Health and Well-Being Study Notes

Self, Family, and Community

  • Health Today, 9th Edition 

  • Learning changes everything. 

Health and Well-Being

  • Health Definition: A state of complete physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.  

  • Key Points: 

    • Health is not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.  

    • Physical Health: Refers to biological integrity.  

    • Mental Health: Involves emotional and intellectual capabilities and an individual’s subjective sense of well-being.  

    • Social Health: Ability to interact effectively with others and the social environment.  

    • Spiritual Health: Interconnectedness to self, significant others, and the community. 

What Determines Health?

  • Sociological Model of Health: Identifies complex levels and interrelationships influencing health.  

    • Influential factors include unique characteristics and social/physical environments. 

    • Key Influences:  

      • Friends, family, community norms, economic and social policies, global events (e.g., pandemics, climate change).  

    • Social Determinants of Health: Affect options and choices made. 

    • Environmental Factors: Divided into built (human-made structures) and natural factors. 

Population Health

  • Life Expectancy: 

    • Defined as the number of years a person can expect to live.  

    • The U.S. experienced higher death rates from COVID-19 compared to other high-income countries.  

    • In 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  

    • Life expectancy decrease from 78.9 years to 76.9 years estimated in 2020. 

  • Population Health: Study of health outcomes in groups.  

    • Reveals why health gains are not equally shared. 

    • Demographics: Statistical information about groups. 

Health Equity

Health Equity 1

  • Healthy Equity: Equal opportunity for all to attain full health potential.  

  • Health Disparities: Arise from avoidable social and economic practices creating barriers for some groups. 

  • Geographical Disparities: 

    • Americans face greater health risks than individuals in 16 other high-income countries.  

    • Health disparities evident between rural and urban U.S. regions. 

Health Equity 2

  • Ethnicity and Race: 

    • Health improvements are not equally shared.  

    • Ethnicity: Derived from common ancestry and origins (national, religious, tribal, language, cultural). 

    • Race: Social category based on physical characteristics rather than biological ones.  

    • Racial minorities have higher COVID-19 rates. 

  • Socioeconomic Status (SES):  

    • Significant impact on health outcomes.  

    • During COVID-19, lower-income individuals faced challenges like physical distancing, working from home, and taking leave.  

    • Worse health status correlated with poverty. 

Health Equity 3

  • Health Care: 

    • U.S. differs from other high-income countries as it does not provide universal access to care.  

    • Health behaviors, genetics, and environmental/social factors hold greater significance. 

  • Age: 

    • A life-course approach recognizes critical phases in life when health environments have greater impact. 

Public Health

  • Public Health Definition: Discipline focused on the health of populations.  

    • Health Promotion: Actions to maintain or encourage desirable health states. 

    • Disease Prevention: Defensive actions to ward off diseases and their consequences. 

    • Initiatives must balance individual rights and societal needs. 

Community Health

  • Community Health Activities: Directed at improving the health of communities using shared resources.  

    • Involves multiple agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and NGOs. 

The Healthy People Initiative

Goals of Healthy People 2030

  • Attain healthy, thriving lives free from preventable diseases and premature death. 

  • Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve health literacy. 

  • Create environments promoting health potential for all. 

  • Promote healthy development and behaviors across life stages. 

Leading Health Indicators

  • First Set of Indicators: 

    • Oral health care, calorie consumption from added sugars, drug overdose deaths, unhealthy air exposure, homicides, household food insecurity, seasonal flu vaccination, knowledge of HIV status, health insurance coverage, suicides, infant and maternal deaths. 

  • Second Set of Indicators: 

    • Reading proficiency, childhood/adolescent obesity, substance use, employment rates, diabetes/hypertension screening rates, aerobic/muscle-strengthening activity.  

Individual Choice vs. Societal Responsibility

Ethical Questions

  • Are individuals responsible for health choices given environmental influences? 

  • Is the government justified in health-related laws? 

  • Should society prevent risky behaviors? 

  • Is health a basic right? 

Health-Related Behavior Choices

  • Choices influence physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. 

  • Questions arise about why individuals make detrimental choices. 

The Health Belief Model

  • Health Behavior Influences: Based on four perceptions: 

    • Perceived Susceptibility: Belief about chances of getting a condition. 

    • Perceived Seriousness of Consequences: Beliefs about how severe the health issue is. 

    • Perceived Benefits: Beliefs about the effectiveness of health actions. 

    • Perceived Barriers: Beliefs about obstacles to taking action. 

The Stages of Change Model

Stages Overview

  • Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model - TTM): Recognizes the change process involves multiple factors. 

    • Stages include: 

      • Precontemplation: “Not me!” 

      • Contemplation: “Well … maybe.” 

      • Preparation: “What should I do to prepare?” 

      • Action: “I’m doing it.” 

      • Maintenance: “I can change!” 

      • Termination: End of behavior change. 

  • Key Concept: Change is a process, not an event; self-efficacy is vital, and relapse occurs. 

Creating a Behavior Change Plan

Steps for a Behavior Change Plan

  • Accept Responsibility: Commit to changing personal health choices. 

  • Questions to Consider: 

    • Is there a health behavior I wish to change? 

    • Why make this change? 

    • What barriers may arise? 

    • Am I ready for change? 

  • Set Goals and Action Steps: 

    • Identify benefits, positive enablers, sign a behavior change contract, create benchmarks, assess, and revise as necessary. 

Being an Informed Consumer of Health Information

Developing Health Literacy

  • Health Literacy Definition: Ability to read, understand, and act on health information. 

  • Types of Misinformation: 

    • Misinformation: Contradictory to scientific consensus. 

    • Disinformation: Deliberate spread of false information for gain. 

  • Emotional Responses: Affect interpretation of health information. 

Understanding Medical Research Studies

  • Learn to interpret medical studies effectively. 

    • Important questions include: 

      • Is the study formal or based on expert opinion? 

      • Was it a double-blind, randomized study? 

      • Are participants similar to you? 

      • Study size? 

      • Funding source? 

      • Published in a peer-reviewed journal? 

Your Health and Your Family Health History

  • Personal identity shaped by complex interactions between: 

    • Environmental factors, lifestyle choices, genetic inheritance. 

DNA and Genes: The Basis of Heredity

Understanding DNA and Genome

  • ** DNA Definition:** Deoxyribonucleic acid, the body's instruction book. 

  • Genome: Complete set of an individual's DNA. 

    • DNA divided into 23 pairs of chromosomes, including sex chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males). 

Cell Differentiation

  • Most cells specialize with characteristic shapes/functions (skin, bone, nerve, muscle). 

  • Differentiation Process: Development of specialized cells from unspecialized stem cells. 

    • Types of stem cells include embryonic and adult stem cells. 

Chromosomes and Genes

  • Karyotype: Ordered display of an individual's chromosomes. 

  • Genes Definition: Series of paired nucleotides on a chromosome that code for specific proteins. 

  • DNA consists of long strands of paired nucleotides arranged in a double-helix structure. 

Genetic Inheritance

Mutation Definitions

  • Mutation: A change in a gene. Types include harmful, beneficial, and neutral. 

  • Alleles: Alternative forms of genes responsible for traits (e.g., eye color). 

    • Alleles can be dominant or recessive. 

    • Characteristics often determined by interactions among multiple genes. 

Multifactorial Disorders

  • Conditions arise from interactions of multiple genes and environmental influences (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes). 

  • Epigenetics: Study of modifications affecting gene expression without altering DNA sequencing. 

Creating a Family Health Tree

Family Health Tree Definition

  • Visual representation of family genetic history, also referred to as genogram or genetic pedigree. 

  • Helps identify patterns of health/illness in the family and areas of risk/concern.

Learning from Your Family Health Tree

  • Insights include: 

    • Early disease onset correlates with genetic factors. 

    • Disease appearances in multiple individuals suggest genetic connections. 

    • Health habits of family members indicate potential genetic causes. 

    • The main use of a health tree is to highlight personal health risks/strengths.

Looking Ahead

  • Key considerations while studying: 

    • Reflect on current health levels. 

    • Understand predispositions from family history. 

    • Identify health-affecting behaviors. 

    • Assess readiness for change and develop a plan. 

    • Consider influences that shape decisions. 

    • Share health info with family and friends. 

    • Engage with community and national health care discussions.

In Review

Topics to Understand

  • Definitions of health and well-being. 

  • Factors influencing an individual's health. 

  • Current health-related societal trends. 

  • Concepts of health-related behavior change. 

  • Challenges in modifying health behavior. 

  • Genetic impacts on health.