Health and Wellbeing Study Notes PDF

**Understanding Health and Wellbeing -- Unit 3, AOS 1** **Study Notes** 1. **concepts of health and wellbeing (physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions), illness, and the dynamic and subjective nature of these concepts** **Health and wellbeing** the state of a person'...

**Understanding Health and Wellbeing -- Unit 3, AOS 1** **Study Notes** 1. **concepts of health and wellbeing (physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions), illness, and the dynamic and subjective nature of these concepts** **Health and wellbeing** the state of a person's physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual existence, characterised by an equilibrium in which the individual feels happy, healthy, capable and engaged **Optimal Health and Wellbeing** the highest level of health and wellbeing an individual can realistically attain at any particular time, taking into account genetics and the different environments in which people live **Physical Health and Wellbeing** relates to the state and functioning of the body and its systems; it includes the physical capacity to perform daily activities or tasks - Healthy body weight - Absence of illness, disease and injury - Optimal levels of energy - Physical capacity to perform daily tasks - Appropriate levels of fitness - Optimal blood pressure - Well-functioning body, systems and organs **Mental Health and Wellbeing** the current state of wellbeing relating to a person's mind or brain and the ability to think and process information. It includes thought patterns, self-esteem and levels of stress and anxiety. - Low levels of stress and anxiety **Stress** relates to the mental tension individuals experience when they feel they do not have the resources to deal with the situations they find themselves in. High levels of stress can harm health and wellbeing by: reducing immune system functioning due to prolonged release of cortisol, interrupting sleep patterns, increased risk taking behvaiours. **Anxiety** relates to intense worry or fear about future events - Optimal **self-esteem** **Self-esteem** refers to how people feel about themselves. Having positive self-esteem means that people feel good about themselves. Self-esteem influences behaviour; those with positive self-esteem are more likely to speak their mind and act independently and responsibly. - Ability to think and process information - High levels of **confidence** **Confidence** relates to believing in one's own worth and ability to succeed. Having confidence can help people accept challenges, such as volunteering to give a speech or trying out for a sports team, and increase their chances of success because they are not concentrating on failure. - Use logic and reasoning to form opinions and make decisions - Positive thought patterns (being optimistic) **Social Health and Wellbeing** relates to the state and quality of the interactions and relationships that an individual has with other people. It includes the ability to manage or adapt appropriately to different social situations. - Supportive network of friends - Supportive and well-functioning family - Ability to manage or adapt appropriately to different social situations - effective communication with others - productive relationships with other people **Emotional Health and Wellbeing** relates to the ability to express feelings in an appropriate way; is about the positive management and expression of emotional actions and reactions, as well as the ability to display resilience. It is the degree to which an individual feels emotionally secure and relaxed in everyday life - recognise and understand emotional actions and reactions When an individual can accurately identify the emotion experienced, acknowledge why they are feeling a certain way, and act on the emotion in a responsible and mature manner, emotional health and wellbeing is said to be optimal - effectively express and manage emotional actions and reactions - experience appropriate emotions in given scenarios - have a high level of **resilience** **Resilience** relates to the ability to effectively deal with adverse or negative events and the associated emotions that occur throughout life. **Spiritual Health and Wellbeing** relates to ideas, beliefs, values and ethics that arise in the minds and conscience of human beings. It includes the concepts of hope, peace, a guiding sense of meaning or value, and reflection on your place in the world. - A sense of belonging and connection to the world - Positive meaning, place and purpose in life - Peace and hope - Developed personal values and beliefs **Values** relate to what an individual feels is important in life, and can include valuing family connections or freedom of speech **(e.g.** education, tidiness, manners**)**. **Beliefs** relate to what an individual feels to be true or right, even though the belief may be unproven, such as the belief in life after death **(e.g.** God exists, the mind can cure the body, animals have rights**).** - Acting according to values and beliefs **Illness** a subjective concept related to personal experience of a disease or injury **Disease** a physical or mental disturbance involving symptoms, dysfunction or tissue damage **Dynamic** continually changing **Subjective** influenced by or based on personal beliefs, feelings or opinions 2. **benefits of optimal health and wellbeing and its importance as a resource individually, nationally and globally** **importance of health and wellbeing for individuals** Work productively Effectively run a household -------------------------- ----------------------------- Reduced healthcare ocsts Spend time with friends Gain an education Sleep well Earn an income Live independently Exercise Increase leisure time **Importance of health and wellbeing nationally** Longer, healthier lives Reduced stress and anxiety in the community ----------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Health system savings Increased social participation Fewer people relying on social security Higher average incomes Increased productivity **productivity** relates to the efficiency of the production of goods and services. It is measured by the amount of output produced per unit of input. **civic participation** refers to involvement in a community group such as a union, professional association, political party, environmental or animal welfare group, human and civil rights group, or body corporate or tenants' association **[Economic Benefits:]** **[Health System Savings:]** \$240bil spent in 2021-22 on healthcare in Australia. With healthier population, this figure gets reduced (less need for medical interventions). Saved funds can be spent on other areas (e.g. schools/roads/hospitals etc.) **[Productivity:]** Mental illness estimated to cost the economy \$100bil a year (sick days, mental health/stress leave etc.). Lower **[stress/anxiety]** enables people to work productively, boosting industry output, incomes, taxes paid to Government. **[Unemployment/Social Support Savings:]** Less payments to support unemployed individuals (e.g. Centrelink) = funds redirected to other areas (as above) **[Social Benefits:]** **[Employment Levels:]** more people able to undertake and maintain meaningful employment. Assists in reducing stress/anxiety around personal finances etc. **[Civic Participation:]** involvement in community groups such as unions, human/civil rights groups that support/promote interests of population. **[Generational Health and Wellbeing:]** parents experiencing optimal HWB can provide best care for children. This promotes their HWB and improves their ability to achieve this in their own lives. **Importance of health and wellbeing globally** Reduces risk of disease transmission between countries Assists in promoting peace and stability -------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ Promotes economic development Promotes social development Promotes sustainability **Assists in promoting peace and stability** Populations that are healthy and well can work, earn, provide food, water, shelter and healthcare. This promotes life satisfaction. Populations suffering a lack of necessities can resort to extreme measures for survival, prompting conflicts to begin. **Promotes Sustainability** Greater education (learning sustainable practices such as recycling), employment/income/tax (government funds for sustainable energy such as wind, solar, water, agriculture) leads to sustainable living practices. This can slow/reverse impact of climate change and promote the health of the Earth for future generations. **communicable diseases** infectious diseases that are transmitted from the environment, including through air, water, food and other infected organisms (including other humans) **vector** a living thing that carries and transmits pathogens to other living things **pandemic** the spread of infectious disease through human populations across a large region such as multiple continents or worldwide 3. **indicators used to measure and understand health status:** **Health Status:** *An individual's or populations overall health, taking into account various aspects such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease risk factors.* **incidence** refers to the number (or rate) of **[new cases]** of a disease/condition in a population during a given period (usually 12 months) **prevalence** the total number or proportion of cases of a particular disease or condition **[present]** in a population at a given time **morbidity** ill health in an individual and levels of ill health within a population (often expressed through incidence and prevalence) **burden of disease** a measure of the impact of diseases and injuries, specifically the gap between current health status and an ideal situation where everyone lives to an old age free of disease and disability. Burden of disease is measured in a unit called the DALY **disability-adjusted life year (DALY)** a measure of burden of disease. One DALY is equal to one year of healthy life lost due to illness and/or death. DALYs are calculated as the sum of the years of life lost due to premature death and the years lived with disability for people living with the health condition or its consequences **years of life lost (YLL)** a measure of how many years of expected life are lost due to premature death **years lived with disability (YLD)** a measure of how many healthy years of life are lost due to disease, injury or disability **life expectancy** the number of years of life, on average, remaining to an individual at a particular age if death rates do not change. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth **health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)** the average length of time an individual at a specific age can expect to live in full health; that is, time lived without the health consequences of disease or injury **mortality** **(maternal, infant and under five)** **maternal mortality** death of a mother during pregnancy, childbirth or within six weeks of delivery - **maternal mortality ratio** the number of mothers who die as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or associated treatment per 100 000 women who give birth (or per 100 000 live births) **infant mortality deaths** in children between birth and their first birthday - **infant mortality rate** the rate of deaths of infants before their first birthday, usually expressed per 1000 live births **under-5 mortality** relates to deaths in children between birth and their fifth birthday - **under-5 mortality rate (U5MR)** the number of deaths of children under five years of age per 1000 live births **self-assessed health status** 'An individual's own opinion about how they feel about their health, their state of mind and their life in general' 4. **biological, sociocultural and environmental factors that contribute to variations in health status between population groups** 5. **the contribution to Australia's health status of:** - smoking and vaping - alcohol - overweight and obesity - nutritional imbalance (under-consumption of fruit and vegetables, and dairy foods; high intake of fat, salt and sugar; low intake of fibre).