Social Health and Contagion Quiz

Social Health

• Social health is the ability to interact effectively with others, build fulfilling relationships, and fulfill social roles.
• Healthy social behaviors include community participation, harmony with others, clear communication, and healthy sexual behaviors. It's not necessary to join large groups to be socially healthy.

Social Contagion

• Social contagion is the spread of affect, attitudes, or behaviors between people.
• Social circles (friends, acquaintances) influence health positively and negatively.

Framingham Heart Study (FHS)

• Followed 15,000 people for three generations.
• Followed their health factors such as weight gain, drinking, and smoking.
• The study found that high blood pressure and high cholesterol are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• The study informed understanding of how cardiovascular health affects the rest of the body.

The 3 Degrees of Association

• Scientists claim we are linked within three degrees of separation.
• This means that you can reach out to over 1,000 people through just three degrees of connection.
• This is an opportunity to promote healthy behaviors to others.

Improving Healthy Communication

• Develop social intelligence, communicate clearly, and be responsive.
• Listening to others' needs is critical, and making an emotional investment in personal relationships is important.
• Being agreeable but assertive involves being helpful, unselfish, trusting, considerate, cooperative, and concerned for others.
• Assertiveness is respecting your rights and the rights of others, even when you disagree. Express your needs clearly, without aggression.
• Men and women communicate differently.

Communication Differences

• Men often speak longer and interrupt more.
• Women often make stronger assertions in online settings (blogs and chat rooms) and use more words in private conversations with friends to connect.
• Women are often better listeners, providing more suggestions, asking questions, and using more polite expressions in virtual settings.

Relationships and Social Health

• Relationships are important throughout life and help lessen symptoms of mental health disorders.
• They help give a sense of well-being, enhance self-worth, and help us form new relationships (spouse, friends, parents, children, pets.)

Loneliness

• Loneliness is the feeling of distress and dysphoria arising from a discrepancy between desired and achieved social relations.
• It can also be described as being without company or feeling sad because of a lack of companionship.

Social Media and Health

• Social media is increasingly used to promote public health.
• It improves access to healthcare resources and removes physical barriers.
• Social media advocacy is one way to use social media to promote a cause or a brand by promoting awareness, building support networks, and encouraging action.
• There are opportunities for using social media for health promotion such as exchanging health messages, reaching large groups, and targeting specific audiences.

Consumer Health (Chapter 14)

• Questions to ask for health understanding: "What is my main problem?", "What do I need to do?"
• The Transtheoretical Model focuses on decision making and stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, relapse).
• Poor health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions and follow treatment instructions.
• There are over 90 million Americans who don't understand how to take medication, monitor cholesterol/blood sugar, manage chronic disease, or fill out medical forms.

Health Literacy and Accuracy of Online Information

• 90 million Americans (26% of the population) have poor health literacy.
• Many rely on online resources for health information which can be inaccurate.
• When evaluating online medical information, one must consider the creator, release dates, references, author, and any bias present.

Medical Red Flags

• Testimonials claiming a drug/treatment cured people
• The use of words such as "amazing," "secret," "proven," "quick," "guaranteed" can indicate medical quackery

Medical Quackery

• Unproven medical practices claiming to cure or solve health problems.
• Also known as medical fakery.

Valid vs. Invalid Medicine

• Valid medicine has data supporting the treatments or medication used.
• Invalid medicine (medical quackery) lacks efficacy data. Evidence of safety and effectiveness are missing and the treatment is not approved.

Non-Traditional Healthcare

• Four categories of alternative medicine: Alternative medical systems, mind-body medicine, biological-based therapies, and manipulative and body-based methods.

Macronutrients

• Nutrients required in the greatest amounts: water, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Micronutrients

• Vitamins and minerals needed in smaller amounts.

Basic Metabolic Rate

• The number of calories needed for the body to function at rest, while accounting for activity to total calorie requirement.

Average Caloric Requirements

• Specific caloric requirements given for different groups (women, older adults, children, men, active women, teenage girls, and older children).

Calorie Balance

• The relationship between calories consumed and calories used for normal body functioning and physical activity.

Protein Consumption Guidelines

• Average person requires 50-65 grams of protein daily.
• Protein-rich foods help with fullness and can help prevent loss of muscle mass with aging.
• Balanced diet including nuts can reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are made up of fiber, starch, and sugar.
• They provide glucose for the body and brain.
• Simple carbohydrates include natural sugars (lactose and fructose), as well as added sugars.
• Complex carbohydrates include fiber and starch. Complex carbohydrates are typically high in fiber and low nutrient simple carbohydrates.

Types and Sources of Carbohydrates

• Simple carbohydrates: found in soda, sports/energy drinks, candy.
• Types of Carbohydrates and their sources (with examples/types of common foods):
• Simple Carbohydrates: Sugar/natural sugar (found in milk, fruits, etc.), added sugars (in processed foods, candy, etc.).
• Complex carbohydrates: grains, vegetables, fruits, etc.

Whole Grains

• Less than 5% of Americans meet the recommendations for whole grains.

Guidelines for Carbohydrate Consumption

• Various recommendations for men and women (over 50) in terms of grams of carbohydrates.
• Dietary changes, such as reduced calorie intake and increased nutrient intake, can affect metabolism as people age.

Fiber Sources

• Leafy greens, wheat, corn, skins of fruit, oats, beans, barley, apples, and strawberries.

Refined Grains

• Refined grains lack fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Most refined grains are high in fat and added sugar.

Fats

• Provide energy, critical for growth/development.
• Carry fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K)
• Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, and olive oils, canola oils, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil are examples.
• Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, flax, and walnuts and help prevent blood clots, irregular heartbeats, and reduce atherosclerosis.
• Omega-6 fatty acids found in vegetable oils and other foods. Both are important, but Americans tend to consume an imbalance.

Cholesterol Food Sources

• Cholesterol is found in animal products like beef, chicken, and eggs.
• The human body manufactures cholesterol in amounts needed.

Trans Fats

• Unsaturated fats created during food processing.
• Linked to high LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels and heart disease risk

Vitamins

• Vitamins work to use carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for the body to grow, maintain, and produce chemical reactions.

Fat-Soluble and Water-Soluble Vitamins

• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are absorbed by the intestines and stored in the body, while water-soluble vitamins (B & C) are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Water-soluble vitamins need to be regularly consumed.

Antioxidants

• Prevent harmful effects of oxidation in the body.
• Found in fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin D Benefits

• Important for bone health, cognition, pain control, calcium absorption, and immune function

Mineral Functions

• Build bones and teeth, aid muscle function, and are crucial for the nervous system.

Calcium

• The most abundant mineral in the body. Crucial for building bones, nerve function, and muscle contraction.

Sodium

• Maintains fluid balance, regulates blood pressure, and transmits muscle impulses.

USDA Healthy Eating and Weight Management Goals (2011)

• Developed updated dietary guidelines for Americans in 2011.
• Emphasized balancing caloric intake, consuming nutrient-dense foods, and reducing the intake of unhealthy foods to support healthy eating patterns.

Test your knowledge on social health, including the importance of healthy relationships and the concept of social contagion. This quiz also covers findings from the Framingham Heart Study and the impact of social circles on health behaviors. Explore how our connections shape our well-being!