UNIT 1: HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Question 1

differentiate between health and wellness.

Answer 1

Health: A state of complete well-being, including physical, psychological, spiritual, social, intellectual, and environmental components.

Wellness: A deliberate lifestyle choice characterized by personal responsibility and optimal enhancement of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Question 2

list the factors that determine personal or individual health.

Answer 2

Lifestyle Choices, genetics, environmental factors, mental and emotional wellbeing, access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, social support, education and health literacy.

Question 3

discuss health concerns that have occurred throughout Canadian history.

Answer 3

hearth disease, lung cancer, stroke, self-harm, colorectal cancer and many more

Question 4

describe factors associated with sickness and death in Canada.

Answer 4

Dietary Risks (poor diet/allergies)
Smoking
High body-mass index
High blood pressure
Physical inactivity
High fasting BGL
High total cholesterol
Alcohol use
Drug use
Occupational risks

Question 5

outline and evaluate the role of the determinants of health in relationship to health status.

Answer 5

The determinants of health play a crucial role in shaping an individual’s health status and well-being. These determinants are the various factors that influence an individual’s health and can either promote good health or lead to illness and disease.

1. Socioeconomic Determinants ( income, education, employment, and social status)
2. Environmental Determinants (Access to clean air and water, green spaces, safe neighborhoods, and community support contribute to better health.)
3. Lifestyle Determinants ( Individual lifestyle choices, including diet, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, and sleep patterns)
4. Biological and Genetic Determinants ( age and sex also play a role in health outcomes.)
5. Healthcare Services Determinants (: Access to quality healthcare services, preventive care, and timely medical treatment )
6. Cultural Determinants ( Cultural beliefs, practices, and norms )
7. Education and Health Literacy Determinants (Health literacy, the ability to understand and use health information)

Question 6

explain the approaches used to improve health: treatment

Answer 6

This is the first stage, and it goes back to earliest times—a broken leg or a wound needs to be treated. Hospitals were designed to carry out health treatments.

Question 7

explain the approaches used to improve health: prevention

Answer 7

Preventive measures can be applied at any stage along the natural history of a disease, with the goal of preventing further progression of the condition.

1. Primordial prevention consists of actions to minimize future hazards to health and hence inhibit the establishment factors (environmental, economic, social, behavioural, cultural) known to increase the risk of disease. It addresses broad health determinants rather than preventing personal exposure to risk factors, which is the goal of primary prevention. Outlawing alcohol in certain countries would represent primordial prevention.
2. Primary prevention seeks to prevent the onset of specific diseases via risk reduction: by altering behaviours or exposures that can lead to disease, or by enhancing resistance to the effects of exposure to a disease agent. Examples include smoking cessation and vaccination. Some approaches involve active participation, as with regular tooth brushing and flossing to prevent dental caries. Other approaches are passive: adding fluoride to the municipal drinking water to harden tooth enamel and prevent caries.
3. Secondary prevention includes procedures that detect and treat pre-clinical pathological changes and thereby control disease progression. Screening procedures (such as mammography to detect early stage breast cancer) are often the first step, leading to early interventions that are more cost effective than intervening once symptoms appear.

Question 8

explain the approaches used to improve health: health promotion

Answer 8

The focus of health promotion is on more general changes (including non-health issues such as education, employment, and income) that can influence people’s health.

For example, a health promotion approach to smoking might include increased taxation on cigarettes, banning sales of cigarettes to youth, tobacco advertising restrictions, smoke-free workplaces and public buildings, elementary school education programs, stop-smoking programs, and reduced insurance premiums for non-smokers.

Question 9

explain the approaches used to improve health: population health

Answer 9

Population health approaches aim to improve the health of entire populations through:

Identifying and addressing health disparities and social determinants of health.
Implementing interventions at a population level to promote health and prevent diseases.
Focusing on preventive measures and health promotion strategies.
Utilizing data and research to inform evidence-based public health policies.
Collaborating across sectors and disciplines to create a comprehensive approach to health improvement.

Question 10

describe factors and theories related to health behaviour change.

Answer 10

Many of the theories related to health behaviour change share the following factors: intentions to behave, environmental constraints, skills, outcome expectations, what is considered normal for the behaviour, self-standards, affect, and self-confidence with respect to the behaviour. Efforts to change behaviour must take these factors into account and address those that are relevant to the individual.

Theories/models:
Health Belief Model
- Health-related behaviours are determined by whether individuals (1) perceive themselves to be susceptible to a particular health problem; (2) see this problem as serious; (3) are convinced that treatment or prevention activities are effective yet not overly costly in terms of money, effort, or pain; and (4) are exposed to a cue to take a health action.

Social Cognitive (Learning) Theory
- Emphasizes the interactions between a person’s thoughts, on the one hand, and his/her behaviour on the other, through processes such as self-efficacy (extent of one’s belief in one’s own ability to complete tasks and reach goals) and outcome expectations (or response efficacy). Self-efficacy (or self-confidence specific to a behaviour) is a self-perception of having skills to perform a behaviour. The theory describes behaviour change as a three components: person, behaviour, and environment.

Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behaviour
- Emphasizes the concept of behavioural intention, which can be predicted by one’s expectations about the outcomes of a behaviour, one’s attitudes toward the behaviour, and one’s beliefs about what “influentials” (especially peers) would do in a specific situation. The theory of planned behaviour extends this to include the concept of perceived behavioural control (PBC), which can influence intentions and behaviour. PBC accounts for factors outside the individual’s control, including the absence of resources or skills and barriers to behavioural performance.