Health Chapter 1 PDF

CHAPTER 1 Leading a Healthy Life KNOWLEDGE Which of the statements below are true, and which are false? Check your answers on p. 642. 1. Most deaths are caused by our behaviors. 2. If you have a history of heart disease in your...

CHAPTER 1 Leading a Healthy Life KNOWLEDGE Which of the statements below are true, and which are false? Check your answers on p. 642. 1. Most deaths are caused by our behaviors. 2. If you have a history of heart disease in your family, there is nothing you can do about your risk for heart disease. 3. The leading cause of death in teens is motor vehicle accidents. 4. Smoking is the single leading preventable cause of death in the United States. 5. Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can lower your chances of suffering from cancer or heart disease. 6. If you are not physically sick, then you are healthy. 4 Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.  SECTION 1 Health and Teens SECTION 2 Health and Wellness SECTION 3 Health in Your Community Visit these Web sites for the latest health information: go.hrw.com www.scilinks.org/health www.cnnstudentnews.com Check out articles related to this chapter by visiting go.hrw.com. Just type in the keyword HH4 CH01. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 5  SECTION 1 Health and SECTION 2 Teens OBJECTIVES KEY KEY TERMS TERMS SECTION 3 Compare the major causes of death in the past with the major causes of death today. Distinguish between controllable risk factors and uncontrollable lifestyle disease a disease caused partly by unhealthy behaviors and partly by other factors risk factor anything that increases the likelihood risk factors. of injury, disease, or other health problems SECTION 4 Compare the major causes of death for teens with those for other age groups in the United States. sedentary not taking part in physical activity on a regular basis List the six health risk behaviors that lead to health problems in teens. SECTION 5 Name three behaviors you can adopt now to improve your health. LIFE SKILL Y ou have the power to protect yourself from the dangers that threaten your health. The first step to protecting yourself is learning what these dangers are and what you can do to prevent them. Health Today What does being healthy mean to you? Focus on the first thing you think of when you read the word healthy. Did you think of not having diseases? being physically fit? eating right? Many people think that “Our generation being healthy simply means not being sick. In the past, this was true. will live longer than Health in the Past: Infectious Diseases In the 1800s and early people did a hundred years ago 1900s, the leading causes of death in the United States were infectious because we are diseases—diseases caused by pathogens, such as bacteria. Infectious learning to diseases can be passed from one person to another. Examples of infec- live healthier lives.” tious diseases include polio, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and influenza (the flu). Infectious diseases were a constant threat. That is why peo- ple thought of being healthy as being free from disease! Health Today: Lifestyle Diseases Over the years, medical advances, better living conditions, and a focus on preventative medi- cine have helped bring infectious diseases of the past under control. As a result, most of the diseases that were common 50 to 100 years ago can now be prevented or cured. Today, most health problems in the United States are related to the way we live, or our lifestyle. Lifestyle diseases are diseases caused partly by unhealthy behaviors and partly by other factors. They are diseases influenced by the choices you make that affect your health. Examples of diseases that can be influenced by lifestyle are some types of diabetes, some types of heart disease, and some types of cancer. 6 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.  Table 1 Controllable Risk Factors for Heart Disease Controllable Behavior factor Bad Better Best Physical activity > watching TV very > walking the stairs > playing a team often instead of taking sport three times a elevator week Smoking > smoking every day > smoking every so > quit smoking or not often smoking Weight > weighing 20 > weighing 10 percent > weighing recom- percent more than to 20 percent more mended body recommended body than recommended weight weight body weight Diet > eating fast food > eating junk food > eating healthful, every day several times a nutritious meals week Health Risk Factors All health problems have risk factors. A risk factor is anything that increases the likelihood of injury, disease, or other health problems. For example, the risk factors for heart disease include a history of heart disease in your family, a high-fat diet, stress, being overweight, smoking, and lack of exercise. All of these factors increase a person’s chance of developing heart disease. Notice that some of the risk fac- tors can be controlled by your behavior, while others cannot. Controllable Risk Factors Controllable risk factors are risk factors that you can do something about. They can be controlled by your behavior. For example, what can you do to decrease your risk of developing heart disease? As shown in Table 1, you can exercise regu- larly, avoid smoking, manage a healthy weight, and eat healthful, nutritious meals. Uncontrollable Risk Factors Uncontrollable Risk Factors Unfortunately, not all health risk factors are controllable. The ones that can’t be changed are called > Age uncontrollable risk factors. Examples of uncontrollable risk factors for > Race heart disease are age, race, gender, and heredity. For example, the > Gender older a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop heart disease. > Heredity African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, than European Americans are. Men are more likely to develop heart disease than women are. You can’t make yourself younger or change your race or gender. However, by focusing on controllable risk factors, which you can change through your behavior, you can protect your health. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 1 Health and Teens 7 HH04PEC01_S1 6/2/04 7:46 PM Page 8 Everyone, no matter what age, can do things to take control of his or her health. Risk Factors and Your Health You can’t control the uncontrollable risk factors. However, you can protect your health by focusing on controllable risk factors, which you can change through your behavior. What behaviors can you focus on at this point in your life? First, you should know the leading causes of death for people your age in the United States: > motor vehicle accidents > homicide > suicide > other accidents These four causes of death make up almost three-fourths of all teen deaths. For children and infants, motor vehicle accidents are also the No. 1 cause of death. www.scilinks.org/health Your health behaviors affect not only your health today but also Topic: Motor Vehicle Safety your future health. Thus, you should be aware of the leading causes HealthLinks code: HH4101 of death for other age groups. For example, the leading cause of death for adults between 19 and 65 years of age is cancer. The leading cause of death for adults over 65 years of age is heart disease. The next section describes the health behaviors that most affect you and other teens. By learning these risk behaviors, you can take control in improving your health today and in the future. 8 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life  Analyzing DATA Health Today 1 Each slice of the pie represents the percentage of deaths among Your Turn teens that are a result of the cause indicated. 1. What is the No. 1 cause of 2 Each slice of the pie represents the percentage of deaths for all ages death for your age group? that are a result of the cause indicated. 2. What percentage of MATH deaths for all ages SKILL Major Causes of Death are caused by heart disease 1 Ages 15 to 24 2 All ages and cancer? 3. Using one or both pie charts, 27% 33% 35% 30% list at least four causes of death that are affected by 11% health risk behaviors. 16% 23% 13% 4. CRITICAL THINKING 5% Describe what you can do to 7% protect yourself from each of Motor vehicle Strokes and the causes of death that you accidents cerebrovascular disease Homicide Respiratory disease listed in item 3. Suicide Other causes Other accidents Heart disease Other causes Cancer Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Six Health Risk Behaviors There are six types of risk behaviors that cause the most serious health problems. 1. Sedentary lifestyle Not taking part in physical activity on a regular basis is referred to as being sedentary. Those who have sedentary lifestyles, even if they are not overweight, raise their risk of certain diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. 2. Alcohol and other drug use Alcohol abuse can cause liver disease, certain types of cancer, heart disease, and brain damage. Alcohol and drug use are also major factors in car accidents, physical fights, depression, suicide, and mental disorders. Alcohol and drug use are also factors in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These are diseases that are spread through sexual activity. An example of a sexually transmitted disease is acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 3. Sexual activity Sexual activity outside of a committed relation- ship, such as marriage, puts people at risk for health problems. These health problems include HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unplanned pregnancy. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 1 Health and Teens 9  4. Behaviors that cause injuries As mentioned, the four major causes of death for teenagers are motor vehicle accidents, other accidents, homicide, and suicide. For example, a risk behavior that can lead to homicide is carrying a weapon. Not using a seat belt is a risk behavior that can lead to death in a motor vehicle accident. 5. Tobacco use Smoking is the single leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking is a control- lable risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. These are three of the leading causes of death for all age groups. The choice to smoke often takes place in high school, if not before then. Smoking as a teenager greatly increases your risk for the three leading causes of death. 6. Poor eating habits Your eating habits can either increase or lower your chances of developing many diseases. Eat- ing at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can lower your chances of suffering from cancer or heart dis- ease. On the other hand, eating foods that are high in fat Figure 1 and weighing more than your recommended weight puts you at risk for heart disease, cancer, and stroke. You have the power to protect yourself from the six types of risk behaviors. The choices you make can either raise your risk for certain health concerns or lower your risk. Learning about the risk ACTIVITY What risk behaviors do you think are the most common at your behaviors summarized in Figure 1 will help you make better school? choices to protect yourself. SECTION 1 REVIEW Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. SECTION 2 Using Key Terms 1. Identify the term for “a disease caused partly by 6. Compare the leading causes of death for teens with those of all ages. unhealthy behaviors and partly by other factors.” 7. State the six risk behaviors that lead to health SECTION 3 2. Identify the term for “not taking part in physical activity on a regular basis.” problems in teens. 8. Identify the risk behavior that leads to the most deaths in teens. Understanding Key Ideas SECTION 4 3. State the type of disease that causes most deaths 9. Identify the risk behavior that is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. in the United States today. 4. List three examples of uncontrollable risk factors. Critical Thinking SECTION 5 5. Identify which of the following is not a control- lable risk factor. 10. LIFE SKILL Practicing Wellness List three of your behaviors that you can change to improve your health. a. exercise c. age b. diet d. weight 11. LIFE SKILL Practicing Wellness Use Table 1 to give another example of a “best” behavior you can do for the controllable factor physical activity. 10 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 1 SECTION 2 Health 3and Wellness SECTION OBJECTIVES KEY KEY TERMS TERMS SECTION 4 Describe each of the six components of health. State the importance of striving for optimal health. health the state of well-being in which all of the components of health—physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and environmental—are Describe four influences on wellness. in balance Describe three ways to take charge of your wellness. value a strong belief or ideal SECTION 5 Name two ways you can improve two components of your health. LIFE SKILL wellness the achievement of a person’s best in all six components of health health literacy knowledge of health information needed to make good choices about your health I ris was in good physical shape. Abel couldn’t remember the last time he had to stay home because he had a cold. Do you think Iris and Abel are healthy? Myth “As long as I work out, Six Components of Health I’m healthy.” Being healthy is much more than being physically fit and free from disease. Health is the state of well-being in which all of the compo- nents of health—physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and environmental—are in balance. To be truly healthy, you must take care of all six components. The six components are described in more Fact detail below. Being healthy is more than being physically fit. Physical Health Abel used to think that being physically healthy meant being strong and muscular like an Olympic athlete. Being in good physical shape is part of physical health. However, you don’t have to be an athlete or even good at sports to be physically healthy. Physical health refers to the way your body functions. Physical health includes eating right, getting regular exercise, and being at your recommended body weight. Physical health is also about avoiding drugs and alcohol. Finally, physical health means being free of dis- ease and sickness. Emotional Health Emotional health is expressing your emotions in a positive, nondestructive way. Everyone experiences unpleasant feelings at one time or another. Emotionally healthy people can cope with unpleasant emotions and not get overwhelmed by them. For example, when Abel feels down, he knows he can go to his best friend or his family for support. Are you aware of how you feel and to whom you can go for support? Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 2 Health and Wellness 11  Six Components of Health Physical Health Mental Health > eats a well-balanced, diet > has high self-esteem > exercises regularly > enjoys trying new things > avoids tobacco, alcohol, > is free of mental illness and drugs > is free of disease Spiritual Health > has a sense of purpose in life Emotional Health > follows morals and values > expresses emotions > feels a unity with other constructively human beings > asks for help when sad Environmental Health > has access to clean air Social Health and water > respects others > has a clean and uncrowded > has supportive relationships living space > expresses needs to others > recycles used paper, glass products, and aluminum Figure 2 Social Health Social health does not mean being the most popu- To be healthy, a person must attend to lar kid in school. A person who is popular can be socially unhealthy! all six components of health. Social health is the quality of your relationships with friends, family, ACTIVITY Which component of your teachers, and others you are in contact with. As listed in Figure 2, a health do you think needs the most person who is socially healthy respects others. A socially healthy per- improvement? son also stays clear of those who do not treat him or her with respect and tolerance. For example, Abel gets together with his friends each week. However, he avoids his neighbor who bullies him. He is also learning to better work out disagreements with his parents. Mental Health Your mental health can be strongly influenced by your emotional health. Mental health is the ability to recognize real- ity and cope with the demands of daily life. Sometimes people who have gone through intensely troubling times develop mental ill- nesses. An example of a mental illness is a phobia. A phobia is an irrational and excessive fear of something, such as a fear of heights. But mental health is about more than not having mental illness. Mental health is also having high self-esteem. Having high self- esteem is feeling comfortable and happy about yourself. For exam- ple, Iris is now trying out for the drama club. She had been hesitant to try out because none of her friends liked acting, but she decided to try out anyway. 12 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Spiritual Health Spiritual health is maintaining harmonious rela- tionships with other living things and having spiritual direction and purpose. Spiritual health means different things to different people. For some people, spiritual health is defined by the practice of reli- gion. For others, it is understanding their purpose in life. Spiritual health also includes living according to one’s ethics, morals, and values. A value is a strong belief or ideal. Being spiritu- ally healthy may mean you live in harmony with your environment. It may also mean that you are at peace with yourself and those around you. For example, Iris says she feels most valuable and united with others when she helps out at her city’s homeless shelter. Environmental Health The environment is made up of the living and nonliving things in your world. The environment includes air, water, and land. Your environment is your surroundings—where you live, work, or play. Environmental health is keeping your air and water clean, your food safe, and the land around you enjoyable and safe. Iris started a recycling program for her family when she realized the importance of her environmental health to her well-being. Wellness: Striving for Optimal Health As you may have noticed, many of the components of health can be affected by the other components. If one component of health is weak, it can affect a person’s overall health. This is why being healthy is defined as the balance of all the components of health. Wellness is the achievement of a person’s best in all six components of health. It would be unrealistic to think that a person could achieve com- plete wellness all of the time. Think of striving for wellness in the same way you think of always striving to have a good day. Do you always have a really good day or a really bad day? Most of your days are most likely somewhere in between. That is how the wellness con- tinuum works, too. The wellness continuum represents the idea that a person is nei- ther completely healthy nor completely unhealthy. Think of the well- ness continuum as resembling the scale on a bellringer, commonly seen at amusement parks. As shown in Figure 3, at the top of the scale Figure 3 is optimal health, and at the bottom of the scale is illness and death. The wellness continuum shows that The harder you strive to hit the hammer on the pedal, the higher the wellness is about always striving for ball goes on the scale. For most of us, the ball reaches somewhere in optimal health, even though most the middle of the scale. people are never completely healthy. People who can cope with their emotions, have healthy relation- ships, and make smart decisions probably fall near the optimal well- ness side of the continuum. On the other hand, people who eat poorly, engage in health risk behaviors, never exercise, and are unhappy probably fall closer to the illness side. Where you fall on the continuum can change on a yearly, monthly, and even daily basis. Fortunately, you have the power to change your behaviors to move closer to optimal health. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 2 Health and Wellness 13  Influences on Your Wellness As you strive for optimal health, it’s important to recognize that there are many factors that influence your health. Hereditary Influences Your health can be influenced by your heredity—the traits you inherit from your parents. For example, if sev- eral members of your family have developed diabetes, you may be at risk for diabetes. However, if you have a hereditary disease in your family, it doesn’t mean you will definitely develop that disease. By focusing on controllable risk factors, you can decrease your risk for hereditary diseases. Social Influences Your health is also influenced by the relation- ships you have with other people. For example, if your friends con- vince you to go to a party where alcohol is available, your friends are influencing your health in a negative way. If your parents or grandpar- ents deal with anger by talking out their problems instead of yelling and fighting, you will be more likely to talk out your problems. Your parents are influencing your health in a positive way. Cultural Influences Culture is the values, beliefs, and practices shared by people that have a common background. Your culture can strongly influence your health. For example, some Asian cultures eat a lot of vegetables and seafood in their diet. This cultural influence is thought to be one of the reasons people from some Asian cultures Many factors influence your health, have a lower risk of heart disease. What cultural influences do you including hereditary, social, cultural, think influence your health? and environmental influences. Social Cultural “My friends and I “My father makes the best would rather play vi together than play sportsd.”eo games shrimp with lemongrass.” Environmental “The air is so fresh y Hereditar a t h er in the country. I’m g d n d f we moved herela “My gArlzaheimer’s disease.”.” had 14 Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Environmental Influences Your surroundings, the area where you live, and all the things you have contact with are part of your environment. Pollutants, safety regulations, and the availability and use of medical care are aspects of your environment that affect your health. The government enforces air- and water-quality regulations to keep your environment free from pollutants. The government also maintains safety regulations, such as traffic laws, to keep you safe. Taking Charge of Your Wellness Three ways you can take charge of your health are through your knowledge, through your lifestyle, and through your attitude. Knowledge An important way to improve your health is through your knowledge. Health literacy is the knowledge of health informa- tion needed to make good choices about your health. Studying health in school will certainly increase your health literacy. However, it’s important to keep up with current health issues. Your parents, teachers, healthcare providers, and library are great resources for health information. They can also lead you to other resources for health information. Lifestyle One of the most important ways to improve your health is to make behavioral changes in your lifestyle. Putting your knowl- edge into action is a sure way to take charge of your wellness. Unfortunately, most people don’t always behave in a way that shows they know what is healthy. For example, most smokers know that smoking cigarettes can lead to lung cancer, but they still smoke. Table 2 shows some examples of consequences that can happen when health behavior doesn’t follow health knowledge. Some ways you can put your health knowledge into action are to exercise regularly, always wear a seat belt, and eat healthy and nutritious foods. Table 2 Health Knowledge Versus Health Behavior Health knowledge Health behavior Consequences knowing the consequences of taking action that affects your health, facing the effect of your behavior your behavior on your health either negatively or positively on your health Example 1 > Steven knows that eating junk > Steven eats candy bars and chips > Steven starts putting on weight food can make him overweight and drinks soda almost every day. which increases his risk for dia- and may lead to heart disease betes and heart disease. later in life. Example 2 > Karen does poorly on her exams, > Karen knows she needs > Karen doesn’t plan her studying gets sick, and misses the junior enough sleep to stay healthy. well and stays up late all week prom. cramming for final exams. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 2 Health and Wellness 15  Attitude A person’s way of thinking, or attitude, greatly affects that person’s health. By changing your attitude, you can act in ways that work to make you a healthier person. For example, you could try to change your attitude toward stress. You can try to relax and stop let- ting the “little things” bother you. If you can keep stress from affect- ing you, you will find that you feel better mentally and physically. You can also try to change your attitude about anger. Don’t get so worked up about things you can’t control! Your attitude can also help you make the best of a bad situation. People who have suffered through a long-term illness have benefited by having a positive attitude. People with positive attitudes are more hopeful and will strive harder to overcome illness. Having a positive attitude can be critical when overcoming an illness. Perhaps the most important attitude you can change is the way you feel about yourself. To achieve wellness, you have to feel good about yourself, or have positive self-esteem. Self-esteem is a person’s “Health knowledge is confidence, pride, and self-respect. You can be free from disease, be physically active, have a healthy diet, and have many supportive rela- useless without tionships. However, if you don’t feel good about yourself, you will positive health behavior. never be truly healthy. Eventually, low self-esteem can affect your health and actually make you physically ill. As a result, it is important You must put what you to build a healthy self-esteem. know into action Taking charge of your wellness will help you lead a healthy life. for it to work!” Leading a healthy life is about balancing the six components of health. Getting the best out of each component of health has a lot to do with the choices you make and the actions you take. The good SECTION 1 news is that you have the power to make the right choices and live life to its fullest! SECTION 2 REVIEW Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. SECTION 3 Using Key Terms 1. Define the term health. 7. Describe the importance of striving for wellness. 8. Discuss each of the four influences on your wellness. 2. Identify the term for “a strong belief or ideal.” SECTION 4 3. Define the term wellness. 9. Describe how your attitude can help you take charge of your health. 4. Identify the term for “knowledge of health infor- mation needed to make good choices about your Critical Thinking SECTION 5 health.” 10. LIFE SKILL Practicing Wellness State two ways you can improve two components of your health. Understanding Key Ideas 11. Describe how your family members influence and 5. Describe each of the six components of health. promote health in your family. 6. Identify the health component that involves work- ing on the quality of your relationships with others. a. mental health c. emotional health b. social health d. environmental health 16 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 2 SECTION 3 Health 4in Your Community SECTION OBJECTIVES KEY KEY TERMS TERMS SECTION 5 Describe four ways society addresses health problems. List three ways you can promote an issue to improve the health of others. LIFE SKILL public health the practice of protecting and improving the health of people in a community advocate to speak or argue in favor of something public service announcement (PSA) a message created to educate people about an issue T hree years ago, Maureen’s mother was so sick from diabetes that she had to be hospitalized. Thanks to new developments in medicine, she’s feeling better than she has in years. Maureen’s mother is now more free to do the things she loves. Four Ways Society Addresses Health Problems Everyone has the responsibility of taking care of his or her health. However, many health problems need to be tackled by the coopera- tion and experience of many people. Public health is the practice of protecting and improving the health of people in a community. Our community is able to promote and protect the health of peo- Medical advances and technology have ple in many ways. Four ways in which our community addresses saved lives and helped people recover health problems are through medical advances, technology, public from many diseases. policy, and education. 1. Medical advances Conducting medical research is one way our society addresses health concerns. One medical advancement that came about through medical research was the development of the insulin pump. The implanted insulin pump is being developed for people with a certain type of diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease in which the body is not able to obtain glucose (better known as sugar) from the blood. Diabetes kills tens of thousands of people every year in the United States. People who live with diabetes must constantly manage the levels of glucose in their blood- stream. To do so, diabetics must monitor their diet, exercise regu- larly, and, in many cases, receive daily insulin shots. The surgically implanted insulin pump is being developed to replace the need for daily insulin shots. A microchip embedded in the pump makes monitoring and controling blood-sugar levels HEALTH For more information about possible. If a diabetic’s blood-sugar level is low, the pump will Handbook public health, see the Express Lesson on p. 552 of this text. release insulin. With the insulin pump, the diabetic will no longer need daily insulin shots and can easily manage blood-sugar levels. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. SECTION 3 Health in Your Community 17  Medical Advances Technology Public Policy Education Doctors are developing Glucose meters indicate Congress passes laws School health classes insulin pumps that can be blood-sugar levels for that provide funds for teach students how to surgically implanted to diabetics. research on diseases decrease their risk of make managing blood- such as diabetes. developing diabetes. sugar levels easier. Figure 4 Society has worked in many ways to 2. Technology Another way in which our society works to solve address health problems such as health problems is through technology. Through the use of com- diabetes. puters, lasers, and other revolutionary technologies, new and bet- ACTIVITY Can you think of how ter products have been made to help people lead healthier lives. another health problem has been One example of a product made through the use of technol- addressed for one of these four ways? ogy is the glucose meter, such as the one shown in Figure 4. The glucose meter was designed to let diabetics know their blood- sugar level by requiring only a very small amount of blood. The glucose meter makes monitoring blood-sugar levels easier. 3. Public policy Governmental policies and regulations can also help to address health problems. Tobacco regulation is one way that laws can help prevent disease. Examples of these laws are placing taxes on cigarettes, enforcing an age limit to buy tobacco products, and limiting how tobacco companies can advertise. These laws are aimed at trying to keep people from smoking. Smoking can cause diseases such as lung cancer. Congress can also pass laws that provide tax dollars for research on diseases. This money helps fund the development of products such as the glucose meter. The money also helps advance medical research, such as surgically implanting insulin pumps. 4. Education Health education has been a key factor in the preven- www.scilinks.org/health tion of disease and illness in this country. For example, most Topic: Diabetes states require that students take some form of health class. HealthLinks code: HH4041 Health teachers teach students about the benefits of exercising and eating nutritious foods. Health teachers also discuss the risks of smoking, drinking, and behaving violently. In addition, many community agencies provide health educa- tion. For example, the American Diabetes Association teaches the public about diabetes and ways to prevent it. 18 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. What You Can Do Many people have improved the health of others by speaking out and promoting health issues. To speak out or argue in favor of something is to advocate. You may know of people in your commu- nity who work tirelessly to promote health issues. Maybe they help take hot meals to elderly people in their homes. Or perhaps they organize rallies to promote certain health issues. Others may work in a health field. You Can Be an Advocate! Although few people devote their HEALTH For more information about Handbook health careers, see the lives to being advocates, we all have the potential to better our own wellness as well as the wellness of others. For example, you could vol- Reference Guide on p. 632 of this text. unteer at a local health clinic or public agency. You could become involved at school in addressing health issues important to teens. You could serve as an example to others by practicing your best health behaviors. You can even be an advocate by training for a career in a health field! real life SPEAK OUT ! LIFE SKILL Activity Communicating Effectively 3. Cut out magazine pictures that 4. CRITICAL THINKING Using Materials can help you express your other methods, such as the health message. Internet or a video camera, how ✔ magazines would you communicate your 4. Use magazine pictures, colored ✔ scissors paper, poster board, glue and health message differently? ✔ colored paper markers to create a poster that ✔ poster board expresses your message. ✔ glue ✔ markers Conclusions 1. Summarizing Results What Procedure was the main health message of your poster? 1. Choose a health issue in your school or community that you 2. Evaluating Information What would like to address by technique or style did you use supporting others in making to make your health message positive health choices. stand out? 2. Think about the message you 3. Predicting Outcomes How do want to communicate and the you think the audience you audience you want to receive want to send your message to your message. will respond to your poster? Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.  Getting Your Point Across One way to reach many people about health issues is through a public service announcement. A public service announcement (PSA) is a message created to educate people about an issue. Most PSAs are in the form of a commercial that you hear on the radio or on television. You can also create a PSA in other forms. For example, you can publish an essay in the school newspaper. You could also create posters and post them around your school. “Our mother survived cancer. There are several things you should think about when choosing Now, we’re helping the way to communicate your message: > Make sure you have the most current and accurate information. others with cancer and Be sure to research your topic. Ask a family member or teacher having fun!” about an organization that specializes in your topic. Your par- ents can also help you find information on the Internet. > Know your audience. To whom are you trying to send your message? How do you think your audience will respond to your message? Some issues bring up strong feelings and opin- ions in people. The success of your message can depend on how sensitive you are to these feelings and opinions. For example, how would you get your best friend to stop smoking? How would she react if you told her that she should quit because her clothes smell and her breath stinks? Your comments likely wouldn’t convince her to quit. However, what would happen if you recom- mended a technique that would make it easier for her to quit? You could offer to buy her favorite CD as she reaches a specific goal. You could also suggest that her doctor may have some advice about how to quit smoking. In this way, you are using your health knowledge and SECTION 1 showing your friend that you care about her. Advocating for your health and others’ health is one of the most important things you can do in your life. Being well informed about SECTION 2 your health, knowing how you feel about yourself, and making an effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle are the foundations for your and others’ wellness. SECTION 3 REVIEW Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. SECTION 4 Using Key Terms 5. Identify which of the following areas addresses community health through governmental decisions. 1. Define the term public health. a. public policy c. technology 2. Identify the term for “a message created to edu- SECTION 5 b. medical advances d. education cate people about an issue.” Critical Thinking Understanding Key Ideas 6. LIFE SKILL Communicating Effectively Describe 3. List four ways society addresses health issues. why good communication skills are important for 4. Identify the way in which society teaches others to advocating a health issue. live healthy lives. 7. LIFE SKILL Practicing Wellness List three ways a. medical advances c. technology you can communicate a health issue to your b. education d. public policy community. 20 C H AP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.  CHAPTER 1 Highlights Key Terms The Big Picture SECTION 1 ✔ In the past, deaths were caused mainly by infectious diseases. lifestyle disease (6) Today, most health problems are related to the way we live, risk factor (7) or our lifestyle. sedentary (9) ✔ All health problems have risk factors. You have the power to change controllable risk factors. ✔ The major cause of death for adults over the age of 65 is heart disease. The major cause of death for adults between 19 and 65 years of age is cancer. The major causes of death for teens are motor vehicle accidents, homicide, suicide, and other accidents. The major cause of death for children and infants is motor vehicle accidents. ✔ The six types of behavior that lead to health problems for teens are sedentary lifestyle, alcohol and drug use, sexual activity, behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries, tobacco use, and poor eating habits. SECTION 2 ✔ Health is the state of well-being in which all of the components health (11) of health—physical, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, and value (13) environmental—are in balance. wellness (13) ✔ Wellness is the achievement of your best in all of the compo- health literacy (15) nents of health. ✔ The four influences on your wellness are hereditary, social, cultural, and environmental influences. ✔ You can take charge of your wellness through your lifestyle, through your attitude, and through your knowledge. SECTION 3 ✔ Society addresses health problems in four ways: medical public health (17) advances, technology, public policy, and education. advocate (19) ✔ Everyone has the power to try to improve the wellness of public service others. announcement (PSA) (20) ✔ Public service announcements are an effective way to advo- cate for a health issue. ✔ Communication skills are very important when you advocate for a health issue. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. C H AP T E R 1 Highlights 21