2.2.5 Health issues

What is health?

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being, not just the absence of disease.

What is a disease?

A disease is a condition that can cause ill health.

What are communicable diseases?

Communicable diseases are infectious, caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and can spread from one person to another. Example: flu.

What are non-communicable diseases?

Non-communicable diseases are not infectious and cannot be passed from person to person. Example: heart disease.

How can a poor immune system increase disease risk?

If the immune system is weak, an individual is more likely to become infected with communicable diseases as their body cannot fight pathogens effectively.

How can viral infections cause cancer?

Some viruses trigger cancer, e.g. hepatitis virus can lead to liver cancer.

How can pathogens trigger allergic reactions?

An infection can lead to an immune response, which may trigger allergic reactions such as rashes or increased severity of asthma.

How can poor physical health affect mental health?

A reduction in physical health can limit daily tasks and life expectancy, leading to mental illnesses such as depression.

How can diet affect health?

Eating too little, too much, or the wrong types of food prevents having a good, balanced diet, which can cause issues like type 2 diabetes or obesity.

How can stress affect health?

Stress places strain on the body, leading to problems such as heart disease, cancers, and mental illnesses.

How can life situations affect health?

Factors like living conditions, financial status, access to medical care, and hygiene can affect both communicable diseases (e.g. diarrhoea, malaria) and non-communicable diseases (e.g. heart disease).

How is disease incidence information presented?

It can be shown in frequency tables, diagrams, bar charts, histograms and scatter diagrams. Students must interpret this data and identify correlations between variables.