Introduction to

Health and Wellness

Learning Targets

As a result of today’s class, you should know:

• The 6 Dimensions of Wellness and how they are interrelated
• How to explain how the decisions you make affect where you fall on the Health Continuum

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Wellness: The New Health Goal

• Health is the combination of physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being.
• Is subject to constant change (i.e. you get sick, an athletic injury, etc.)
• Falls along a continuum (from premature death to high levels of health)

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• Wellness refers to an overall state of well- being, total health

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• Health differs based on factors beyond your control, such as genes, age, environment, media, and family history

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• Wellness is determined by the decisions you make about the way you live

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• These two words can be used interchangeably and will be throughout this course

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Wellness: The New Health Goal

• Wellness = an overall state of well-being, total health
• Dimensions of wellness
• Physical wellness
• Avoiding bad habits, making good decisions
• Emotional wellness
• Trust, self-esteem, self-control
• Intellectual wellness
• Openness to new ideas, thinking critically, creativity
• Spiritual wellness
• Set guiding beliefs, principles
• Interpersonal and social wellness
• Healthy relationships, communication
• Environmental, or planetary, wellness
• Tobacco smoke, UV rays

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Wellness Continuum

Figure 1.1

Health/Wellness Continuum

• Your health is always changing
• The Health continuum identifies your level of health at a given moment in time
• The dimensions of wellness all impact your overall health
• The dimensions are not exclusive; when one is affected, most often, others are too.
• Every decision you make affects where you fall on the health continuum

• Man vs. Wild Clip

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• Think about the dimensions of wellness present in this clip. Which dimensions are present and how do they affect Bear Grylls in this clip? Consider the context of the situation and the interrelatedness of the dimensions of wellness.

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New Opportunities, �New Responsibilities

• Infectious diseases, caused by invading microorganisms, were the leading causes of death a century ago
• Chronic diseases, caused by a variety of lifestyle and other factors, are the leading causes of death today

Public Health Achievements

Figure 1.2

Leading Causes of Death Overall

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Stroke
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases (emphysema, chronic bronchitis)
• Unintentional injuries (accidents)
• Diabetes

Leading Causes of Death by Age

• Ages 10-19
• 1) Accidents
• 2) Suicide
• 3) Homicide
• 4) Cancer
• 5) Congenital Defects

• Ages 65+
• 1) Heart Disease
• 2) Cancer
• 3) Diseases

DRQ #1

• Define health.
• What are 3 factors that impact your health?
• What is the most important factor that impacts your health?
• What are the 6 dimensions of wellness?
• Explain the Health Continuum.
• Is the average lifespan of a human increasing or decreasing? Why?

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Learning Targets

• As a result of this class, students should be able to:
• Identify the 8 behaviors that contribute to wellness
• Define risk behavior and be able to identify examples
• Set short and long-term goals that aim at improving health
• Identify reliable sources of information

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Actual Causes of Death in the United States

• Smoking 435,000 deaths per year
• Diet and inactivity** 112,000
• Alcohol 85,000
• Microbial agents 75,000
• Toxic agents 55,000
• Motor vehicles 43,000
• Firearms 29,000
• Sexual behavior 20,000
• Illicit drug use 17,000

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**Caclulation of the number of deaths due to poor diet and inactivity (obesity) is an area of ongoing controversy and research.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005. Frequently Asked Questions About Calculating Obesity-Related Risk (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050614.htm; retrieved June 28, 2005). Mokdad, A. H., et al. 2004. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. Journal of the American Medical Association 291(10): 1238–1245.

Behaviors That Contribute to Wellness

Partaking in these 8 behaviors will make you a healthier person:

• Be physically active
• Choose a healthy diet
• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Manage stress effectively
• Avoid tobacco and drug use and limit alcohol consumption
• Protect yourself from disease and injury
• Get 8-10 hours of sleep a night
• Abstain from sexual activity before marriage

Lifestyle and Wellness

• More time watching TV = increased risk of obesity and diabetes

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Lifestyle and Wellness

• Cigarette smoking = increased risk of lung cancer

Lifestyle and Wellness

• Low intake of fruits and vegetables = increased risk of heart disease

Lifestyle and Wellness

• Few healthy behaviors = increased risk of heart disease

Benefits of Physical Activity

The Role of Other Factors in Wellness

• Heredity – inherent genetic traits
• Risk for certain diseases
• Environment – the sum of your surroundings
• Physical, Social (Peers), Cultural
• Health care
• Better health care, better treatment
• Attitude
• Behavior
• Avoid bad habits
• Media
• Technology

National Wellness Goals

• U.S. government’s national Healthy People initiative sets goals on 10-year agendas
• Major goals of Healthy People 2020:
• Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death.
• Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups.
• Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all.
• Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.

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Making Choices

• Risk behaviors – actions that can potentially threaten your health or the health of others

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The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey gathers information from youth across the country on behaviors they are involved in. Take a look at the most recent YRBS in 2011.

• CDC YRBS

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DRQ #2

• What are the 8 behaviors of healthy people.
• Discuss how technology plays a role in your health.
• What is a risk behavior? Give 2 examples.
• Define the acronym SMART
• Explain the key components of assertive communication skills.

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Learning Targets

• As a result of today’s class, you should be able to:
• Create short and long term goals to make changes to your health
• Evaluate the validity of electronic sources

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7 Health Skills

• Accessing information
• Analyzing influences
• Goal setting
• Decision making
• Interpersonal communication
• Self management
• Advocacy

Accessing Information

• Reliable sources include:
• Parents, teachers, trusted adults
• Library resources such as encyclopedias and nonfiction books
• RELIABLE websites such as government sites or university sites (.gov, .edu)
• .com websites are NOT considered reliable sources
• Articles by health experts

Evaluating Sources of Health Information: Internet Resources

• What is the source of the information?
• Who is the author or sponsor of the site?
• How often is the site updated?
• What is the purpose of the page? Does the site promote particular products or procedures? Are there obvious reasons for bias?
• What do other sources say about the topic?
• Does the site conform to any set of guidelines or criteria for quality and accuracy?

Evaluating Sources of �Health Information

• Go to the original source
• Watch for misleading language
• Distinguish between individual research reports and public health advice
• Remember that anecdotes are not facts
• Be skeptical and use your common sense

Analyzing Influences

• Internal pressures
• Feelings, beliefs
• External pressures
• People, environment

Goal Setting

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time bound

Set Goals

• Start with short-term goals which are reached in a short period of time and are very specific
• Create short-term goals with a long-term goal in mind – one that is a big change over a long period of time. Long-term goals are the final, desired outcome
• Short-term goals are steps leading to the long-term goal
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See Assignment ‘Source Evaluation’

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• http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/creatine.html

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• http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/creatine-000297.htm

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DRQ #3

1. Describe 3 aspects of effective listening skills.

2. What are 3 ways you can demonstrate refusal skills in a situation that you are not comfortable with?

3. What are ‘I-messages?’

4. Describe 3 aspects of healthy relationships.

Scenario

You are interviewing for a part-time job working with patients at the local hospital.

• How will you dress?
• What type of legwork will you do before the interview?
• What skills and behaviors would be necessary to be successful at the job?
• How will you continue to improve at your job once you have earned the position?

DRQ #4

• You have been asked to do research on the internet to find reliable information about tobacco use among teens. Websites with which endings would be considered reliable sources?
• You are dealing with a classmate who is clearly disagrees with your choice for next president of the US. What are 2 things you could say to your classmate using assertive communication skills?
• You have come across a website on nutrition and are wondering if the information on the site is reliable. What are 3 questions you can ask to help determine the sites reliability?
• There is a flu epidemic at Saline High School. What are 3 things you can do to prevent the further spread of disease?
• How much sleep is required for teens to function best throughout the day?

DRQ #5

• What are 3 things you can do to help better manage your time?
• What are 3 different things that impact your health on a daily basis?

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