Health and Wellness: Factors, Dimensions, and Continuums

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering health influences (heredity, environment, attitude, behavior, media), the three sides of the health triangle, risk behaviors, and the illness-wellness continuum.

Heredity

The biological traits passed from parents to children, representing the health influence over which an individual has the least control.

Environment

The sum of all personal surroundings, encompassing physical surroundings, social interactions, and cultural background.

Physical Environment

Our external conditions that impact health, including neighborhood safety, school environments, air and water quality, and access to medical care.

Social Environment

The network of family, friends, and peers whose positive or negative behaviors serve as role models for health-related decisions.

Culture

The collective body of beliefs, customs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, including language, dietary traditions, and spiritual practices.

Attitude

The mental perspective through which a person views situations, categorized broadly as optimistic (positive) or pessimistic (negative).

Optimistic

A positive mental outlook characterized by viewing circumstances favorably, commonly described as seeing the glass as half full.

Pessimistic

A negative mental outlook characterized by focusing on undesirable aspects, commonly described as seeing the glass as half empty.

Behavior

The actions and reactions of an individual in response to internal or external stimuli, representing the health factor over which a person has the most control.

Risk Behavior

Any behavior that threatens health, harms environmental quality, increases the likelihood of illness, injury, or premature death, and moves an individual down the wellness scale.

CDC Top Six Risk Behaviors

Six adolescent health behaviors identified by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention that contribute significantly to death and disability: unintentional/intentional injury-causing behaviors, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, unhealthy dietary choices, lack of physical activity, and risky sexual behaviors.

Media & Technology

Communication channels—including television, radio, the internet, and newspapers—considered the most powerful external influence on health awareness and behavioral choices.

Health

A state of dynamic well-being combining physical, mental/emotional, and social aspects, reflecting how these three dimensions interact on a daily basis.

Wellness

An active, ongoing process and state of balanced health reflecting how the physical, mental/emotional, and social dimensions interact over time toward an optimal level.

Health Triangle

A model illustrating that optimal health requires equal balance among physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being, where neglect of one area causes imbalance.

Quality of Life

The degree of overall satisfaction and fulfillment that an individual gets from life.

Illness-Wellness Continuum

A continuum showing that health is dynamic, shifting from premature death on the illness end to high-level wellness on the positive end.

illness-wellness continuum Neutral Point

The midpoint on the illness-wellness continuum indicating a state with no real illness and no real wellness.

illness-wellness contunuum Treatment side

The side of the illness-wellness continuum that focuses on alleviating signs, symptoms, and disability to bring an individual back to the neutral point.

illness-wellness contunuum wellness side

The side of the illness-wellness continuum that guides a person from the neutral point toward high-level wellness through awareness, education, and growth.

Physical Health

The dimension of health relating to how well the body functions, having sufficient energy for daily activities, managing physical stress, and preventing injury.

Mental and Emotional Health

The dimension of health relating to one's thoughts and feelings, including coping with daily stress, maintaining a realistic outlook, and accepting responsibility for actions.

Social Health

The dimension of health concerning how an individual relates to others, maintains supportive relationships, and communicates respectfully with family, friends, and community members.

Leading causes of death for 12-24 year olds

Car Accidents which are unintentional injuries, suicide, and homicide, with factors including substance abuse, mental health issues, and risky behaviors contributing significantly.

Leading causes of death for older people

Chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer often influenced by lifestyle choices, access to healthcare, and age-related factors.

The Decision Making Process

This process helps individuals make informed decisions by weighing options and considering their impacts, involving Identifying the problem, gathering information in order to list our choices, evaluating consequences of each choice, selecting the best choice or option, then checking the results of that choice.