LEARNING CHAPTER
CHAPTER 1OBJECTIVES
OVERVIEW
OUTLINE 1 PROMOTING HEALTHY
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Health and wellness are active states that are deeply affected by style of living. In order to be
healthy, one must decide when to change behavior and when to maintain current behaviors.
Chapter 1 provides a basic understanding of the concept of health, describing the six
dimensions of health and helping the reader to understand how they relate to form a dynamic
process of achieving one's potential. A major focus of Chapter 1 is the decision making
section. Please note that several theories are discussed, including Prochaska and
DiClemente's "Stages of Change" model, and the Health Belief Model. These models are
used throughout the text to help the student make healthy choices.
1. Discuss health in terms of its dimensions and historical perspectives.
2. Explain the importance of a healthy lifestyle in preventing premature disease and
promoting wellness.
3. Discuss the health status of Americans, and the importance of Healthy People 2010 and
other national initiatives to promote health.
4. Evaluate the role of gender in disparities in health status, research, and risk.
5. Explain the importance of a global perspective on health and the health challenges faced
by people of various racial and cultural backgrounds.
6. Evaluate sources of health information, particularly the Internet, to determine reliability.
7. Focus on current risk behaviors, what factors influence your behavior, and how risk
behaviors impact your current and future health.
8. Assess behavior-change techniques and apply them to your own lifestyle.
I. Putting Your Health in Perspective
A. The definition of health has evolved throughout history.
1. Early definition of health was the opposite of sickness.
2. The discovery of microorganisms was the motive for defining health as good
hygiene, which included sanitation and other behaviors.
a. The Medical Model focused primarily on the individual and a biological
or disease organ perspective.
b. The Ecological or Public Health Model viewed diseases and other
negative health events as a result of an individual’s interaction with his/her
social and physical environment.
This study source was downloaded by 100000900706475 from CourseHero.com on 10-08-2025 06:14:15 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/244590/Personal-Wellness/ 1
, Statistics used to measure health include mortality and morbidity rates.
3.
a. Mortality rates describe death rates.
b. Morbidity rates describe illness rates.
B. In the 1940s WHO defined health as "the state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
1. Critics argued that health is not a "state" but an ever-changing dimension of
life.
2. Rene' Dubois defined health as a quality of life, involving social, emotional,
mental, spiritual, and biological fitness on the part of the individual, which
results from adaptations to the environment.
C. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has listed the ten greatest
public health achievements of the 20th century in the United States (Table1.1).
1. This list includes advances in: vaccinations, motor vehicle safety, workplace
safety, control of infectious diseases, reduction in deaths from cardiovascular
disease, making the food supply safer, improving maternal and infant
outcomes, providing family planning services, fluoridation of drinking water
to reduce tooth decay and loss, recognition of tobacco as a health hazard and
reduction in use.
2. Future advances will be seen in the development of new drugs, cancer
treatments, treatment of infectious diseases, medical school training in
spirituality, improved treatment of heart disease, cold and flu vaccines,
continuing improvement in food supply, increases in lifespan and also the
quality of life in those later years.
D. Modern definitions of health explain it as a dynamic, ever-changing process of trying to
achieve one's individual potential in each of several interrelated dimensions (Figure 1.1).
1. Physical health refers to such aspects as body functioning, resistance to
disease and ability to recuperate, physical fitness. This includes our ability to
perform normal Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
2. Intellectual health refers to the ability to think clearly, reason objectively,
analyze critically and use brain power effectively to meet life's challenges.
3. Social health refers to the ability to have satisfying relationships and adapt to
various social situations.
4. Emotional health refers to the ability to express and control emotions
appropriately. This includes self-esteem, self-efficacy, trust, etc.
5. Environmental health refers to the appreciation of the external environment
and working to preserve and protect it.
6. Spiritual health refers to a feeling of oneness with others and nature, a sense
of meaning or value in life, and a willingness to express one's purpose and
contribute to the world. It may include experiencing love, joy, and wonder
over life's experiences (Assess Yourself, page 10) (Table 1.2).
E. Contemporary definitions of health and wellness are similar, focusing on
individual attempts to achieve optimal well-being within a realistic framework of
individual potential.
II. New Directions for Health
2
This study source was downloaded by 100000900706475 from CourseHero.com on 10-08-2025 06:14:15 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/244590/Personal-Wellness/
CHAPTER 1OBJECTIVES
OVERVIEW
OUTLINE 1 PROMOTING HEALTHY
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Health and wellness are active states that are deeply affected by style of living. In order to be
healthy, one must decide when to change behavior and when to maintain current behaviors.
Chapter 1 provides a basic understanding of the concept of health, describing the six
dimensions of health and helping the reader to understand how they relate to form a dynamic
process of achieving one's potential. A major focus of Chapter 1 is the decision making
section. Please note that several theories are discussed, including Prochaska and
DiClemente's "Stages of Change" model, and the Health Belief Model. These models are
used throughout the text to help the student make healthy choices.
1. Discuss health in terms of its dimensions and historical perspectives.
2. Explain the importance of a healthy lifestyle in preventing premature disease and
promoting wellness.
3. Discuss the health status of Americans, and the importance of Healthy People 2010 and
other national initiatives to promote health.
4. Evaluate the role of gender in disparities in health status, research, and risk.
5. Explain the importance of a global perspective on health and the health challenges faced
by people of various racial and cultural backgrounds.
6. Evaluate sources of health information, particularly the Internet, to determine reliability.
7. Focus on current risk behaviors, what factors influence your behavior, and how risk
behaviors impact your current and future health.
8. Assess behavior-change techniques and apply them to your own lifestyle.
I. Putting Your Health in Perspective
A. The definition of health has evolved throughout history.
1. Early definition of health was the opposite of sickness.
2. The discovery of microorganisms was the motive for defining health as good
hygiene, which included sanitation and other behaviors.
a. The Medical Model focused primarily on the individual and a biological
or disease organ perspective.
b. The Ecological or Public Health Model viewed diseases and other
negative health events as a result of an individual’s interaction with his/her
social and physical environment.
This study source was downloaded by 100000900706475 from CourseHero.com on 10-08-2025 06:14:15 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/244590/Personal-Wellness/ 1
, Statistics used to measure health include mortality and morbidity rates.
3.
a. Mortality rates describe death rates.
b. Morbidity rates describe illness rates.
B. In the 1940s WHO defined health as "the state of complete physical, mental, and
social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
1. Critics argued that health is not a "state" but an ever-changing dimension of
life.
2. Rene' Dubois defined health as a quality of life, involving social, emotional,
mental, spiritual, and biological fitness on the part of the individual, which
results from adaptations to the environment.
C. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has listed the ten greatest
public health achievements of the 20th century in the United States (Table1.1).
1. This list includes advances in: vaccinations, motor vehicle safety, workplace
safety, control of infectious diseases, reduction in deaths from cardiovascular
disease, making the food supply safer, improving maternal and infant
outcomes, providing family planning services, fluoridation of drinking water
to reduce tooth decay and loss, recognition of tobacco as a health hazard and
reduction in use.
2. Future advances will be seen in the development of new drugs, cancer
treatments, treatment of infectious diseases, medical school training in
spirituality, improved treatment of heart disease, cold and flu vaccines,
continuing improvement in food supply, increases in lifespan and also the
quality of life in those later years.
D. Modern definitions of health explain it as a dynamic, ever-changing process of trying to
achieve one's individual potential in each of several interrelated dimensions (Figure 1.1).
1. Physical health refers to such aspects as body functioning, resistance to
disease and ability to recuperate, physical fitness. This includes our ability to
perform normal Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
2. Intellectual health refers to the ability to think clearly, reason objectively,
analyze critically and use brain power effectively to meet life's challenges.
3. Social health refers to the ability to have satisfying relationships and adapt to
various social situations.
4. Emotional health refers to the ability to express and control emotions
appropriately. This includes self-esteem, self-efficacy, trust, etc.
5. Environmental health refers to the appreciation of the external environment
and working to preserve and protect it.
6. Spiritual health refers to a feeling of oneness with others and nature, a sense
of meaning or value in life, and a willingness to express one's purpose and
contribute to the world. It may include experiencing love, joy, and wonder
over life's experiences (Assess Yourself, page 10) (Table 1.2).
E. Contemporary definitions of health and wellness are similar, focusing on
individual attempts to achieve optimal well-being within a realistic framework of
individual potential.
II. New Directions for Health
2
This study source was downloaded by 100000900706475 from CourseHero.com on 10-08-2025 06:14:15 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/244590/Personal-Wellness/
