Chapter 1
Making Healthy Decisions
What is Health?
● Life expectancy and quality of life can
be used to evaluate overall health.
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physical health
mental health
emotional health
social health
● People’s choices can affect their positions on
a health continuum.
Health
No longer means absence of illness.
Known as the OVERALL well-being
body, mind, and relationships with
others.
Two Factors Used to Evaluate Health:
● Life Expectancy
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The number of years a person can expect to live.
● Quality of Life
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degree of overall satisfaction that a person gets from
life
 a high quality of life is one that reaches their
goals.
 GOAL-a result that a person aims for and works
hard to reach.
3 Aspects of Health:
PHYSICAL.MENTAL/EMOTIONAL.SOCIAL HEALTH
The aspects of health are important to overall
well being.
● They all fit together like puzzle pieces.
● A problem in one area can affect other
areas.
Physical Health
How well your body functions.
Physically able to carry out everyday tasks without
becoming tired.
In order to have good physical health:
● Maintain Healthy Diet
● Exercise Regularly
● Get enough Adequate Sleep
● Get Proper Medical/Dental care
Mental and Emotional Health
Mental Health- The state of being
comfortable with yourself, with others,
and with your surroundings.
Emotional Health-how you react to
events in your life.
Social Health
Refers to how well you get along with others.
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being able to make and keep friends
Have loving relationships
Respect the rights of others.
Give and accept help.
A continuum of Health
Continuum- A gradual progression through many stages between one extreme and another.
Where do you fall on the continuum? Would you say you are closer to the illness end, the wellness
end, or somewhere in the middle?
Your personal health is composed of more than one part:
Physical Health + Mental Health + Emotional Health + Social Health
= Well-being
Health Continuum- Your location is not constant throughout your life. You can move towards
illness or wellness. Many choices you make on a daily basis affect your position on the
continuum.
Identifying Health Risks
Factors that influence health:
● Heredity
● Environment
● Media
● Technology
● Health Care
● Behavior
Heredity
All traits are passed biologically from parent to
child.
● Example: skin color-affect risk of skin cancer
● Gender- can influence your health because
risk factors may vary between males and
females.
Physical Environment
The environment is all of the physical and social conditions that surround a
person and can influence that person’s health.
PHYSICAL Environment- outdoor and indoor
surroundings.
o quality of air you breathe
o water you drink
o exposure to disease
o loud noise
o radiation from sun
Social Environment
● People you spend time with.
Family
Friends
Classmates
o People in your community.
Your social environment is healthier when you choose
friends and others who show concern for their own
health and yours.
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Culture
(part of social environment.)
Beliefs and patterns of behavior that are
shared by a group of people and passed
from generation to generation.
Media
forms of communication that provide news and
environment.
Can be positive or negative influence on health.
positive-receive useful info. (maye learn about
medical issue)
negative- being sedentary. being anti-social.
encourages risky behavior.
Behavior
HABIT- behavior that is repeated so often that
it becomes almost automatic.
● ex. brushing teeth-healthy
● ex. staying up late-not healthy
Evaluating Health Risks
RISK FACTOR-any action or condition that
increases the likelihood of injury, disease, or
other negative outcomes.
● 3 ways to evaluate risk factors
o consider short term consequence
●
consider long term consequences.
o Analyze the possible benefits and risk
Short & Long Term Consequences
Some behaviors have immediate effect on your
health.
example: not wearing a seatbelt and get injured in
car accident.
Some risky behaviors have consequences that
are NOT immediate.
example: eating fast food diet. you develop heart disease or diabetes.
Risk Factors
● Cannot Controlo color of your skin,
o hereditary factors
o Environment
● Can Controlo
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Levels of physical activity.
Intake of fat, sugar, or salt.
Use of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs
use of protective gear.
Choice of Friends
Taking Responsibility for your Health
● The broad goals of Healthy People 2010:
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increase the years of healthy life for each American
eliminate differences in health based on
 race
 ethnic group
 income
Taking Responsibility for your Health
● 3 Steps to help meet personal health goals.
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gaining awareness
gaining knowledge
building skills
Being a Wise Health Consumer
● Before Buying Products Consider:
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safety
cost
warranty- an offer to repair or replace
product.
consumer testing
Consumer-buys products or services for
personal use
The Effects of Advertising
Advertising- The public promotion of a
product or service.
Ads can let you know what products at services are
available, but they rarely proved the information you need
to make wise choices.
Health Fraud
Fraud-a person tells lies to obtain money or property, the person is
guilty of an illegal act called fraud.
Quackery-people who sell useless medical treatments or products
are engaged in health fraud or quackery.
People can avoid health fraud by evaluating the claims made about a treatment
or product.
Your Rights as a Consumer
● As a consumer you have the right to:
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information
consumer protection by government agencies
right to complain.