Section 25.1 Your Community, Your Health Objectives Identify the different kinds of communities to which you belong. Describe how communities affect personal health.

Do at least five adults in your neighborhood know you by name? Quick Quiz How connected are you to your community? See if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions. Do at least five adults in your neighborhood know you by name? Can you name at least three of your community’s leaders (e.g., the mayor, police chief, and the superintendent of schools)? Can you describe what each of the community leaders do that influences health? How is being connected to your community important to your overall health and well-being? Switch to QuickTake version of the quiz.

What Is Community? Besides being a resident of your city or town and your neighborhood, you are a member of a particular school, a cultural community, and probably one or more clubs or organizations. The people with whom you interact and look to for friendship, information, and social support in all of these different communities make up your social network.

Your City or Town Physical features include the weather and the natural environment. Social characteristics include the people who live there the kinds of work these people do the local government

Your Neighborhood Your neighborhood includes the people in the immediate vicinity of your home. The people in your neighborhood may know you and your family members by name. They are probably comfortable enough to ask you for a favor from time to time.

Your School Community Schools are not only responsible for your education, but they are also important communities in which you form friendships and develop leadership skills. At school, you are likely to belong to particular groups, such as clubs or teams in which you and others share the same interests.

Your Cultural Community Your cultural background is another factor that contributes to your sense of community. It determines what holidays you celebrate, what traditions you follow, and what kinds of foods you typically eat.

Other Communities Your involvement in clubs or other organizations may also be important in your life. Community service organizations are official groups whose members act or unite for a common purpose.

How Communities Affect Health Your health and quality of life are affected by the communities in which you live. Community factors contribute significantly to the physical and social health of community members.

Your City or Town Basic health services Your local government is responsible for providing water sewage treatment, clean drinking water, emergency medical services, road and highway maintenance, and other services that protect health. Health legislation Local governments also often approve and enforce regulations to protect the health of their citizens. Promotion of healthy and active lifestyles Your town or city probably includes recreational facilities and parks that encourage participation in physical activity. Community design Mixed-use development means building homes closer to businesses and schools. Mixed-use development is a healthier alternative to spread-out suburbs, also called urban sprawl.

For: Updates on community actions Click above to go online.

Your Neighborhood Your neighborhood may also organize efforts to protect the health of its members. organize safety patrols sponsor a softball game clean up a local park Many neighborhood activities also promote social health. block parties carpools group gardening projects

Your School Community Your school’s physical and social environment can significantly affect your health. availability of nutritious foods for lunch and snacks safe routes to school, including buses that are safe policies that protect students from bullying and other types of violence opportunities for physical activity for all students access to school nurses and counselors

Your Cultural Community The cultural community in which you and your family live also influences your health. Family gatherings at which cultural traditions are celebrated strengthen social health. Foods that are important to your cultural group may enhance your health.

Other Communities Community service organizations and other volunteer groups do many things to improve the health of community members. Religious organizations also have increasingly become involved in efforts to improve the health of their communities. programs that promote healthful eating low-cost screenings for high blood pressure or cancer youth groups that participate in community service projects to help people in need

Vocabulary social network The people with whom you interact and look to for friendship, information, and social support. community service organization An official community group whose members act or unite for a common purpose. mixed-use development City or town development in which homes are built close to businesses and schools. urban sprawl City or town development in which homes are built in spread-out suburbs that are not near business districts.

QuickTake Quiz Click to start quiz.

End of Section 25.1 Click on this slide to end this presentation.