Accessing Your Health
Chapter 1
Choose Health Now for
Immediate Benefits
 The choices that we make on a daily basis affect your health.
 Poor behavioral choices may have negative effect on our health.
 Inadequate sleep – affect academic success
 Smoking – throat irritation, breathing problems
 Alcohol – increases the risk for unintentional injuries
Personal Choices Influence
Life Expectancy
 The average life expectancy for Americans is 78.5
years.
 Diseases have shifted from infectious to chronic
diseases
 Life expectancy has improved due to decrease in
mortality from infectious diseases, improved sanitation,
improved access to medicine and healthcare.
Definitions
 Mortality –the proportion of deaths to the population
 Life expectancy – expected number of years of life
remaining at a given age, such as at birth.
 Chronic Disease – Disease that begins slowly, progresses and
persists for a long time, that can be treated but not cured by
medications.
 Ex. Heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases
 Accounts for 70% of deaths in the U.S.
Personal Choices Influence
Healthy Life Expectancy
 Healthy Life Expectancy
 Expected number of years of full health remaining at a
given age
 Health choices increase our healthy life expectancy
 Healthy life expectancies for men and women in
America are 67 and 71 years respectively.
 Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL)
 Assessment of impact of health status –including
elements of physical, mental, emotional, and social
function on overall quality of life.
What is Health?
 The ever-changing (dynamic) process of achieving individual
potential in the physical, social, emotional, mental, spiritual, and
environmental dimensions.
 “…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948).
Models of Health
The Medical Model
 Health status focused primarily on the individual and his or her organs, tissues or
cells.
 It focused on cure of diseases through medications to treat the disease or
surgery to remove the diseased organ.
•
Health is restored when a person’s illness is cured or the damaged body part is
functioning again.
•
The government focused on treatment , rather than prevention of diseases.
Models of Health
Public Health Model
 Views diseases and other negative health events as a result
of individual interaction with his or her social and physical
environment.
 Health interventions are done to benefit the community
 Ex. Control water contamination, control air pollution, addressing
hazardous working conditions, living conditions, unsafe behavior,
diet, sedentary lifestyle, cost, quality and access to healthcare.
 Focuses on disease prevention, health promotion, and
reducing risk behaviors
Definitions
 Disease Prevention
 Actions or behaviors designed to keep people from getting sick.
 Health Promotion
 The combined educational, organizational, procedural, environmental,
social and financial support to help individuals and groups reduce
negative health behaviors and promote positive change.
 Risk Behaviors
 Actions that increase susceptibility to negative health outcomes.
Wellness and the Dimensions
of Health
Wellness and the Dimensions
of Health
Wellness and the Dimensions
of Health
 Physical Health
 Includes characteristics such as body size and shape, functioning
of the sensory organs, susceptibility to disease and disorders,
physical fitness, and recuperative abilities.
 Social Health
 The ability to have satisfying interpersonal relationships with
friends, family members, partners; giving and receiving love.
 Intellectual Health
 The ability to think clearly, reason objectively, analyze critically,
and use you cognitive skills to solve problems.
Wellness and the Dimensions
of Health
 Emotional Health
 Being able to express and control emotions when appropriate.
Ex. Self-esteem, self confidence, self-efficacy, love, trust.
 Spiritual Health
 Having a sense of meaning and purpose in your life; to feel a
part of a greater spectrum of existence; believing in a supreme
being,; to experience peace and content in life.
 Environmental Health
 Understanding how the environment in which we live affects our
lives; protecting yourself from hazards in your community.
What Influences Your
Health?
 Determinants of Health = personal, social, economic, and
environmental factors that influence health status.
Determinants of Health
 Individual Behavior
 Most behaviors are modifiable (things that you can change)
determinants; influence your risk of having chronic diseases.
 Lack of physical activity
 Leads to overweight and obesity; cause 10% of deaths
 Poor nutrition
 High salts, low dietary omega-3 fatty acids, high cholesterol are risk factors for
chronic diseases and death
 Excessive alcohol consumption
 Accounts for 90,00 deaths annually
 Tobacco use
 Contributes to heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure
 Accounts for 20% of deaths in the U.S.
Determinants of Health
 Biology and Genetics
 Are non-modifiable (can’t be changed) factors
 Ex. Sickle-cell disease, hemophillia, cystic fibrosis,
allergies, asthma, diabetes, certain cancers
 Social Factors
 Includes both social and physical conditions in the
environment
 Ex. Exposure to crime, violence, technology, poverty,
healthy foods, transportation, living wages, social
support, jobs.
 Physical conditions includes the natural environment,
lighting, trees, buildings, and physical barriers.
Determinants of Health
 Economic Factors
 Many people’s health is affected by their economic status:
 Lack of access to quality education
 Living in poor housing
 Unable to pay for nutritious foods
 Having insecure employment or getting low pay
 Having little or no asset in case of emergency
Determinants of Health
 The Built Environment
 Anything created or modified by humans such as building roads,
providing lighting, communication cables, provision of bike lanes,
building sidewalks, creating choices for healthy foods.
 Pollutants and Infectious Agents
 Includes air quality, our land, water, and food. Infectious agents
thrive in these media and can produce diseases.
 Policy Making
 Policies and interventions can have a positive effect on
individuals and communities.
 Ex. Banning smoking, wearing seatbelts, wearing helmets, having
vaccination programs, providing mental health services.
Access to Quality Health
Services
 Includes access to information, supplies, medications, health
insurance.
 Not having access to quality health services may lead to
delayed diagnosis, reduced chance of recovery, longer
hospital stays, more ER visits, increased costs.
 People who are uninsured and underinsured are victims
 Access to health services is affected by economies,
public policies , and health insurance legislation.
Health Disparities
 Differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality,
and burden of diseases and other health conditions
among specific populations.
Models of Behavior Change:
The Health Belief Model
 Perceived Susceptibility
 An individual’s perception of his/her chances of getting a condition
 Perceived Seriousness
 An individual’s perception of how serious the given disease or condition
and its consequences are.
 Perceived Benefits of Taking Action
 Taking actions to prevent the disease or to reduce the the risk or
seriousness of the disease
Models of Behavior Change:
The Health Belief Model
 Barriers to Taking Action
 One’s opinion of the barriers that may prevent them from taking action
towards the disease. Ex. Cost, inconvenience, pain
 Cues for Action
 Strategies to to activate readiness for an advised action. Cues may be
internal or external. Ex. Setting reminders, research information, promote
awareness.
Models of Behavior Change:
The Transtheoretical Model
 Precontemplation
 A person has no intention (is not considering) to change his/her health
behavior in the future
 Contemplation
 The person is aware of the problem and is seriously thinking about
changing the behavior, but have not yet made a commitment to
change the behavior
 Preparation
 Individuals are planning to take action within the next month.
Models of Behavior Change:
The Transtheoretical Model
 Action
 Individuals take actions to change the behavior;
implementation of the plan; requires commitment of time and
energy; strategies for overcoming obstacles are implemented.
 Maintenance
 The person strengthens the change and work to prevent
relapse.
 Termination
 The person is not tempted to return to the previous behavior.
Make that Change!
 Increase your awareness
 Contemplate the Change
 Prepare for the Change
 Take actions to change
 Reward yourself