Definition of Health
“Health is a state of complete physical,
mental, and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease and infirmity.”
World Health Organization (WHO)
Definition of Health
Health is the blending of your physical,
emotional, social, mental, spiritual and
environmental resources as they assist you
in mastering the developmental tasks
necessary for you to enjoy a satisfying and
productive life”
Hahn & Paine
6 DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH
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Physical
Emotional
Spiritual
Social
Mental/Intellectual
Environmental
PHYSICAL
Comprised of strength, coordination,
endurance, susceptibility to disease, body
weight, sensory abilities.
Genetic pre-dispositions.
Usual dimension used to define health.
EMOTIONAL
Ability to copy with stress, be flexible in the
face of conflict
An awareness and acceptance of a wide
range of feelings for self and others
Ability to express emotions rather than holding
them in
SPIRITUAL
May include religious beliefs and
practices
Includes relationship to other living things
Your willingness to serve others
Implies a belief in some meaning or order
in the universe, a higher power that
provides greater significance to
individuals
Identifying your basic purpose in life
SOCIAL
Ability to interact effectively with others and
the social environment
Our relationships with people, culture, politics
Ability to develop satisfying relationships and
fulfill social roles
Participating and contributing to your
community and living in harmony with
neighbors
MENTAL/INTELLECTUAL
Ability to process and act on information,
clarify values/beliefs and exercise decisionmaking skills.
Ability to learn from life experiences and
develop critical thinking skills.
Openness to new ideas and perspectives.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The impact your world has on your well-being
and the impact you have on the world
around you
Protecting yourself from dangers in food, air,
water, soil and products you use.
Employment satisfaction directly related to
your health
Your commitment to preserve and protect the
environment.
Changing Personal Behaviors
 Physiological
 Psychological
 Cultural
 And social factors influence behavior
change
7 Dynamics of Change
Feel Awkward
What do we have to give up?
We feel alone
We can’t handle change
Different levels of readiness
We don’t have enough resources
Revert to old behaviors
Models of Behavior Change
Social Support Theory
One of several ecological approaches to
personal behavior change whereby the
positive impact of social networks on
individual wellness is acknowledged
Transtheoretical Model (Stages
of Change, Stage of Readiness)
This model integrates both the processes and
principles of change from across theories
represented above
Stages of Change (Prochaska, J.O. & Velicer, W.F. The
transtheoretical model of health behavior changes. Am J
Health Prom 12:38-48,1997.
Based on the premise that people move
through a series of stages in their attempt to
change a behavior.
Precontemplation
individual is not doing target behavior and
is not intending to move to the new
behavior
individual is uniformed about the longterm effects of current behavior
Contemplation
individual is considering change
may stay in this stage for more than 2
years
when individual substitutes thinking for
action = chronic contemplator
ambivalent about changing: see pros and
cons of sustaining the risk behavior as
equal
central element: serious consideration of
problem resolution
Preparation
defined by making small changes
have a plan of action or have made some
behavior change
do not yet have a preset behavior criterion
to reach action stage
immediate intention to engage in the
behavior
not a stable stage
contains people who are more likely to
progress than contemplators or
precontemplators
combines the criteria of intention and behavior
Action
individual actively engages in the new
behavior
overt behavior change has occurred in the
last 6 months
individuals change their behavior,
experiences, or environment in order to
overcome their problems
modifications are highly visible and
receive greatest recognition from others
Maintenance
individual is sustaining the change over
time
period of continued change because
individual is working to prevent relapse
and consolidate the gains attained
during the action stage
Termination
may be the absolute absence of temptation to
engage in old behavior and 100% selfefficacy in engaging in the new behavior
when considering exercise, formerly
sedentary individuals seem to always be at
risk for relapse and must work to stay in
maintenance stage
SMART Objectives
Specific
Measurable
Achievement-oriented
Relevant
Time-bound
FITT
Frequency
Intensity
Time
Type
What Should You do?
Pay attention to the food pyramid
How many colors did you eat today?
Make Exercise a habit
Fit it in!
Be aware of all dimensions of health
My prescription for a successful first
year of college:
Keep and open mind about everyone and
everything
Introduce yourself to your professors
Use a planner and learn time management
NOW!
Study in small blocks of time with study
groups
Don’t work more than 10 hours/week
Exercise
Eat a colorful diet