The Health Triangle

One of the keys for wellness is the prevention of illness.

. PREVENTION is keeping something from happening You can help prevent illness and injury in these ways. Don’t take unnecessary chances or risks. Avoid thinking that nothing can happen to you. Know the weaknesses in your physical, mental/emotional, and social health and work on them. Be responsible!! Do not leave your health to chance.

WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR HEALTH Your health is influenced by your personal tastes and by many other factors such as: Heredity Environment Family and Friends Culture Media Attitudes Behavior

Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to their biological children.  Genes are the basic unit of heredity.  Genes are made from chemicals called_DNA, and they create patterns for your physical traits.  You receive half of your DNA from your mother and half from your _father._  Traits such as eye and hair color are inherited from parents. HEREDITY

Environment : all the living and non-living things around you. Physical Environment includes the home you live in, the school you attend, and the air and water around. Social environment includes the people in your life.

POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE: helping a friend with homework, volunteering with a friend, or simply listening to a friend. NEGATIVE PEER PRESSURE: a friend who wants you to drink alcohol, asks to see your homework, encourages you to laugh at other kids. Playing games and enjoying physical activities with others can have a positive effect on your health and nurture your social environment.

Your family is one of the biggest influences on your life. Your family shapes your cultural background. Cultural back-ground, or the beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people. In addition to your family, your culture, or the collected beliefs, customs, and behaviors of a group, also affect your health

MEDIA, or different methods of communicating information that also have the potential to affect your personal health. Learn to evaluate, or determine the quality of everything you see, hear or read. The media can be a great source to keep you informed in a positive way, but not all of it.

YOUR BEHAVIOR AND YOUR HEALTH LIFESTYLE FACTORS, or the behaviors and habits that help determine a person’s level of health. Positive lifestyle factors promote good health. Negative lifestyle factors promote poor health. ATTITUTE, or your feelings and beliefs, toward your personal lifestyle factors plays an important role in your health. YOU will be more successful in managing your health if you keep a positive attitude. Kids who have a positive attitude about their health are more likely to practice good health habits and take responsibility for their health

RISK BEHAVIORS We all have seen these signs or similar signs. They are ALL posted to warn us about possible risks or dangers and to keep us safe. RISK, or the chance that something harmful may happen to your health and wellness.

RISK BEHAVIOR We cannot avoid every kind of risk. However, the risks you can avoid involve risk behavior. A risk behavior is an action or behavior that might cause injury or harm to you or others. Playing a sport can be risky, but if you wear protective gear, you may avoid injury. Wearing a helmet when you ride your bike can protect your head from head injury. Smoking cigarettes is another risk behavior that you can avoid. Watching TV or playing video games and ignoring physical activity is also a health risk.

You can avoid many kinds of risk by taking responsibility for your personal health behaviors and avoiding risk.

RISK AND CONSEQUENCES All risk behaviors have consequences. Some consequences are minor or short-term, others can be long-term and have serious or life-threatening consequences. Short –term consequence: perhaps you ate a chocolate bar before dinner and ruined your appetite. Long-term consequence: You decided to try alcohol or drugs. This risky behavior can seriously damage your health. Your whole health triangle can be disturb!

CUMULATIVE RISK Cumulative risk occur when one risk factor adds to another to increase danger. For example, making unhealthy food choices is one risk. Not getting regular physical activity is another risk. Add these two risks together over time, and you raise your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Many choices you make today can effect your health now or later. Knowing the consequences of your choices and behaviors can help you take responsibility for your health.

REDUCING RISKS Prevention, taking steps to avoid something, is the best way to deal with risks. Example, slow down when walking or running on wet or icy pavement or pool area to prevent a fall. Let’s not forget running on the hallways!!

Wrapping-up lesson 1 and2 Making Connections

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