Health and Wellness Overview

Health and Wellness

• Healthy People 2030 is a national objective that promotes a society in which all people live long, healthy lives.
• It identifies leading health indicators, which are high-priority health issues in the United States.

Definition of Health

• Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1947, 2018).
• It is a state of being that people define in relation to their own values, personality, and lifestyle.

Models of Health and Illness

• Health beliefs are a person's ideas, convictions, and attitudes about health and illness, which can influence health positively or negatively.
• Models help explain complex concepts or ideas, such as health and illness.
• Examples of models include:
  • Health Belief Model
  • Health Promotion Model
  • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
  • Holistic Health Model

Variables Influencing Health and Health Beliefs and Practices

• Internal variables include:
  • Developmental stage
  • Intellectual background
  • Perception of functioning
  • Emotional factors
  • Spiritual factors
• External variables include:
  • Family role and practices
  • Social determinants of health
  • Culture

Health Promotion, Wellness, and Illness Prevention

• Health promotion helps individuals maintain or enhance their present health.
• Health education helps people develop a greater understanding of their health and how to better manage their health risks.
• Illness prevention protects people from actual or potential threats to health.

Three Levels of Prevention

• Primary prevention reduces the incidence of disease.
• Secondary prevention focuses on preventing the spread of disease, illness, or infection once it occurs.
• Tertiary prevention occurs when a defect or disability is permanent or irreversible.

Risk Factors

• Risk factors are any attribute, quality, environmental situation, or trait that increases the vulnerability of an individual or group to an illness or accident.
• Examples of risk factors include:
  • Nonmodifiable risk factors
  • Modifiable risk factors
  • Environment

Risk Factor Identification and Changing Health Behaviors

• Identify risk factors through assessment, health risk appraisal forms, and education and counseling.
• Implement wellness strategies and understand the stages of change using the Transtheoretical Model of Change.

Illness

• Illness is a state in which a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental, or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired.
• Acute illness is a short-duration and severe illness, while chronic illness lasts longer than 6 months and affects functioning.
• Illness behavior involves how people monitor their bodies and define and interpret their symptoms.
• Variables influencing illness and illness behavior include internal and external variables.

Impact of Illness

• Illness can have a significant impact on the patient and family, including:
  • Behavioral and emotional changes
  • Impact on body image
  • Impact on self-concept
  • Impact on family roles
  • Impact on family dynamics

Caring for Yourself

• Self-care strategies include:
  • Eating a nutritious diet
  • Getting adequate sleep
  • Engaging in exercise and relaxation activities
  • Establishing a good work-family balance
  • Engaging in regular nonwork activities
  • Developing coping skills
  • Allowing personal time for grieving
  • Focusing on spiritual health
  • Finding a mentor