Health Lecture Notes Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes to help review for an upcoming exam.

What is the WHO definition of Health?

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being—not merely the absence of disease.

What are the six dimensions of individual health?

Physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, and environmental.

What is objective health?

Measurable health (e.g., blood pressure).

What is subjective health?

Personal experience of health (e.g., feeling well despite a condition).

What is the Western Medical Model?

Views health as the absence of disease; focuses on diagnosis and treatment.

What are the five lay concepts of health?

Normality, functional capacity, a resource, well-being, and absence of illness.

How does culture impact health?

Cultural beliefs shape health behaviors, perceptions, and access to care.

What are the most common causes of death?

Heart disease, cancer, accidents.

What are the four health promotion areas and which are modifiable?

Lifestyle, environment, human biology, healthcare system. Only lifestyle and environment are modifiable.

What are the main social determinants of health?

Income, education, employment, housing, access to healthcare.

What are the three causes of health inequalities?

Material deprivation, psychosocial stress, and health-related behaviors.

How does work/employment affect health?

Affects income, stress, exposure to hazards, and social support.

How do gender norms influence health?

Influence risk behaviors and access to care; e.g., men may avoid seeking help.

How do racism and discrimination impact health?

Lead to chronic stress, lower quality care, and poor health outcomes.

What inequalities are faced by the LGBTQ+ community?

Higher mental health risks, discrimination in care, substance use.

Give an example of a health inequality.

Poorer areas have higher obesity rates due to food deserts.

What are some solution to Health Inequalities?

Policy change, community programs, education, improved access to care.

Why do we measure health?

Identify problems, track trends, allocate resources, evaluate programs.

What is Epidemiology?

Study of distribution and determinants of health and illness in populations.

What is Mortality?

Death rates (e.g., heart disease death rate).

What is Morbidity?

Illness rates (e.g., diabetes prevalence).

What is Infant Mortality Rate?

Indicator of healthcare access and overall national health.

Give examples of objective environmental measures.

Air quality, water safety, housing conditions.

What are five subjective health measures?

Self-rated health, functional status, emotional well-being, pain perception, and quality of life—important for patient-centered care.

What is Health Promotion?

Broader, includes policy, community engagement.

What is Health Education?

Focuses on individual knowledge/behavior.

What are basics of Health Promotion?

Empowering people, policy support, preventive focus.

What are modifiable Behaviors?

Smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol use, sleep.

Why is Health Behavior Important?

Major influence on chronic disease prevention.

Give examples of Primary prevention.

Vaccines, sunscreen

Give examples of Secondary prevention.

Screenings

Give examples of Tertiary prevention.

Rehab programs

What are the Assumptions of Health Promotion?

Health is influenced by behavior, change is possible, environment matters.

What is an Upstream Approach?

Targets root causes (e.g., poverty, policy) rather than just individual behaviors.

What are arguments for Health Promotion?

Cost-effective, preventive

What are arguments against Health Promotion?

May blame individuals, limited by social context

What are five approaches to Health Promotion?

Medical, behavioral change, educational, empowerment, social change.

What is the most common approach to Health Promotion?

Behavioral change (e.g., anti-smoking campaigns)

What is the KSA Acronym?

Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes—key for effective health promotion.

What is the Social Change Approach?

Used to address structural and systemic health issues (e.g., housing, food access).

What is Health Services Reorientation?

Shift from treatment to prevention and promotion.

What is the economic incentive to Health Services Reorientation?

Prevention is more cost-effective than treatment.

What are the Reorientation Goals?

Equity, access, prevention, and community focus.

What are the Pros of Nurses in Health Promotion?

Trust, frontline access, holistic care

What are the Cons of Nurses in Health Promotion?

Understaffing, lack of training/resources

What is Equity in Health Promotion?

Fair access and support based on need; central to ethical health promotion.