Chapter 1

Living A Healthy Life

Lesson 1: What is Health?

Health-”Combination of your physical,

mental/emotional, and social well-being.”

Personal level of health affects

everything about you.

physical

mental

social

Health is “dynamic” Constantly changing.

Think of your health at any

moment as a point along a

continuum.

(Figure 1.1 page 5)

Person with a balanced life is said to have a high degree of wellness-an

overall state of well-being or

total health.

Requires an ongoing, lifelong

commitment.

Promoting Your Health

Lifestyle Factors

Habits that make a difference in

people’s overall health, happiness,

and longevity-or how long they live. Lifestyle factors

help determine your level of health.

-Seven to eight hours of sleep per night

-Eat nutritious foods from various food groups each day.

-Eat breakfast daily.

-Refrain from smoking

-20-30 minutes of activity, three times

a week

-Do not use alcohol or other drugs

-Maintain recommended weight

-Abstaining from sexual activity before

marriage-managing stress

-maintaining positive relationships.

-practicing safe behaviors to prevent

injuries.

Prevention-practicing healthy habits to keep a person well and free from disease and other ailments.

A key to health and wellness.

Importance of Health Education

“Providing of accurate information in such a way as to INFLUENCE people to change attitudes so that they take positive action

about their health.”

The Nation’s Health GoalsHealthy People 2010-

national health promotion and disease

prevention plan designed to serve as a guide for improving the health of all people in

the U.S.

Goals of Healthy People 2010-Increase quality and

years of healthy life for all Americans-remove health differences that

result from factors such as gender, race, education, disability,

and location.

Individuals, Families and Communities must

work together to reach these goals.Individuals-take an

active role in own health. Families-shape the

attitudes and beliefs that result in

healthful behaviors

Communities-offer behavior-changing

classes. Take steps to insure a safe environment.

Health Literacy“Individual’s capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and use such information and services in ways that promote his/her health and

wellness.

To be health literate, a person

must be: A critical thinker and problem-solver A responsible, productive citizen A self-directed learner An effective communicator

Lesson 2:

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Your Health Triangle

3 Elements of Health

-Physical Health

-Mental/Emotional Health

-Social Health

Physical Health-body has the ability to cope with the stresses of normal daily life.Includes: proper nutrition,regular physical activity, enough rest and sleep, regular medical attention, paying attention to what you put into your body.

Mental/Emotional Health

Includes: feelings about yourself,how well you relate to

others, develop thinking skills, enjoy learning, see

mistakes as opportunities, in touch with his or her feelings

and expresses them in appropriate, healthful ways.

Social Health

Includes the way you get along with others, ability to make and

keep friends, communicating well and show respect and care

for yourself and others

Influences on Your Health

Heredity-all the traits and properties that are passed along biologically from both parents to child. Have no control over what you inherit.Ex. Hair and eye color,body

type and size, shape of your nose and ears.

Also inherit basic intellectual abilities and tendencies toward specific diseases.

Environment-sum of total of your surroundings-

family, where you grew up, where you live now, all of your experiences.

1.Physical environment-crime rate, streets safe, parks, recreational facilities?

2. Social environment-family, people with whom you have daily contact.

Peers-people the same age who share a similar range of interests.

3. Cultural environment-collective beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group.

Ethnic group, language your family speaks, foods you prefer to eat.

Little or no control over your heredity

and environment. However, you do have a great

deal of control over………...

BehaviorThe way “you

choose” to act within your

environment and with your inherited abilities.

Your Attitude,Your HealthAttitude affects how well you take care of yourself. You must believe there is some benefit to practicing

good health habits.

Optimists are less likely to suffer illness and die young than pessimists.

Studies have concluded that it is NOT what

happens to a person but the person’s attitudes and responding behaviors that determine how well that person will cope and how happy he or she will

be.or

Lesson 3

Taking Charge of Your Health

Taking Responsibility for

Your Health

First Step towards responsibility is increasing your awareness of

RISK FACTORS-actions or behaviors that

represent a potential health threat.

Categories of Teenage Risk Factors

-behaviors that contribute to

unintentional and intentional injuries

-tobacco use-alcohol and other drug use

-sexual behaviors

-unhealthy eating behaviors

-physical inactivity

Second step towards

responsibility is to examine your current behaviors and values and to make any necessary

changes.

Cumulative Risks-risks that increase gradually and may add up to a total that is greater than expected.

Example: Smoking one cigarette is not going to kill you, however, the negative effects accumulate, leading to serious

health consequences.

Also, a combination of risk factors whose impact is more serious than that of any component risk alone.

Example: driving over the speed limit AND not wearing your seatbelt1+1=3

Taking Responsibility for the Health of

Others

-respect for public property-respect for the property of others

-showing concern for the welfare of the community

Protective Factors-factors found in a teen’s life that

DECREASE risk-taking and INCREASES the chances of a teen growing up as a

healthy, caring, and responsible adult.

-POSTIVE ROLE MODELS-peers, or others that a person looks up to.

-POSITIVE VALUES-honesty, integrity, courage, loyalty, and hard work.

Earliest source of values is FAMILY

A person with good values and role models are less likely to participate in high-risk behaviors and MORE likely to choose abstinence.

Abstinence-voluntarily choosing NOT to do something.