Biopsychosocial Interactions Flashcards
How is health commonly defined?
Health is commonly defined as a state of feeling well and not being sick.
What are the two main criteria for defining health?
- Objective signs of improper body functioning
- Subjective symptoms of disease or injury
What is the problem with the traditional definition of health?
It does not account for individuals who may appear healthy but have underlying health issues.
What is the illness-wellness continuum?
A model that suggests health and sickness are not entirely separate concepts but exist on a continuum.
What did Aaron Antonovsky suggest regarding health?
He suggested we focus more on what enables people to stay well rather than what causes illness.
What does health mean according to the proposed definition?
A positive state of physical, mental, and social well-being that varies over time along a continuum.
What are the two types of illnesses that affected people in North America during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries?
- Dietary diseases
- Infectious diseases
What causes dietary diseases?
Dietary diseases result from malnutrition.
What is beriberi and what causes it?
Beriberi is caused by a lack of vitamin B and is characterized by anemia, paralysis, and wasting away.
What are infectious diseases?
Infectious diseases are acute illnesses caused by harmful microorganisms in the body.
What is a current example of a new microorganism that can cause infectious disease?
The coronavirus (COVID-19).
True or False: People in developed countries today suffer from the same illnesses as in the past.
False
Fill in the blank: At the _______ end of the continuum, health is the dominant state.
wellness
Fill in the blank: At the other end of the continuum, the dominant state is _______ or injury.
illness
What does the illness/wellness continuum represent?
People’s differing health statuses from illness to wellness
It shows health statuses as progressively worse to the left and progressively healthful to the right.
What are the leading causes of death in lower-income or developing countries?
- Lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
- Diarrheal diseases
- HIV/AIDS
This information is based on WHO reports from 2014.
What infectious diseases were prevalent in early colonial America?
- Smallpox
- Diphtheria
- Yellow fever
- Measles
- Influenza
Epidemics often resulted in hundreds or thousands of deaths.
What was the impact of malaria and dysentery in early America?
They weakened victims and reduced their ability to fight off other diseases
Although they did not kill directly, their effects were severe.
How does medical treatment typically begin on the illness/wellness continuum?
At a health status to the left of the neutral level
Treatment intensifies as the physical condition worsens.
What can bring a person’s health status back to the mid-range of the continuum?
Medical treatment and healthful lifestyles
Lifestyle improvements can lead to optimal wellness.
True or False: Infectious diseases were not a significant threat in early America.
False
Many infectious diseases caused periodic epidemics, significantly affecting populations.
Fill in the blank: Before the 20th century, there were no effective methods for prevention or treatment of _______.
[the plague]
This highlights the historical challenges in managing infectious diseases.
What factors influence a person’s health status according to the continuum?
- Physical condition
- Symptoms
- Disability
- Lifestyle improvements
Regular exercise, cholesterol consumption, and smoking are examples of lifestyle factors.
What is indicated by a person’s health status moving to the right on the continuum?
Increasing wellness
This reflects improvements in health status.
What are the dominant features that characterize different health statuses?
- Signs (e.g., blood pressure)
- Symptoms
- Disability
- Lifestyle
These features are essential for assessing health status.
