CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1 Leading a Healthy Lifeimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/MobileCounty/...>...

CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1

Leading aHealthy Life



4

K N OW L E D G E

Which of the statements below are true, and whichare false? Check your answers on p. 642.

1. Most deaths are caused by our behaviors.

2. If you have a history of heart disease in yourfamily, there is nothing you can do about yourrisk for heart disease.

3. The leading cause of death in teens is motorvehicle accidents.

4. Smoking is the single leading preventable causeof death in the United States.

5. Eating at least five servings of fruits andvegetables a day can lower your chances ofsuffering from cancer or heart disease.

6. If you are not physically sick, then you arehealthy.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

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SECTION 1

Health and Teens

SECTION 2

Health and Wellness

SECTION 3

Health in YourCommunity

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6 CHAPTER 1 Leading a Healthy Life

Y ou have the power to protect yourself from the dangers thatthreaten your health. The first step to protecting yourself is learning what these dangers are and what you can do to

prevent them.

Health TodayWhat does being healthy mean to you? Focus on the first thing youthink of when you read the word healthy. Did you think of not havingdiseases? being physically fit? eating right? Many people think thatbeing healthy simply means not being sick. In the past, this was true.

Health in the Past: Infectious Diseases In the 1800s and early1900s, the leading causes of death in the United States were infectiousdiseases—diseases caused by pathogens, such as bacteria. Infectiousdiseases can be passed from one person to another. Examples of infec-tious diseases include polio, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and influenza(the flu). Infectious diseases were a constant threat. That is why peo-ple thought of being healthy as being free from disease!

Health Today: Lifestyle Diseases Over the years, medicaladvances, better living conditions, and a focus on preventative medi-cine have helped bring infectious diseases of the past under control.As a result, most of the diseases that were common 50 to 100 yearsago can now be prevented or cured. Today, most health problems inthe United States are related to the way we live, or our lifestyle.

are diseases caused partly by unhealthy behaviorsand partly by other factors. They are diseases influenced by thechoices you make that affect your health. Examples of diseases thatcan be influenced by lifestyle are some types of diabetes, some typesof heart disease, and some types of cancer.

Lifestyle diseases

Health and Teens

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OBJECTIVES Compare the major causes of death in the past with the majorcauses of death today.

Distinguish between controllable risk factors and uncontrollablerisk factors.

Compare the major causes of death for teens with those for otherage groups in the United States.

List the six health risk behaviors that lead to health problems inteens.

Name three behaviors you can adopt now to improve yourhealth. LIFE LIFE SKILL

KEY TERMSKEY TERMS

lifestyle disease a disease caused partly byunhealthy behaviors and partly by other factorsrisk factor anything that increases the likelihoodof injury, disease, or other health problems sedentary not taking part in physical activity ona regular basis

“Our generationwill live longer than

people did a hundred years agobecause we are

learning tolive healthier lives.”


SECTION 1 Health and Teens 7

Health Risk Factors All health problems have risk factors. A is anything thatincreases the likelihood of injury, disease, or other health problems.For example, the risk factors for heart disease include a history ofheart disease in your family, a high-fat diet, stress, being overweight,smoking, and lack of exercise. All of these factors increase a person’schance of developing heart disease. Notice that some of the risk fac-tors can be controlled by your behavior, while others cannot.

Controllable Risk Factors Controllable risk factors are risk factorsthat you can do something about. They can be controlled by yourbehavior. For example, what can you do to decrease your risk ofdeveloping heart disease? As shown in Table 1, you can exercise regu-larly, avoid smoking, manage a healthy weight, and eat healthful,nutritious meals.

Uncontrollable Risk Factors Unfortunately, not all health riskfactors are controllable. The ones that can’t be changed are calleduncontrollable risk factors. Examples of uncontrollable risk factors forheart disease are age, race, gender, and heredity. For example, theolder a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop heart disease.African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure, whichcan lead to heart disease, than European Americans are. Men aremore likely to develop heart disease than women are.

You can’t make yourself younger or change your race or gender.However, by focusing on controllable risk factors, which you canchange through your behavior, you can protect your health.

risk factor

Controllable factor

Physical activity

Smoking

Weight

Diet

Bad

> watching TV veryoften

> smoking every day

> weighing 20 percent more thanrecommended bodyweight

> eating fast foodevery day

Table 1 Controllable Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Uncontrollable Risk Factors

> Age

> Race

> Gender

> Heredity

Better

> walking the stairsinstead of takingelevator

> smoking every sooften

> weighing 10 percentto 20 percent morethan recommendedbody weight

> eating junk foodseveral times aweek

Best

> playing a teamsport three times aweek

> quit smoking or notsmoking

> weighing recom-mended bodyweight

> eating healthful, nutritious meals

Behavior


www.scilinks.org/healthTopic: Motor Vehicle SafetyHealthLinks code: HH4101


Risk Factors and Your HealthYou can’t control the uncontrollable risk factors. However, you canprotect your health by focusing on controllable risk factors, whichyou can change through your behavior. What behaviors can youfocus on at this point in your life? First, you should know the leadingcauses of death for people your age in the United States:

> motor vehicle accidents> homicide> suicide> other accidents

These four causes of death make up almost three-fourths of all teendeaths. For children and infants, motor vehicle accidents are also theNo. 1 cause of death.

Your health behaviors affect not only your health today but alsoyour future health. Thus, you should be aware of the leading causesof death for other age groups. For example, the leading cause of deathfor adults between 19 and 65 years of age is cancer. The leading causeof death for adults over 65 years of age is heart disease.

The next section describes the health behaviors that most affectyou and other teens. By learning these risk behaviors, you can takecontrol in improving your health today and in the future.

Everyone, no matter what age, can dothings to take control of his or herhealth.

HH04PEC01_S1 6/2/04 7:46 PM Page 8

SECTION 1 Health and Teens 9

Six Health Risk BehaviorsThere are six types of risk behaviors that cause the most serioushealth problems.1. Sedentary lifestyle Not taking part in physical activity on a regular

basis is referred to as being Those who have sedentarylifestyles, even if they are not overweight, raise their risk of certaindiseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

2. Alcohol and other drug use Alcohol abuse can cause liver disease,certain types of cancer, heart disease, and brain damage. Alcoholand drug use are also major factors in car accidents, physicalfights, depression, suicide, and mental disorders. Alcohol anddrug use are also factors in the spread of sexually transmitteddiseases (STDs). These are diseases that are spread through sexualactivity. An example of a sexually transmitted disease is acquiredimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV).

3. Sexual activity Sexual activity outside of a committed relation-ship, such as marriage, puts people at risk for health problems.These health problems include HIV infection, other sexuallytransmitted diseases, and unplanned pregnancy.

sedentary.

Analyzing DATAAnalyzing DATAHealth Today

Each slice of the pie represents the percentage of deaths amongteens that are a result of the cause indicated.

Each slice of the pie represents the percentage of deaths for all agesthat are a result of the cause indicated.

2

1

33%27%

16%13%

11%

Ages 15 to 24

30%35%

23%

7%5%

All ages

Major Causes of Death

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

21

Motor vehicle accidentsHomicideSuicideOther accidentsOther causes

Strokes and cerebrovascular disease

Heart diseaseCancer

Respiratory diseaseOther causes

Your Turn

1. What is the No. 1 cause ofdeath for your age group?

2. What percentage ofdeaths for all agesare caused by heart diseaseand cancer?

3. Using one or both pie charts,list at least four causes ofdeath that are affected byhealth risk behaviors.

4. CRITICAL THINKINGDescribe what you can do toprotect yourself from each ofthe causes of death that youlisted in item 3.

MATHSKILL



4. Behaviors that cause injuries As mentioned, the fourmajor causes of death for teenagers are motor vehicleaccidents, other accidents, homicide, and suicide. Forexample, a risk behavior that can lead to homicide is carrying a weapon. Not using a seat belt is a risk behaviorthat can lead to death in a motor vehicle accident.

5. Tobacco use Smoking is the single leading preventablecause of death in the United States. Smoking is a control-lable risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and respiratorydisease. These are three of the leading causes of death forall age groups. The choice to smoke often takes place inhigh school, if not before then. Smoking as a teenagergreatly increases your risk for the three leading causes ofdeath.

6. Poor eating habits Your eating habits can either increaseor lower your chances of developing many diseases. Eat-ing at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day canlower your chances of suffering from cancer or heart dis-ease. On the other hand, eating foods that are high in fatand weighing more than your recommended weight putsyou at risk for heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

The choices you make can either raise your risk for certainhealth concerns or lower your risk. Learning about the riskbehaviors summarized in Figure 1 will help you make betterchoices to protect yourself.

REV I EW Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.


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Using Key Terms1. Identify the term for “a disease caused partly by

unhealthy behaviors and partly by other factors.”

2. Identify the term for “not taking part in physicalactivity on a regular basis.”

Understanding Key Ideas3. State the type of disease that causes most deaths

in the United States today.

4. List three examples of uncontrollable risk factors.

5. Identify which of the following is not a control-lable risk factor.a. exercise c. ageb. diet d. weight

6. Compare the leading causes of death for teenswith those of all ages.

7. State the six risk behaviors that lead to healthproblems in teens.

8. Identify the risk behavior that leads to the mostdeaths in teens.

9. Identify the risk behavior that is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Critical Thinking10. Practicing Wellness List three of

your behaviors that you can change to improveyour health.

11. Practicing Wellness Use Table 1 togive another example of a “best” behavior youcan do for the controllable factor physical activity.

LIFE LIFE SKILL

LIFE LIFE SKILL

You have the power to protect yourselffrom the six types of risk behaviors.ACTIVITY What risk behaviors do youthink are the most common at yourschool?

1Figure


SECTION 2 Health and Wellness 11

Health and Wellness

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Iris was in good physical shape. Abel couldn’t remember the lasttime he had to stay home because he had a cold. Do you thinkIris and Abel are healthy?

Six Components of HealthBeing healthy is much more than being physically fit and free fromdisease. is the state of well-being in which all of the compo-nents of health—physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, andenvironmental—are in balance. To be truly healthy, you must takecare of all six components. The six components are described in moredetail below.

Physical Health Abel used to think that being physically healthymeant being strong and muscular like an Olympic athlete. Being ingood physical shape is part of physical health. However, you don’thave to be an athlete or even good at sports to be physically healthy.Physical health refers to the way your body functions. Physical healthincludes eating right, getting regular exercise, and being at yourrecommended body weight. Physical health is also about avoidingdrugs and alcohol. Finally, physical health means being free of dis-ease and sickness.

Emotional Health Emotional health is expressing your emotionsin a positive, nondestructive way. Everyone experiences unpleasantfeelings at one time or another. Emotionally healthy people can copewith unpleasant emotions and not get overwhelmed by them. Forexample, when Abel feels down, he knows he can go to his bestfriend or his family for support. Are you aware of how you feel and towhom you can go for support?

Health

OBJECTIVESDescribe each of the six components of health.

State the importance of striving for optimal health.

Describe four influences on wellness.

Describe three ways to take charge of your wellness.

Name two ways you can improve two components of yourhealth. LIFE LIFE SKILL

KEY TERMSKEY TERMS

health the state of well-being in which all of thecomponents of health—physical, emotional,social, mental, spiritual, and environmental—arein balancevalue a strong belief or idealwellness the achievement of a person’s best inall six components of healthhealth literacy knowledge of health informationneeded to make good choices about your health

“As long as I work out,I’m healthy.”

Myth

Being healthy is morethan being physically fit.

Fact



Social Health Social health does not mean being the most popu-lar kid in school. A person who is popular can be socially unhealthy!Social health is the quality of your relationships with friends, family,teachers, and others you are in contact with. As listed in Figure 2, aperson who is socially healthy respects others. A socially healthy per-son also stays clear of those who do not treat him or her with respectand tolerance. For example, Abel gets together with his friends eachweek. However, he avoids his neighbor who bullies him. He is alsolearning to better work out disagreements with his parents.

Mental Health Your mental health can be strongly influenced byyour emotional health. Mental health is the ability to recognize real-ity and cope with the demands of daily life. Sometimes people whohave gone through intensely troubling times develop mental ill-nesses. An example of a mental illness is a phobia. A phobia is anirrational and excessive fear of something, such as a fear of heights.But mental health is about more than not having mental illness.Mental health is also having high self-esteem. Having high self-esteem is feeling comfortable and happy about yourself. For exam-ple, Iris is now trying out for the drama club. She had been hesitantto try out because none of her friends liked acting, but she decidedto try out anyway.

To be healthy, a person must attend toall six components of health.ACTIVITY Which component of yourhealth do you think needs the mostimprovement?

2Figure

Six Components of Health

Physical Health

> eats a well-balanced, diet

> exercises regularly

> avoids tobacco, alcohol,and drugs

> is free of disease

Emotional Health

> expresses emotionsconstructively

> asks for help when sad

Social Health

> respects others

> has supportive relationships

> expresses needs to others

Mental Health

> has high self-esteem

> enjoys trying new things

> is free of mental illness

Spiritual Health

> has a sense of purpose in life

> follows morals and values

> feels a unity with otherhuman beings

Environmental Health

> has access to clean airand water

> has a clean and uncrowdedliving space

> recycles used paper, glassproducts, and aluminum



Spiritual Health Spiritual health is maintaining harmonious rela-tionships with other living things and having spiritual direction andpurpose. Spiritual health means different things to different people.For some people, spiritual health is defined by the practice of reli-gion. For others, it is understanding their purpose in life.

Spiritual health also includes living according to one’s ethics,morals, and values. A is a strong belief or ideal. Being spiritu-ally healthy may mean you live in harmony with your environment.It may also mean that you are at peace with yourself and thosearound you. For example, Iris says she feels most valuable and unitedwith others when she helps out at her city’s homeless shelter.

Environmental Health The environment is made up of the livingand nonliving things in your world. The environment includes air,water, and land. Your environment is your surroundings—where youlive, work, or play. Environmental health is keeping your air and waterclean, your food safe, and the land around you enjoyable and safe.Iris started a recycling program for her family when she realized theimportance of her environmental health to her well-being.

Wellness: Striving for Optimal HealthAs you may have noticed, many of the components of health can beaffected by the other components. If one component of health isweak, it can affect a person’s overall health. This is why being healthyis defined as the balance of all the components of health. isthe achievement of a person’s best in all six components of health.

It would be unrealistic to think that a person could achieve com-plete wellness all of the time. Think of striving for wellness in thesame way you think of always striving to have a good day. Do youalways have a really good day or a really bad day? Most of your daysare most likely somewhere in between. That is how the wellness con-tinuum works, too.

The wellness continuum represents the idea that a person is nei-ther completely healthy nor completely unhealthy. Think of the well-ness continuum as resembling the scale on a bellringer, commonlyseen at amusement parks. As shown in Figure 3, at the top of the scaleis optimal health, and at the bottom of the scale is illness and death.The harder you strive to hit the hammer on the pedal, the higher theball goes on the scale. For most of us, the ball reaches somewhere inthe middle of the scale.

People who can cope with their emotions, have healthy relation-ships, and make smart decisions probably fall near the optimal well-ness side of the continuum. On the other hand, people who eatpoorly, engage in health risk behaviors, never exercise, and areunhappy probably fall closer to the illness side. Where you fall on thecontinuum can change on a yearly, monthly, and even daily basis.Fortunately, you have the power to change your behaviors to movecloser to optimal health.

Wellness

value

The wellness continuum shows thatwellness is about always striving foroptimal health, even though mostpeople are never completely healthy.

3Figure


14

Influences on Your WellnessAs you strive for optimal health, it’s important to recognize that thereare many factors that influence your health.

Hereditary Influences Your health can be influenced by yourheredity—the traits you inherit from your parents. For example, if sev-eral members of your family have developed diabetes, you may be atrisk for diabetes. However, if you have a hereditary disease in yourfamily, it doesn’t mean you will definitely develop that disease. Byfocusing on controllable risk factors, you can decrease your risk forhereditary diseases.

Social Influences Your health is also influenced by the relation-ships you have with other people. For example, if your friends con-vince you to go to a party where alcohol is available, your friends areinfluencing your health in a negative way. If your parents or grandpar-ents deal with anger by talking out their problems instead of yellingand fighting, you will be more likely to talk out your problems. Yourparents are influencing your health in a positive way.

Cultural Influences Culture is the values, beliefs, and practicesshared by people that have a common background. Your culture canstrongly influence your health. For example, some Asian cultures eata lot of vegetables and seafood in their diet. This cultural influence isthought to be one of the reasons people from some Asian cultureshave a lower risk of heart disease. What cultural influences do youthink influence your health?

Hereditary

“My grandfather

had Alzheimer’s disease.”

Social“My friends and Iwould rather play video gamestogether than play sports.”

Cultural“My father makes the best

shrimp with lemongrass.”

Environmental“The air is so freshin the country. I’m gladwe moved here.”

Many factors influence your health,including hereditary, social, cultural,and environmental influences.



Environmental Influences Your surroundings, the area whereyou live, and all the things you have contact with are part of yourenvironment. Pollutants, safety regulations, and the availability anduse of medical care are aspects of your environment that affect yourhealth. The government enforces air- and water-quality regulations tokeep your environment free from pollutants. The government alsomaintains safety regulations, such as traffic laws, to keep you safe.

Taking Charge of Your WellnessThree ways you can take charge of your health are through yourknowledge, through your lifestyle, and through your attitude.

Knowledge An important way to improve your health is throughyour knowledge. is the knowledge of health informa-tion needed to make good choices about your health. Studyinghealth in school will certainly increase your health literacy. However,it’s important to keep up with current health issues. Your parents,teachers, healthcare providers, and library are great resources forhealth information. They can also lead you to other resources forhealth information.

Lifestyle One of the most important ways to improve your healthis to make behavioral changes in your lifestyle. Putting your knowl-edge into action is a sure way to take charge of your wellness.

Unfortunately, most people don’t always behave in a way thatshows they know what is healthy. For example, most smokers knowthat smoking cigarettes can lead to lung cancer, but they still smoke.Table 2 shows some examples of consequences that can happen whenhealth behavior doesn’t follow health knowledge. Some ways you canput your health knowledge into action are to exercise regularly, alwayswear a seat belt, and eat healthy and nutritious foods.

Health literacy

Health knowledgeknowing the consequences ofyour behavior on your health

Example 1> Steven knows that eating junk

food can make him overweightand may lead to heart diseaselater in life.

Example 2> Karen knows she needs

enough sleep to stay healthy.

Health behaviortaking action that affects your health,either negatively or positively

> Steven eats candy bars and chipsand drinks soda almost every day.

> Karen doesn’t plan her studyingwell and stays up late all weekcramming for final exams.

Consequencesfacing the effect of your behavior on your health

> Steven starts putting on weightwhich increases his risk for dia-betes and heart disease.

> Karen does poorly on her exams,gets sick, and misses the juniorprom.

Table 2 Health Knowledge Versus Health Behavior



Attitude A person’s way of thinking, or attitude, greatly affects thatperson’s health. By changing your attitude, you can act in ways thatwork to make you a healthier person. For example, you could try tochange your attitude toward stress. You can try to relax and stop let-ting the “little things” bother you. If you can keep stress from affect-ing you, you will find that you feel better mentally and physically.You can also try to change your attitude about anger. Don’t get soworked up about things you can’t control!

Your attitude can also help you make the best of a bad situation.People who have suffered through a long-term illness have benefitedby having a positive attitude. People with positive attitudes are morehopeful and will strive harder to overcome illness. Having a positiveattitude can be critical when overcoming an illness.

Perhaps the most important attitude you can change is the wayyou feel about yourself. To achieve wellness, you have to feel goodabout yourself, or have positive self-esteem. Self-esteem is a person’sconfidence, pride, and self-respect. You can be free from disease, bephysically active, have a healthy diet, and have many supportive rela-tionships. However, if you don’t feel good about yourself, you willnever be truly healthy. Eventually, low self-esteem can affect yourhealth and actually make you physically ill. As a result, it is importantto build a healthy self-esteem.

Taking charge of your wellness will help you lead a healthy life.Leading a healthy life is about balancing the six components ofhealth. Getting the best out of each component of health has a lot todo with the choices you make and the actions you take. The goodnews is that you have the power to make the right choices and live lifeto its fullest!


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Using Key Terms1. Define the term health.

2. Identify the term for “a strong belief or ideal.”

3. Define the term wellness.

4. Identify the term for “knowledge of health infor-mation needed to make good choices about yourhealth.”

Understanding Key Ideas5. Describe each of the six components of health.

6. Identify the health component that involves work-ing on the quality of your relationships with others.a. mental health c. emotional healthb. social health d. environmental health

7. Describe the importance of striving for wellness.

8. Discuss each of the four influences on yourwellness.

9. Describe how your attitude can help you takecharge of your health.

Critical Thinking10. Practicing Wellness State two ways

you can improve two components of your health.

11. Describe how your family members influence andpromote health in your family.

LIFE LIFE SKILL

“Health knowledge isuseless without

positive health behavior.You must put what you

know into actionfor it to work!”


SECTION 3 Health in Your Community 17

Health in Your Community

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Three years ago, Maureen’s mother was so sick from diabetes thatshe had to be hospitalized. Thanks to new developments inmedicine, she’s feeling better than she has in years. Maureen’s

mother is now more free to do the things she loves.

Four Ways Society Addresses Health ProblemsEveryone has the responsibility of taking care of his or her health.However, many health problems need to be tackled by the coopera-tion and experience of many people. is the practice ofprotecting and improving the health of people in a community.

Our community is able to promote and protect the health of peo-ple in many ways. Four ways in which our community addresseshealth problems are through medical advances, technology, publicpolicy, and education.

1. Medical advances Conducting medical research is one way oursociety addresses health concerns. One medical advancementthat came about through medical research was the developmentof the insulin pump.

The implanted insulin pump is being developed for peoplewith a certain type of diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease inwhich the body is not able to obtain glucose (better known assugar) from the blood. Diabetes kills tens of thousands of peopleevery year in the United States. People who live with diabetesmust constantly manage the levels of glucose in their blood-stream. To do so, diabetics must monitor their diet, exercise regu-larly, and, in many cases, receive daily insulin shots.

The surgically implanted insulin pump is being developed toreplace the need for daily insulin shots. A microchip embedded inthe pump makes monitoring and controling blood-sugar levelspossible. If a diabetic’s blood-sugar level is low, the pump willrelease insulin. With the insulin pump, the diabetic will no longerneed daily insulin shots and can easily manage blood-sugar levels.

Public health

OBJECTIVESDescribe four ways society addresses health problems.

List three ways you can promote an issue to improve the health ofothers. LIFE LIFE SKILL

KEY TERMSKEY TERMS

public health the practice of protecting andimproving the health of people in a communityadvocate to speak or argue in favor of somethingpublic service announcement (PSA) a messagecreated to educate people about an issue

Medical advances and technology havesaved lives and helped people recoverfrom many diseases.

For more information aboutpublic health, see the Express

Lesson on p. 552 of this text.HandbookHEALTH



2. Technology Another way in which our society works to solvehealth problems is through technology. Through the use of com-puters, lasers, and other revolutionary technologies, new and bet-ter products have been made to help people lead healthier lives.

One example of a product made through the use of technol-ogy is the glucose meter, such as the one shown in Figure 4. Theglucose meter was designed to let diabetics know their blood-sugar level by requiring only a very small amount of blood. Theglucose meter makes monitoring blood-sugar levels easier.

3. Public policy Governmental policies and regulations can alsohelp to address health problems. Tobacco regulation is one waythat laws can help prevent disease. Examples of these laws areplacing taxes on cigarettes, enforcing an age limit to buy tobaccoproducts, and limiting how tobacco companies can advertise.These laws are aimed at trying to keep people from smoking.Smoking can cause diseases such as lung cancer.

Congress can also pass laws that provide tax dollars forresearch on diseases. This money helps fund the development ofproducts such as the glucose meter. The money also helps advancemedical research, such as surgically implanting insulin pumps.

4. Education Health education has been a key factor in the preven-tion of disease and illness in this country. For example, moststates require that students take some form of health class.Health teachers teach students about the benefits of exercisingand eating nutritious foods. Health teachers also discuss the risksof smoking, drinking, and behaving violently.

In addition, many community agencies provide health educa-tion. For example, the American Diabetes Association teaches thepublic about diabetes and ways to prevent it.

Society has worked in many ways toaddress health problems such asdiabetes.ACTIVITY Can you think of howanother health problem has beenaddressed for one of these four ways?

4Figure

Medical AdvancesDoctors are developinginsulin pumps that can besurgically implanted tomake managing blood-sugar levels easier.

TechnologyGlucose meters indicateblood-sugar levels fordiabetics.

Public PolicyCongress passes lawsthat provide funds forresearch on diseasessuch as diabetes.

EducationSchool health classesteach students how todecrease their risk ofdeveloping diabetes.

www.scilinks.org/healthTopic: DiabetesHealthLinks code: HH4041


What You Can Do Many people have improved the health of others by speaking outand promoting health issues. To speak out or argue in favor ofsomething is to You may know of people in your commu-nity who work tirelessly to promote health issues. Maybe they helptake hot meals to elderly people in their homes. Or perhaps theyorganize rallies to promote certain health issues. Others may workin a health field.

You Can Be an Advocate! Although few people devote theirlives to being advocates, we all have the potential to better our ownwellness as well as the wellness of others. For example, you could vol-unteer at a local health clinic or public agency. You could becomeinvolved at school in addressing health issues important to teens.You could serve as an example to others by practicing your besthealth behaviors. You can even be an advocate by training for a careerin a health field!

advocate.

real lifeActivity

LIFE LIFE SKILLCommunicating EffectivelyS P E A K O U T !

✔ magazines

✔ scissors

✔ colored paper

✔ poster board

✔ glue

✔ markers

1. Choose a health issue in yourschool or community that youwould like to address by supporting others in makingpositive health choices.

2. Think about the message youwant to communicate and theaudience you want to receiveyour message.

Procedure

Materials3. Cut out magazine pictures that

can help you express yourhealth message.

4. Use magazine pictures, coloredpaper, poster board, glue andmarkers to create a poster thatexpresses your message.

1. Summarizing Results Whatwas the main health message ofyour poster?

2. Evaluating Information Whattechnique or style did you useto make your health messagestand out?

3. Predicting Outcomes How doyou think the audience youwant to send your message towill respond to your poster?

Conclusions

4. CRITICAL THINKING Usingother methods, such as theInternet or a video camera, howwould you communicate yourhealth message differently?

For more information abouthealth careers, see the

Reference Guide on p. 632 of this text.

HandbookHEALTH



Getting Your Point Across One way to reach many people abouthealth issues is through a public service announcement. A

is a message created to educate peopleabout an issue. Most PSAs are in the form of a commercial that you hearon the radio or on television. You can also create a PSA in other forms.For example, you can publish an essay in the school newspaper. Youcould also create posters and post them around your school.

There are several things you should think about when choosingthe way to communicate your message:

> Make sure you have the most current and accurate information.Be sure to research your topic. Ask a family member or teacherabout an organization that specializes in your topic. Your par-ents can also help you find information on the Internet.

> Know your audience. To whom are you trying to send yourmessage? How do you think your audience will respond toyour message? Some issues bring up strong feelings and opin-ions in people. The success of your message can depend onhow sensitive you are to these feelings and opinions.

For example, how would you get your best friend to stop smoking?How would she react if you told her that she should quit because herclothes smell and her breath stinks? Your comments likely wouldn’tconvince her to quit. However, what would happen if you recom-mended a technique that would make it easier for her to quit? Youcould offer to buy her favorite CD as she reaches a specific goal. Youcould also suggest that her doctor may have some advice about how toquit smoking. In this way, you are using your health knowledge andshowing your friend that you care about her.

Advocating for your health and others’ health is one of the mostimportant things you can do in your life. Being well informed aboutyour health, knowing how you feel about yourself, and making aneffort to maintain a healthy lifestyle are the foundations for your and others’ wellness.

service announcement (PSA)public


SECTION 1SECTION 1

SECTION 2SECTION 2


SECTION 4SECTION 4

SECTION 5SECTION 5

Using Key Terms1. Define the term public health.

2. Identify the term for “a message created to edu-cate people about an issue.”

Understanding Key Ideas3. List four ways society addresses health issues.

4. Identify the way in which society teaches others tolive healthy lives.a. medical advances c. technologyb. education d. public policy

5. Identify which of the following areas addressescommunity health through governmental decisions.a. public policy c. technologyb. medical advances d. education

Critical Thinking6. Communicating Effectively Describe

why good communication skills are important foradvocating a health issue.

7. Practicing Wellness List three waysyou can communicate a health issue to yourcommunity.

LIFE LIFE SKILL

LIFE LIFE SKILL

“Our mother survived cancer.Now, we’re helping

others with cancer and

having fun!”


CHAPTER 1 Highlights 21

CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1Highlights

Key Terms The Big Picture

✔ In the past, deaths were caused mainly by infectious diseases.Today, most health problems are related to the way we live,or our lifestyle.

✔ All health problems have risk factors. You have the power tochange controllable risk factors.

✔ The major cause of death for adults over the age of 65 isheart disease. The major cause of death for adults between19 and 65 years of age is cancer. The major causes of deathfor teens are motor vehicle accidents, homicide, suicide, andother accidents. The major cause of death for children andinfants is motor vehicle accidents.

✔ The six types of behavior that lead to health problems forteens are sedentary lifestyle, alcohol and drug use, sexualactivity, behaviors that result in unintentional and intentionalinjuries, tobacco use, and poor eating habits.

SECTION 1

lifestyle disease (6)risk factor (7)sedentary (9)

✔ Society addresses health problems in four ways: medicaladvances, technology, public policy, and education.

✔ Everyone has the power to try to improve the wellness ofothers.

✔ Public service announcements are an effective way to advo-cate for a health issue.

✔ Communication skills are very important when you advocatefor a health issue.

SECTION 3

public health (17)advocate (19)public service announcement (PSA) (20)

✔ Health is the state of well-being in which all of the componentsof health—physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, andenvironmental—are in balance.

✔ Wellness is the achievement of your best in all of the compo-nents of health.

✔ The four influences on your wellness are hereditary, social,cultural, and environmental influences.

✔ You can take charge of your wellness through your lifestyle,through your attitude, and through your knowledge.

SECTION 2

health (11)value (13)wellness (13)health literacy (15)


22 CHAPTER 1 Review

CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1Review

Using Key Termsadvocate (19) risk factor (7)health (11) sedentary (9)health literacy (15) value (13)lifestyle disease (6) wellness (13)public health (17)public service announcement (PSA) (20)

1. For each definition below, choose the key termthat best matches the definition.a. the practice of protecting and improving the

health of people in a communityb. a message created to educate people about an

issuec. the achievement of a person’s best in all six

components of healthd. a strong belief or ideale. not taking part in physical activity on a regular

basisf. anything that increases the likelihood of

injury, disease, or other health problemg. knowledge of health information needed to

make good choices about your health

2. Explain the relationship between the key terms ineach of the following pairs. a. health and lifestlyle diseaseb. advocate and public service announcement

Understanding Key IdeasSection 1

3. How have the causes of health problems changedfrom the past to today?

4. Heart disease is an example of which type ofdisease: infectious or lifestyle?

5. Which of the following is a controllable risk fac-tor?a. race c. genderb. age d. exercise

6. Which of the following is not a common cause ofdeath for your age group?a. heart diseaseb. motor vehicle accidentsc. suicided. homicide

7. Describe how a sedentary lifestyle can lead tohealth problems.

8. Driving without a seat belt is an example ofwhich of the six health risk behaviors?

9. Describe how the risk behavior tobacco use canlead to health problems.

10. CRITICAL THINKING What are some behaviorsyou can practice now that will improve yourchances of living a long, healthy life?

Section 211. Which component of health involves avoiding

drugs and alcohol?

12. The ability to cope with the demands of daily lifeis part of which component of health?

13. Describe how you can reach higher levels on thewellness continuum.

14. Give an example for how each of the followingfactors influences your wellness.a. heredity c. societyb. culture d. the environment

15. Describe how you can take charge of your well-ness through your attitude.

16. CRITICAL THINKING Describe how you can usehealth knowledge to improve the physical com-ponent of your health.

Section 317. Which of the following is not an example of how

society addresses health problems?a. education c. smokingb. public policy d. medical advances

18. Explain why it’s important to know your audi-ence when you advocate for better health.

19. Why is it important to have the most current andaccurate information when you advocate for ahealth issue?

20. CRITICAL THINKING Describe how technologyhas improved your health and the health of othersin the world.

LIFE LIFE SKILL


CHAPTER 1 Review 23

Understanding GraphicsStudy the figure below to answer the questions that follow.

21. What is the motor vehicle death rate for your agegroup?

22. Which age group has the highest motor vehicledeath rate?

23. CRITICAL THINKING Why do you think the agegroup that you answered in item 22 has the high-est motor vehicle death rate?

Activities24. Health and Your Community Interview

a person over the age of 70 to find outwhat health problems were most common duringhis or her teenage years. Prepare a one-page reportcomparing what you learned in the interview withwhat you learned in this chapter about healthproblems facing teens today.

25. Health and You For 1 week, keep a diary of everything that influences your well-ness. Separate the influences into four categories:hereditary, social, cultural, and environmental.

26. Health and Your Community Collect newspaperor magazine pictures that show healthful behav-iors and harmful behaviors. Glue these pictureson a poster board. Show your poster to the class,and discuss how advertisements can influenceyour health choices.

Action Plan 27. Practicing Wellness Create a personal

health plan that improves or promotes each ofthe six components of health.

LIFE LIFE SKILL

28. In this passage, the word lethargic means A hungry. B excited.C lacking in energy.D bored.

29. What can you infer from reading this passage?E Kent’s health behavior does not reflect his

health knowledge. F Kent has an infectious disease that is making

him sick.G Kent needs more sleep each night.H none of the above

30. Explain what may happen to Kent’s energy level ifKent starts exercising at least three times a week.

31. Write a paragraph describing how Kent canchange his daily routine to find more time to exercise.

READINGSKILL

WRITINGSKILL

Read the passage below, and then answer the questions that follow.

Kent knows that there are many benefits toexercising regularly. He knows that regularexercise makes him feel as if he has moreenergy. He also knows that it will help himmaintain his weight. However, Kent can’tremember the last time he exercised. Kentprefers to play video games after school.After he gets bored playing video games,he usually watches some TV. When Kentput his jeans on this morning, he noticedthey were tight. Today, he was feeling toolethargic to pay attention in math class.Kent couldn’t understand why he was sotired if he slept 9 hours last night. He feltthat he was getting sick.

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Age (years)

Dea

ths

per

100,

000

peop

le

U.S. Motor Vehicle–Related Death Rates, 1998

10–14 15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WRITINGSKILL

WRITINGSKILL


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