Personal Health This topic focuses on defining health and describing how wellness can be achieved through a behavior change plan I Wellness as a Health Goal A Health is the overall condition of body or mind and the presence or absence of illness or injury Wellness expands this idea to include living a rich meaningful energetic life encompassing all the dimensions of well being 1 Wellness depends on conscious decisions that affect risk factors of disease or injury 1 The interrelated dimensions of wellness interact continuously Making changes in one B Dimensions of Wellness dimension often affects others 2 Physical Wellness a Your body s overall condition and absence of disease b Fitness level c Ability to care for yourself 3 Emotional Wellness a Dynamic involving the ups and downs of living b Key factors optimism trust family relationships self esteem and self confidence a Satisfying and supportive relationships b Learning good communication skills and developing the capacity for intimacy c Participating in and contributing to your community and to society a Interacting with and accepting those of different ethnicities religions genders sexual orientations ages and customs a Possessing a set of guiding beliefs principles or values that give meaning and 4 Intellectual Wellness a Maintaining an active mind 5 Interpersonal Wellness 6 Cultural Wellness 7 Spiritual Wellness purpose to your life 8 Environmental Wellness 9 Financial Wellness 10 Occupational Wellness a Defined by the livability of your surroundings a Living within your means in a way that gives you peace of mind a A level of happiness and fulfillment derived from work C The Long and the Short of Life Expectancy 1 Genes can determine up to 25 of the variability in life span a Certain genetic diseases and variable behaviors are correlated more highly to a shorter life span than others Behaviors such as avoiding or giving up smoking or attaining higher education levels can increase longevity Obesity and drug use also correlate strongly to life span b In the early 20th century morbidity and mortality rates from common infectious diseases were much higher than today c Vaccines antibiotics and public health campaigns have all contributed to a greatly increased life expectancy d People have some control over whether or not they develop many chronic diseases i Lifestyle choices can play a huge part II Promoting National Health A Health promotion strives to enable people to increase control over their health and its determinants 1 The primary health promotion strategies at the government and community levels are policies and agencies that discourage unhealthy and high risk behaviors and encourage positive health behaviors a National Institutes of Health NIH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC are federal agencies charged with promoting the public s health b There are also health promotion agencies and programs at the state community workplace and college levels B The Affordable Care Act 1 The ACA was signed into law in 2010 and has been upheld by the Supreme Court Some of its provisions have been altered by the recent administration 2 Finding a Plan a Health exchanges facilitate the purchase of insurance b Those below income requirements are eligible for federal help with premiums c Many employers and universities also help students get health insurance 3 Benefits to College Students a Up to age 26 students can stay on their parents health insurance plans b Some young people prefer catastrophic plans that have low premiums but require you to pay medical costs up to a certain amount but these can be risky In some states students with low incomes may qualify for Medicaid c C The Healthy People Initiative 1 The national Healthy People initiative aims to prevent disease and improve Americans quality of life The Healthy People reports published each decade since 1980 set national goals based on 10 year agendas The upcoming report Healthy People 2030 is in development and proposes the following broad national objectives a Eliminate preventable disease disability injury and premature death b Achieve health equity eliminate disparities and improve health literacy c Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all d Promote healthy development and healthy behaviors across every stage of life 2 The Healthy People Initiative has remained in effect but certain provisions have been altered D Health Issues for Diverse Populations 1 Most health issues concern us all equally a Health disparities are those differences linked to social economic and or environmental disadvantage they affect groups who have systematically experienced greater obstacles b Other differences between individuals and groups are biological and cultural and can help you identify areas of concern for you and your family 2 Sex and Gender and intersex people a Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men women b Gender encompasses how people identify themselves and also the roles behaviors activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for them c Several gender related characteristics affect wellness such as higher rates of smoking and drinking among men and lower earnings found among women 3 Race and Ethnicity a American ethnic and racial minorities have higher rates of death and disability from many causes i Such disparities result from a complex mix of genetic variations environmental factors and health behaviors but separating social and environmental factors from genetic ones can be extremely difficult ii Some genetic diseases are concentrated in certain gene pools the result of each group s relative distinct history iii Many cultural differences occur along ethnic lines including 1 Traditional diets 2 Family and interpersonal relationships 3 Attitudes toward tobacco alcohol and other drugs 4 Health beliefs and practices b Health concerns have been identified for each of five broad ethnic or racial minority groups defined by the federal government c African Americans and osteoporosis i Same leading causes of death as the general population lower rates of suicide ii Concerns higher infant mortality high blood pressure stroke diabetes asthma obesity and prostate cancer in men d American Indians and Alaska Natives i Lower death rates from heart disease stroke and cancer than the general population ii Concerns higher rates of early death from diseases related to smoking and alcohol