Chapter 1 – What is Health?

HEALTH: the combination of your

physical, mental/emotional, and

social well being

Your personal level of health affects everything about you

• How you look• How you feel• How you act• Attitude• Performance in school, work, recreation• How you feel about yourself• Success in relationships

* Being healthy means striving to be the best you can be at any given time

Three Elements of Your Health

• Physical Health• Mental and Emotional Health• Social Health

Physical Health

• Definition – the way the parts and systems of your body work together

• Body has the ability to cope with the stresses of normal daily life

• Having the strength and energy to pursue physical, mental, emotional and social challenges and changes

• What does it entail– Proper nutrition– Regular physical activity– Enough rest and sleep

Mental and Emotional Health

• Feelings about yourself• How well you relate to others• How well you meet the demands of daily life• Calls for person to use her or her mind to

develop good thinking skills

Mental v. Emotional Health

Good Mental Health• Enjoy learning• See mistakes as

opportunities to learn, grow, and change

• Accept responsibilities for their actions

• Stand up for beliefs and values

Good Emotional Health• In touch with feelings• Expresses feelings in

appropriate and healthful ways• Deal with problems and

frustrations without getting overwhelmed

• Avoid dwelling on negative thoughts

• Use positive thoughts and actions to make it through challenges

Social Health

• Involves the way you get along with others• Ability to make and keep friends• Work and play in cooperative ways– Seeking and lending support when necessary

• Communicating well• Showing respect and care for self and others

Health Triangle

Wellness

• A person with a balanced life is said to have a high degree of wellness

• Defintion: an overall state of well-being, or total health– It comes from a way of living each day that includes

making decisions and practicing behaviors that are based on sound health knowledge and healthful attitudes

– Achieving wellness is ongoing, lifelong commitment to physical, mental/emotional, and social health

Components of Wellness

• Physical Wellness• Emotional Wellness• Social Wellness• Spiritual Wellness (spiritually content today)• Intellectual

The Health Continuum

• Your health is dynamic– Fluctuates along a continuum– Many different points on which your health can be

located at any given time• Why do you think people get on the lower end

of the continuum?

Lifestyle Factors

• 7 habits that make a difference in people’s overall health, happiness, and longevity

• LONGEVITY – how long a person lives• LIFESTYLE FACTORS – personal behaviors and

habits related to the way a person lives that help determine his or her level of health

7 Factors

1. Get between seven to eight hours of sleep per night2. Eat nutritious foods from the various food groups

every day3. Refrain from smoking or using tobacco products4. Do 20 to 30 minutes of nonstop vigorous activity a

min of 3x/week5. Do not use alcohol or drugs6. Eat breakfast daily7. Maintain your recommended weight

Your Attitudes, Your Health

• Your attitudes affect how well you take care of yourself

• Optimists are less likely to suffer illness and die younger than pessimists

Wellness Prevention

• Prevention: practicing healthy habits to keep a person well and free from disease and other ailments

• The key to your health and wellness

Importance of Health Education

• Health Education: the providing of accurate health information in such a way as to influence people to change attitudes so that they take positive action about their health

• Goal: give you the tolls you need to achieve and maintain total well being

• Goal: Health Literacy

Health Literacy

• Defined: individual’s capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and use such information and services in ways that promote his or her health and wellness

Health Literate Person is:

• A critical thinker• A responsible, productive citizen• A self-directed learner• An effective communicator

Influences on Your Health

• Heredity• Environment• Peers • Culture• Behavior

Heredity

• All the traits and properties that are passed along biologically from both parents to child

Environment

• The sum total of your surroundings – your family, where you grew up, where you live now, and all of your experiences

• Physical Environment• Social Environment• Cultural Environment

Physical Environment

• Affects all areas of your health

Social Environment

• Family• People who you have daily contact with

• Peers: people the same age who share a similar range of interest

• Peer pressure

Cultural Environment

• Culture: the collective beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group

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Behavior

• One factor in your life you have a lot of control over

• The way you choose to act within your environment and with your inherited abilities has a very important impact on who you are

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

– IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR HEALTH THE SAME AS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE?

Risk Factors

• ACTIONS OR BEHAVIORS THAT REPRESENT A POTENTIOAL HEALTH THREAT

Cumulative Risks

• Risks that increase gradually and may add up to a total that is greater than expected– Accumulation of a risk

• Combination of risk factors