Influences on Your Health Chapter 1, Lessons 2 & 3 Prepared by V. Morrissey

EQ: Explain how behaviors and decisions you make affect your health Objectives: Describe heredity, environment and culture as influences on health Understand how risk factors can be offset by behaviors Know that abstinence can increase your chances of a long, healthful life

Risk Factors Any action or condition that increases the likelihood of injury, disease or other negative outcome. What are some examples of risk factors?

Three Categories of Risk Factors Heredity Environmental Behavioral

1. Heredity Traits passed biologically from parent to child What are some examples of things that can be passed by heredity?

2. Environment The sum total of your surroundings 1. Physical 2. Environmental 3. Cultural

3 Aspects of Environment Physical Environment – the conditions under which we live What are some examples of your physical environment?

3 Aspects of Environment (cont.) Social Environment – people who you come into daily contact with Who do you come in contact with daily?

3 Aspects of Environment (cont.) 3. Cultural Environment – beliefs, customs and behaviors of a group Language Foods Traditions and religion

? To what extent can you control your own environment? How do the people in your social environment affect your physical, mental/emotional and social health. Occasional contact Regularly spend time Closest/ Most time

3. Behavior The way you choose to act

Cumulative Risks Risks that increase and add up to a total greater than expected Smoking Other examples?

Cumulative Risks Combinations of risk factors whose impact is greater than any component risk alone Driving on an icy road

How long do you wish to live? 80 90 10 20 Smoking 2 pks a day (-8) Drinking 3 or more oz. a week of alcohol (-10) Overeating (more than 2500 cal.per day) (-5) Eating excess fat in your diet (-5) Eating a lot of sugar (-8)

Not exercising at least 3 times a week (-10) Being overweight or obese (-10) Having a lot of stress in your life (-7) Often handling firearms (-3) Often being depressed (-5) Driving or riding in a car without seat belts (-3) Any other unhealthy behaviors not on the list that might affect your life line?

Put a dot on your life line to indicate your present age Write 3 goals you would like to achieve and the ages you want to achieve them by How many goals will be affected by years lost?

Taking Responsibility for the Health of Others How you act and behave affects not only yourself, but also others around you How can your behavior affect someone else?

Protective Factors- 1. Positive role models – people you look up to 2. Values – beliefs and standards of conduct that you find important. Honesty Who is your role model? Who are you a role model to?

Abstinence Voluntarily choosing not to do something