/1559827619845335

Psychosocial Determinants of Chronic Disease: Implications for Lifestyle Medicine

Am J Lifestyle Med. 2019 May 9;13(6):526-532. doi: 10.1177/1559827619845335. eCollection 2019 Nov-Dec.

Authors

Garry Egger^{1

2

3}, John Stevens^{1

2

3}, Andrew Binns^{1

2

3}, Bob Morgan^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia (GE, JS).
² Goonellabah Medical Centre, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia (AB).
³ Wollotuka Institute, Indigenous Education and Research, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia (BM).

Abstract

We have previously identified a number of "determinants" of chronic disease, using the acronym NASTIE ODOURS. These have been given the collective term "anthropogens," in this journal and other publications, to help direct the management of modern chronic ailments to a monocausal focus, akin to that afforded infectious diseases by the "germ theory." We suggested the acronym NASTIE ODOURS as a starting point for a taxonomy of lifestyle medicine determinants. In the current article, we add 3, less quantifiable, but currently increasingly more important psychosocial experiences to these: Lack of Meaning, Alienation, and Loss of culture, changing the previous acronym to NASTIE MAL ODOURS. As with other determinants, all have accumulating evidence of an underlying low-grade, systemic, inflammatory physiological base ("metaflammation"), but with the need for further research to solidify these findings.

Keywords: alienation; chronic disease; determinants; loss of culture; meaning; psychosocial.

Publication types

Review