Health, Wellness, and Health Disparities

Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Morbidity: Frequency of occurrence of a disease.
Mortality: The number of deaths resulting from a disease.
Individual definitions of health vary based on personal values and beliefs.
Influences on health perception include family, culture, community, and society.

Wellness: An active state of being healthy through a lifestyle that promotes good physical, mental, and emotional health.
Disease: A medical term referring to pathological changes in the structure or function of the body or mind.
Illness: A unique response of a person to a disease; involves an abnormal process that changes the level of functioning.

Acute Illness:
  - Rapid onset of symptoms, lasts for a short duration.
  - Examples:
    - Appendicitis
    - Pneumonia
    - Diarrhea
    - Common cold
Chronic Illness:
  - Has a slow onset, can involve periods of remission and exacerbation.
  - Represents a permanent change or is caused by irreversible alterations in the normal state.
  - Requires long-term support.

Question #1: Example of acute illness?
  - A: Diabetes
  - B: Rheumatoid arthritis
  - C: Pneumonia
  - D: Osteoporosis
Answer #1: C. Pneumonia.
- Rationale: Pneumonia is classified as an acute illness due to its rapid onset and short duration. The others are chronic illnesses requiring ongoing care.

Health Equity: Attainment of the highest level of health for all people.
Health Disparity: Specific type of health difference closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage.
Influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, poverty, sex, age, mental health, educational level, disabilities, sexual orientation, health insurance, and access to healthcare.
Social Determinants of Health: Conditions in environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health outcomes and risks.

Institutional/Structural Racism: Systematic discrimination in policies and practices.
Unconscious/Implicit Bias: Automatic judgments based on stereotypes.
Diversity: Welcoming individuals of various backgrounds (race, religion, nationality, culture, age, sexual orientation, identity).
Inclusion: Creating a sense of belonging and purpose for everyone.
Equity: Ensuring access to necessary conditions for all to thrive.
Vulnerable Populations: Groups at higher risk for health disparities.

Basic Human Needs: Essential needs that affect health.
Human Dimensions: Various aspects of human existence that impact health, including:
- Self-concept.
- Risk factors for illness or injury.

Physical Dimension: Includes genetic inheritance, age, developmental levels, race, and gender.
Emotional Dimension: Involves how mental states affect bodily functions and responses.
Intellectual Dimension: Refers to cognitive abilities, educational background, and experiences.
Environmental Dimension: Relates to living conditions, sanitation, climate, and pollution.
Sociocultural Dimension: Involves economic levels, lifestyles, family, and culture.
Spiritual Dimension: Concerns spiritual beliefs and values.

Primary Prevention: Aimed at promoting health and preventing disease.
- Examples: Immunization clinics, family planning services, poison-control information, accident-prevention education.
Secondary Prevention: Focuses on early detection of disease through screening and prompt diagnosis.
- Examples: Assessing children for growth development, encouraging regular dental and vision exams.
Tertiary Prevention: Begins after diagnosis and treatment of an illness, focusing on reducing disability and maximizing functioning.
- Examples: Patient education for diabetes management, physical therapy for stroke patients, referrals to support groups post-cancer treatment.

Question #4: Example of secondary prevention?
  - A: Conducting a smoking cessation class.
  - B: Performing a blood pressure screening at a local mall.
  - C: Performing range-of-motion exercises on a bedridden patient.
  - D: Promoting safer sex practices in school settings.
Answer #4: B. Performing a blood pressure screening at a local mall.
- Rationale: Secondary preventive care focuses on early disease detection, while primary and tertiary do not.

Health Belief Model: Focuses on individual perceptions of disease threat.
Health Promotion Model: Illustrates how people interact with their environments in health pursuits.
Health-Illness Continuum: Views health as a constantly changing state, with wellness and death on opposite ends.
Agent-Host-Environment Model: Explains disease causation through interaction among agent, host, and environment.
Stages of Change Model: Used in counseling for behavioral changes.

Health Belief Model:
- Concerned with individual perceptions of susceptibility to and seriousness of disease, as well as perceived benefits of action.
Health Promotion Model (Murdaugh):
- Describes how interaction with the environment affects health behaviors and outcomes, incorporating biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Revised Health Promotion Model:
- Adds factors like activity-related affect, commitment to a plan of action, and competing demands.
Health-Illness Continuum:
- Conceptualizes health as dynamic, with constant adaptation to internal and external changes.
- Illustrates a graduated scale from high-level wellness to death.
Agent-Host-Environment Model (Leavell and Clark):
- Focuses on interactions that lead to disease.
- Limited applicability to non-infectious diseases.
Stages of Change Model (Prochaska and DiClemente):
- Differentiates stages of behavioral change: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Determination, Action.