health & wellness Flashcards
1
Q
health
A
- overall condition of body or mind & presence or absence of illness/injury
- can be determined or influenced by factors beyond your control (age, genes, health care system, care received as young child)
2
Q
wellness
A
- optimal health & vitality → achieving the best possible health & living a lively & energetic life
- encompasses all dimensions of well-being, like living life to its fullest
- largely determined by decisions you make about how you live
3
Q
enhanced wellness
A
- involves making conscious decisions to control risk factors which increase a person’s chances of disease/injury (ex; smoking, exercising, health diet)
4
Q
health promotion
A
- process of enabling people to increase control over & improve their own health (vehicle for achieving wellness)
5
Q
social determinants of health
A
- factors that influence health of individuals & groups;
- income & income distribution among a population
- education
- unemployment & job security
- employment & working conditions
- early childhood development
- food insecurity
- housing
- social exclusion
- social safety net & network (benefits, programs, supports)
- health services
- indigenous status
- gender
- race
- disability
6
Q
physical dimensions of wellness
A
- body’s overall condition, fitness level, & ability to care for yourself
7
Q
emotional dimensions of wellness
A
- ability to understand & deal with your feelings
8
Q
intellectual dimensions of wellness
A
- seeking out new experiences & challenges
- constantly challenging your mind
9
Q
interpersonal dimensions of wellness
A
- ability to develop & maintain satisfying & supportive relationships
10
Q
spiritual dimensions of wellness
A
- possess a set of guiding beliefs, principles, & values that give meaning & purpose to your life
11
Q
environmental dimensions of wellness
A
- livability of your surroundings
12
Q
dimensions of wellness
A
- many experts contend occupational wellness is seventh dimension (level of happiness & fulfillment gained through your work)
- dimensions are interrelated; each has effect on the others
- researchers have found important connections between wellness of mind & that of body
- process of achieving wellness is constant & dynamic + involves change & growth
- ignoring dimensions of wellness can have harmful effects on life
13
Q
pre 1990s
A
- wellness is fairly new concept
- child born in 1900 could expect to live only 47 years
- many people died from common infectious diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhea) & poor environmental conditions (water pollution, poor sanitation)
14
Q
infectious diseases
A
- diseases that spread from person to person, caused by microorganisms (such as bacteria & viruses)
15
Q
post 1990s
A
- life expectancy has nearly doubled (largely because of development of vaccines & antibiotics to fight infections + public health measures to improve living conditions)
- today, chronic diseases have emerged as major health threat
16
Q
chronic diseases
A
- develop & continue over long period
- ex; cancer, heart disease, & stroke are leading causes of death for Canadians
17
Q
lifestyle choices
A
- conscious behaviours that increase or decrease a person’s risk of disease/injury (eating healthy diet, smoking, exercising)
18
Q
sex
A
- profoundly influences wellness
- biological & physiological characteristics that define men & women
- intersex = people born with physical/biological sex characteristics that do not fit traditional definitions of male or female (sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, chromosomal patterns)
19
Q
gender
A
- profoundly influences wellness
- how people identify & feel about themselves, rather than body parts & sexual organs they have (associated with roles, behaviours, activities, & attributes in a society)
- gender identity = person’s personal, internal sense of maleness or females (may or may not correspond with sex identified at birth) + rooted in biology & physiology
- women are more vulnerable to toxins in tobacco smoke → increased cancer rates
- men are more likely to suffer from certain diseases + less likely to visit their physician for regular exams
20
Q
ethnicity
A
- some diseases are concentrated in certain gene pools (result of each ethnic group’s distinct history)
- sickle-cell disease = most common among people of African ancestry
- cystic fibrosis = more common among people of Northern European descent
- in addition to biological differences, many cultural differences occur among ethnic lines;
- traditional diets + family & interpersonal relationships + attitudes towards tobacco, alcohol, drugs + health beliefs & practices
- racism & discrimination can cause psychological distress & increase risk of physical & psychological problems
21
Q
indigenous population
A
- indigenous people face additional health challenges;
- population is about 13 years younger on average (due to higher birth rates)
- those living on reserves have dramatically higher infant mortality rate + shorter life expectancy
- higher rate of heart disease, type 2 diabetes (associated with overweight & obesity), infection from tuberculosis (caused by bacteria spread through air when living on reserve)
- lifestyle factors (lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutritional intake) can affect these chronic diseases
22
Q
income & education
A
- poverty & low educational attainment are far more important predictors of poor health than any ethnic factor
- income & education = closely related
- groups with highest poverty rates & least education have worst health status;
- high rates of infant mortality, traumatic injury, violent death, many diseases
- more likely to eat poorly, be overweight, smoke, drink, use drugs + exposed to more day-to-day stressors (unreliable transportation, need to hold multiple jobs)
23
Q
disability
A
- have activity limitations, need assistance, perceive themselves as having a disability
- people with disabilities more likely to be inactive & overweight + also report more days of depression
- rate of people with disabilities among Canadians is rising
24
Q
geographic location
A
- people living in rural areas have higher death rates & are less likely to be physically active, use seat belts, obtain screening tests for preventive health care
- also less likely to finish high school, have less access to emergency services, much higher rates of some diseases, & injury-related death
- rural Canadians less likely to be diagnosed with cancer, report feeling less stressed, have stronger sense of community belonging
- children living in dangerous neighbourhoods 4 times more likely to be overweight than those living in safer areas
25
sexual orientation
- emotional wellness & personal safety are affected by factors relating to persona, family, & social acceptance of their sexual orientation
- gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans teens experience increased social pressures; more likely to be engaged in risky behaviours (unsafe sex, drug use) + more likely to be depressed & attempt suicide
- HIV/AIDS = major concern for gay men
- gay men & lesbians = higher rates of substance abuse, depression, suicide
26
heredity & family history
- human genome varies only slightly from person to person (many of these differences do not affect health)
- some have important implications for health; knowing family health history can help you determine which conditions may be special concern for you
- errors in genes responsible for about 3500 hereditary conditions (sickle-cell disease, cystic fibrosis)
- altered genes also play part in many other common conditions (heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes)
- however, in more common & complex disorders, the disease results from interaction of genes with other factors (genetic alterations serve only to increase an individuals’ risk)
27
genome
- complete set of genetic material in an individual’s cells
- contains about 25000 genes (half from each of your parents)
28
genes
- basic units of heredity
- sections of genetic material containing chemical instructions for making a particular protein
- control the production of proteins that serve as structural material for your body & the regulators of all your body’s chemical reactions & metabolic processes
29
environment
- includes air, water, substances & conditions in home, workplace, community
- environmental factors all have impact on wellness;
- exposure to tobacco smoke, radiation in sunlight, poor air quality, high rates of crime & violence, problem of drug & alcohol abuse in family
30
access to health care
- improves both quality & quantity of life through preventive care & treatment of disease
- vaccinations prevent many dangerous infections, screening tests help identity key risk factors & diseases in early treatable stages
- access to best health care is tied to various factors = low income, cost
31
behaviour
- can take active role in improving your environment
- behaviours make difference in how great an impact heredity & environment will have on your health
- being physically active, choosing healthy diet, choosing not to smoke or drink alcohol
- locus of control = figurative place a person designates as source of responsibility for the events in his/her life
- internal locus of control = people who believe they are in control of their own lives
32
behaviour change
- moving in direction of wellness by cultivating healthy behaviours & working to overcome unhealthy ones
