1. Health and Wellness
Chapter 1
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2. Definitions and Dimensions of Health
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3. Definitions of Health
Health is the “capacity to lead a satisfying life, fulfill ambitions, and accommodate to change” (Ottawa Charter, World Health Organization, 1986).
Health is:
Specific to person’s life -- it is personal
Dynamic, ever-changing process
Holistic, not simply the absence of disease
Related to quality of someone’s life
Multidimensional
Related to person’s ability to cope with the challenge of change
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4. Dimensions of Health
Health is multidimensional. The following are the dimensions of health:
Physical
Social
Mental
Environmental
Spiritual
Emotional
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5. Dimensions of Health
These dimensions are interdependent i.e., they interact and overlap with each other to produce health
HEALTH
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6. Dimensions of Health
As these dimensions interact they produce a unique health and wellness profile for each individual.
Environmental
Social
Spiritual
Emotional
Mental
Physical
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7. Health and Wellness in Adolescence
Health and wellness is related to person’s ability to cope with the many interactions and transitions that are occurring in his/her life.
Transitions specific to adolescence include:
Increase in autonomy and individuality
Increase in responsibilities
Increase industry
Intensification of relationships
Changes in body structure
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8. Health and Wellness in Adolescence
Dimensions of health that focus on transition might fall under three headings:
Being, e.g. Who am I? Who am I becoming as a person?
Belonging, e.g. To what groups do I connect with in a sense of belonging?
Becoming, e.g. What accomplishments am I striving for?
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9. Health and Wellness: A Personal Journey
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10. Achievement of Health and Wellness
Not a single event, it is an ongoing process
Making healthy choices (e.g., good nutrition) are important guidelines to consider
vs.
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11. Achievement of Health and Wellness
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to choose what combination of healthy choices create a healthy balance for them
Remember, do things in moderation. Too much or too little of anything is a potential problem
E.g. Too little exercise=poor cardiovascular health
Too much exercise=weakened immune system
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12. Approaches to Health and Wellness
Reactive or curative approach
Worrying about your health only when sick. Not asserting control over your health in the absence of disease.
Chris’ approach: “If your sick, take a few pills; otherwise, have fun and enjoy yourself! I’ll quit smoking later.” p. 6
Example:
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13. Approaches to Health and Wellness
Proactive approach
Adopting lifestyle habits that, in the long run, will enable you to lead a more healthy life.
Erin’s approach: “I am building for the future. What I do for my body today lays the foundation for a lifetime of involvement in healthy activities.”
Example:
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14. Wellness: Your Personal Responsibility
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15. Wellness: Your Personal Responsibility
Wellness is:
Reflected in a way a person chooses to live his or her life
Making informed choices and taking responsibilities for the way we live our lives.
Sense of wellness is influenced by the following factors:
Family
Culture
Peers
Media
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16. Family Influences on Health and Wellness
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17. Positive Family Influences
Family positively influences your health, well-being, and a general sense of satisfaction through:
Education
The advice your parents give you to stay healthy
E.g. “Wear a coat outside or you’ll catch a cold”
Values
Family values can influence lifestyle choices
E.g. Families that value physical activity introduce their children to sports at early age.
Support
E.g. Emotional support during stressful life events
E.g. Financial and mental support to pursue sports that will enable optimal development
Picture: parent hugging kid or exercising with a kid
Parent giving healthy food to a kid
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18. Negative Family Influences
Alternatively, family can have negative influences on one’s health
E.g. Families that push their children to compete for rewards outside of the physical, mental, social, and spiritual benefits of activity, can cause their children to withdraw prematurely from participating in physical activity
Example: Parent Sideline Rage
Yelling parent in sporting environment
Aggressive parents are
poor role models for their
children
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19. Media Influences on Health and Wellness
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20. Positive Media Messages
Media messages can be highly motivational:
E.g. Sports coverage in the media has created role models that can motivate children to pursue physical activity
Picture of a star with children (disabled and mixed)
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21. Negative Media Messages
Unfortunately, media also has to power to encourage unhealthy choices:
E.g. Commercialization of the body image has distorted interpretation of healthy body
See notes for pictures
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22. Ideal Female Body Image
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23. The Reality Behind the Image
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24. Negative Media Messages
Further, media has distorted interpretation of what it means to be an accomplished performer.
Media coverage has some believe that the pinnacle of achievement comes from beating the competition, being the toughest, and gaining multi-million contracts.
However, wellness is about the journey towards personal improvement and aspiring to achieve your individual potential.
See notes for pictures
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25. It’s Up To You!
In conclusion, images of the sporting life can be motivational or cause unhealthy distortions.
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to judge these images in relation to his or her personal goals and values.
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26. Social/Peer Influences on Health and Wellness
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27. Social/Peer Influences
Participation in sport comes with social benefits incurred in meeting new people
As we have seen in Chris’ example peer influences can be of negative nature.
Therefore, it is important to:
Choose friends wisely
Resist negative peer
pressure
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28. Cultural Influences on Health and Wellness
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29. Health in North America
Views about health are understood differently across cultures. North Americans tend to think about disease from a scientific point of view.
Western medicine deals largely with treatment of organs and systems, in isolation from the person’s mind and environment.
Increasingly, a more holistic approach is emerging.
E.g. Recognition of the influence of personality on cardiovascular health
E.g. Recognition of the influence of environment on obesity
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30. Health In Eastern and Aboriginal Cultures
In many non-western cultures, health has a strong spiritual quality.
e.g., Oriental culture and chi
e.g., Aboriginal culture and sweat lodge
Therefore, disease is understood in terms of individual’s spiritual harmony with oneself and/or his or her environment.
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31. Putting It All Together
Health is multidimensional
One must make informed decision that relate to all the various dimensions of health
Perspectives and decisions about health are influenced by family, peers, media, and the culture
The journey towards health is lifelong
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32. ? Discussion Questions ?
1. What health problems do you predict Chris will face in the future?
2. What has guided Erin’s decisions to be smoke free, eat well etc.?
2. What kinds of supports from family, friends, and the community are needed to adopt a healthy lifestyle?
3. How does culture influence views on what it means to be healthy and to take care of your health?
4. What do you do if your friends have poor health habits?
5. Many people think healthy living means giving up a lot of things (giving up high calorie foods, giving up spare time for workouts, giving up smoking and drugs). What does living a healthy lifestyle enable you to do?
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