Health, Wellness, and Illness PDF

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND ILLNESS by Dr. Gehan El Sayed Hafez  AFTER THE END OF THIS CHAPTER THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO: Differentiate  health, wellness, and illness.  Describe dimensions of wellness.  Differentiate illness from disease and acute  illness from chronic il...

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND ILLNESS by Dr. Gehan El Sayed Hafez  AFTER THE END OF THIS CHAPTER THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO: Differentiate  health, wellness, and illness.  Describe dimensions of wellness.  Differentiate illness from disease and acute  illness from chronic illness Explain stages of illness.  Identify factors affecting health status, beliefs,  and practices Impact of illness on patient   INTRODUCTION Health, wellness, and illness have many  definitions and interpretations. The nurse should be familiar with the most common  aspects of the concepts and consider how they may be individualized with specific clients. Traditionally health was defined in terms of the presence or absence of disease. Florence Nightingale defined health :  as a state of being well and using every power.  THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DEFINED HEALTH:. as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely absence of disease or infirmity This definition reflects concern for the individual as a total person functioning physically, psychologically, and socially..  Disease: is a change in the structure or function of the body tissues, biological systems or the human mind.  *Illness: is the response to disease that involves a change in function.  Illness is a state in which a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired compares with previous experience.  WELLNESS.Wellness is a state of wellbeing  it has been described as the ongoing and dynamic process of striving to achieve optimum health. BASIC ASPECTS OF WELLNESS INCLUDE:  1. ENVIRONMENTAL. The ability to promote health measures that  improve the standard of living and quality of life in the community  2. SOCIAL. The ability to interact successfully with people and  within the environment  3. EMOTIONAL. The ability to manage stress and express emotions  appropriately, Emotional wellness involves the ability to recognize, accept, and express feelings  and to accept one’s limitations.  4. PHYSICAL. The ability to carry out daily tasks, achieve fitness  (e.g. pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal), maintain adequate nutrition and proper body fat, avoid abusing drugs and using tobacco products, and generally to practice positive lifestyle habits.  5. SPIRITUAL. The belief in some force (religion, or a higher  power) that serves to unite human beings and provide meaning and purpose to life. It includes a person’s own morals, values, and  ethics.  6. INTELLECTUAL. The ability to learn and use information effectively  for personal, family, and career development  7. OCCUPATIONAL. The ability to achieve a balance between work and  leisure time, A person's beliefs about education, employment, and home influence personal satisfaction and relationships with others. VARIABLES INFLUENCE HEALTH STATUS, BELIEFS, AND PRACTICES Health status:  A report of health status may include anxiety, depression, or acute illness and thus describe the individual’s problem in general. Health status can also describe such specifics as  pulse rate and body temperature. Health beliefs: Concepts about health that an individual believes are true. Such beliefs may or may not be founded on fact.  VARIABLES INFLUENCE HEALTH STATUS, BELIEFS, AND PRACTICES Health behaviors: The actions people take to  understand their health state, maintain an optimal state of health, prevent illness and injury, and reach their maximum physical and mental potential. Internal Variables  Internal variables include: Biologic, psychological, and cognitive dimensions  They are often described as no modifiable variables  because, for the most part, they cannot be changed.  I- BIOLOGIC DIMENSION  Genetic, sex, age, and developmental level all significantly influence a person’s health. Genetic influences biologic characteristics It has been related to susceptibility to specific disease, such as diabetes and breast cancer. Sex: Certain acquired and genetic diseases are more common in one sex than in the other. Disorders more common among females include osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Those more common among males are stomach ulcers, abdominal hernias, and respiratory diseases.  I- BIOLOGIC DIMENSION  Age: is also a significant factor. The distribution of disease varies with age. For example, arteriosclerotic heart disease is common in middle-aged males, and measles are common in children but rare in older. Developmental: level has a major impact on health  status. For examples: Infants lack physiological and psychological maturity so their defenses against disease are lower during the first years of life. Toddlers who are learning to walk are more prone to falls and injury than are older children.  II- PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSION  Psychological (emotional) factors influencing health include mind– body interactions and self-concept. Mind–body interactions can affect health status positively or negatively. Emotional responses to stress affect body function. For example, a student who is extremely anxious before a test may experience urinary frequency and diarrhea..  Emotional distress may influence the immune system through  central nervous system and endocrine alterations. Self-concept: is how a person feels about self (self-esteem) and perceives the physical self (body image)  III- COGNITIVE DIMENSION  Cognitive or intellectual factors influencing health include lifestyle choices and spiritual beliefs. Lifestyle refers to a person’s general way of living, including living conditions and individual patterns of behavior that are influenced by sociocultural factors and personal characteristics. Practices that have potentially negative  effects on health are often referred to as risk factors.  EXTERNAL VARIABLES  External variables affecting health include the 1-Physical environment. 2-Standards of living. 3-Family and cultural beliefs.  4-Social support networks.   1-ENVIRONMENT People are becoming increasingly aware of their environment and how it affects their health and level of wellness Pollution of the water, air, and soil affects the health of cells.  STANDARDS OF LIVING  An individual’s standard of living (reflecting occupation, income, and education) is related to health, morbidity, and mortality. FAMILY AND CULTURAL BELIEFS  The family passes on patterns of daily living and lifestyles Culture and social interactions also influence how a person perceives, experiences, and copes with health and illness.  SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS  Having a support network (family, friends) and job satisfaction helps people avoid illness. Support people also provide the  motivation for an ill person to become well again.  ILLNESS AND DISEASE Disease: is a change in the structure or function  of the body tissues, biological systems or the human mind Illness :is a highly personal state in which the  person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental, or spiritual functioning is diminished.  ILLNESS Illness is :classified as either acute or chronic.  A person may have an acute illness, a chronic illness  or both at the same time. For example, an adult with diabetes (a chronic  disease) may also have appendicitis (an acute illness).  ACUTE ILLNESS Acute illness characterized by  Severe symptoms  The symptoms appear suddenly  Short duration  Symptoms appear suddenly, and subside quickly  depending on the cause Examples:  -Appendicitis that requires surgical intervention -Cold  that subsides without medical intervention Following acute illness, most people return to their  normal level of wellness  CHRONIC ILLNESS Chronic illness characterized by  A slow onset  Lasts for long period of time, usually 6 months or more  Examples:  arthritis, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes mellitus  chronic illness usually have a slow onset and commonly have periods of remission (when the disease present, but the person doesn't experience symptoms. Examples are chronic heart problems, diabetes or lung  disease. Illness Behaviors  Illness behavior is a coping mechanism, involves ways individuals describe, monitor, and interpret their symptoms, take remedial actions, and use the health care system. How people behave when they are ill is highly individualized and affected by many variables, such as: age, sex, occupation, socioeconomic status,  religion, ethnic origin, psychological stability, personality, education, and modes of coping.  FACTORS AFFECTING ILLNESS BEHAVIOR Age  Gender  Occupation  Socioeconomic status  Religion  Psychological stability  Personality  Education  Modes of coping   STAGES OF ILLNESS: Stage 1: experiencing symptoms  Stage 2: Sick role  Stage 3: Medical care contact  Stage 4: Dependent client role  Stage 5: Recovery or rehabilitation 