Health Unit 8 – Flashcards

Almost everyone's had an annoying head cold where breathing becomes difficult and is accompanied by constant sneezing and coughing. If that's the only illness you've ever had, consider yourself lucky. Some people are born with challenging health conditions that severely limit what they can do. Some develop diseases at an early age. Other diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, are more likely to develop during middle age. Lifestyle choices that you make often contribute to the onset and development of these types of noninfectious diseases. In this lesson, you will learn about all the ways you can get sick as well as the things you can do to keep yourself well.

Noninfectious diseases are those that are not transmitted from another person or animal or through the environment. In other words, you cannot "catch" them. Many of the serious diseases that we are all familiar with are noninfectious, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. People can manage and live with many noninfectious diseases; however, three noninfectious diseases—heart disease, cancer, and stroke—remain some of the major causes of death in adults in the United States. Many noninfectious diseases may be caused or worsened by lifestyle decisions that people make, such as the amount and kinds of food they eat, whether or not they smoke tobacco, and whether or not they get enough physical activity.

With Type 2 diabetes, which is far more common, the body cannot make enough insulin or use insulin properly. Type 2 diabetes is increasing greatly in the U.S. population as people become heavier and less physically active. What is of particular concern is that Type 2 diabetes used to mainly strike people over 40. Today, many children and teens are developing Type 2 diabetes because of increased obesity and physical inactivity. -Prevention. The following lifestyle choices can prevent or lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: physical activity, weight control, and a healthy diet. Certain factors can't be changed, such as age, race, and family history, all of which may increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. It is important to discuss personal risk and family history with a doctor. -Management. People with Type 2 diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels and may require oral medications or injections of insulin. They can often manage their disease through diet, weight management, and physical activity.

The environment in which you live accounts for 20 percent of your health status. Your environment means your bedroom, your home, and your neighborhood. If you live in a city with high levels of air pollution or in a home where people smoke, your chances of developing asthma are higher than they are for people who live with low indoor and outdoor air pollution. How much control would you say you have over your environment? You probably more control over your immediate environment—like keeping your bedroom or your car smoke-free—than over the rest of your home or your neighborhood.

A whopping 40 percent of your health is influenced by the lifestyle choices you make, or your personal behavior. Lifestyle issues include whether you smoke, eat a healthy diet, get enough exercise, practice abstinence or safe sex, wear your seat belt, brush your teeth, manage your stress level, get enough sleep at night, and so on. You can make lifestyle decisions that account for 40 percent of your health status.

In this lesson, you will look at the bigger picture of public and community health and its influences. You will learn about factors that put the people in a community at risk for poor health and those that protect citizens. You will learn to identify the presence or absence of resources available in your community to keep you and your family healthy.

Public health programs are efforts to protect the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood or as large as an entire country. A term for public health that is focused on one community, such as a neighborhood, town, or city, is community health. The field of public health encompasses the science and art of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research about disease and injury prevention. Public health programs also help under-served people to achieve healthier lifestyles. Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or recurring by providing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, and conducting research. Programs that improve public health include the following: Fluoride-enriched water Traffic safety Restaurant inspections Research on disease causation and treatment Tracking disease transmission Nutrition guidelines

Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Avoid using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; get enough sleep; eat healthfully; and be physically active for an hour each day. Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands; cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze; and keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Keep your immune system healthy. Follow a sensible diet; drink lots of water; get plenty of rest; get an hour per day of physical activity; avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; and don't share personal items such as toothbrushes or razors. Get vaccinations. Doctors recommend and most school systems require that children and young teens be immunized against some common diseases. These diseases usually include diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, rubella, measles, mumps, chicken pox, and hepatitis B, among others. You may never have heard of some of these diseases, because vaccinations have protected the population from these illnesses that used to kill many people.

One positive factor in community health is the presence of health-care providers. These providers include doctors, clinics, hospitals, and mental health facilities. They also include programs for the prevention and treatment of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. These providers may be public resources that are supported by federal, state, or local monies, or they may be private. Public health-care providers are required to provide services to everyone in the community; private health-care professionals may give services only to those who can afford to pay.

In addition to health insurance and public clinics, other public services are available in many communities to help low-income families. For example, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, provides food and medical services to low-income pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children. Public health agencies inspect restaurants for cleanliness, ensure that the water supply is safe, implement procedures in the event of a natural disaster, and maintain parks and recreation areas.

These organizations are private and nonprofit agencies that rely on volunteers to provide education and support services to people in the community. For example, the American Red Cross provides disaster relief services and coordinates blood drives. The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Lung Association work to prevent specific diseases through community education and outreach and provide support services to those suffering from the diseases they represent.

Some communities have public and private organizations that promote social health in the community by sponsoring parades, potluck dinners, and other activities.

Other positive influences on community health are the laws, regulations, and policies adopted at the state and local levels that support health (for example, keeping restaurants, schools, and workplaces smoke-free).

One huge negative influence is a lack of local health resources. In some communities, there are not enough health-care providers, so people have to travel long distances to get the medical care they need. Some low-income communities lack grocery stores where people can purchase affordable and healthful food. And some communities do not have affordable public transportation, which makes it even more difficult to shop for nutritious food or to obtain health care. Another negative influence is having too many unhealthy resources—too many billboards advertising tobacco and alcohol, too many stores that sell tobacco and alcohol near schools, too many fast-food restaurants, and too much violent crime.

You can see that not everyone grows up in a healthy community. A great concern and challenge for those in the public health arena is to increase services to populations that typically have poorer health. These populations include the following: People living in rural areas, who often have poorer health than people in urban areas Racial and ethnic minorities, who generally have poorer health than white people People with disabilities, who often have poorer health than people without disabilities People who earn low incomes, who often have poorer health than people with enough money to live comfortably. In fact, living in a poor community can be one of the biggest threats to a person's health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, a healthy community is one that believes that health is more than merely an absence of disease. A healthy community includes elements that enable people to maintain a high quality of life and productivity. For example, a healthy community has these characteristics: It offers access to health-care services that focus on both treatment and prevention of disease for all members of the community. It has roads, schools, playgrounds, and other services to meet the needs of the people in that community. (These items are often referred to as infrastructure.) It has a healthy and safe environment. You can see from these statements that community health not only includes the people and resources that provide health care to members of the community; it also encompasses safety, a healthy environment, and all types of community services that people need to meet their physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and occupational needs. Take a look at some of the factors that influence community health.

Health-care costs have skyrocketed over the years. Most people pay for medical care with health insurance that is paid for by their employers. Some people whose employers do not provide health insurance purchase it on their own, but it is usually very expensive. Others, however, do not have any health insurance and cannot afford to pay for it. Medicare and Medicaid are two types of health insurance that are paid for by the federal government for people who qualify for it. People who are 65 and older often rely on Medicare to pay their medical bills. People of all ages with low incomes may qualify for Medicaid. Each state also offers free or low-cost health insurance for children through the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The goal of this activity is to create a list of community health resources that you can share with your family to help promote their health. Using a local telephone directory or the Internet, find the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of agencies that provide the following services in your community: Community health clinic Voluntary health organization Substance abuse prevention and treatment program Park and recreation program Mental health services Hospital Health program for older adults Your list should make it easy for someone to find the information he or she needs quickly. You also will give your community a health score depending on how well it provides access to health resources.

Earth Day is an annual observation that began in 1970. It is celebrated every April as a way to raise awareness about how our actions affect the environment. Negative changes in the environment can mean negative changes in our health. In this lesson, you will learn about how your behavior affects the environment, how the environment affects your health, and what you can do to make the environment (and the world) a better place for everyone.

The environment is everything around you: the ground you're standing on, the air you're breathing, the water that you drink, the oceans and rivers in which you swim and catch fish, the landscape you see, and even the people around you. All of these things make up the physical and social environment in which you live. Life today is more comfortable than it was for our great-great-great-grandparents. Generations ago, most Americans spent their days performing heavy physical labor. Today, appliances and machines take over much of the work that was done by hand in generations past. And we don't ride a mule or drive a horse-drawn buggy to get from place to place; instead, we drive our cars, trucks, or SUVs. Generally, our homes are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and we have indoor plumbing. We also own lots of stuff: clothes, computers, cell phones, furniture...the list goes on. All this is great, but progress has come at a high price. Have you ever considered the price that economic success has exacted on the environment? On the next several screens, you'll learn about some of the problems that human beings have created in our environment.

Although our lives have improved in material ways, this technological progress has come at a cost to the natural environment in which we live. The emissions from vehicles and factories cause air pollution by contaminating the atmosphere. Here are five common air pollutants: Ozone. A gas that is commonly found in smog (the brownish haze that you may see in the sky) Particulate matter. Particles such as dust, ash, smoke, and mold found in the air Carbon monoxide. A colorless, odorless combination of carbon and oxygen Sulfur dioxide. A gas made up of sulfur and oxygen Nitrogen oxides. Gases containing nitrogen and oxygen Ozone and particulate matter contribute to asthma, reduced lung function, and respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis. Carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide affect people who have heart disease. Both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory problems.

Unfortunately, it's not only the air outdoors that you need to worry about. Indoor air pollution also can be harmful to your health. One of the most common forms of indoor air pollution is tobacco smoke, whether the smoke is from your own cigarette or someone else's. Asbestos is a material that was used in building materials and furniture before its dangers were known. If asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can cause a scarring lung disease called asbestosis. It may take several years after exposure to asbestos for this serious disease to develop. Its effects, however, can be fatal. Radon is an odorless, radioactive gas that seeps into a house through cracks in the foundation; it can cause lung cancer. As a protective measure, every home should be tested for the presence of radon. Other sources of indoor air pollution include the fumes and particles from household cleaners. If ammonia, bleach, and scrubbing cleansers are used in your home, check the warning labels for safe usage. Finally, be aware of indoor air pollution that comes from the particles and gases that occur when stoves, furnaces, fireplaces, and space heaters are in use.

Noise pollution comes from intense, loud sound that can damage hearing. Hair dryers, motorcycles, lawn mowers, airplane engines, ambulance sirens, rock bands—these all contribute to the social environment in which we live. Noise is measured by a unit called a decibel. Normal conversation is usually carried on at around 65 decibels. When we are exposed to noises at 85 decibels or higher, we may experience a temporary hearing loss and/or a ringing in the ears. Continued exposure to high noise levels can cause permanent hearing loss.

All of the "stuff" that we enjoy and all of the trash that we create need to go somewhere. Some of our waste, such as food and wood, is biodegradable. It will decompose and become part of the earth. Other materials, such as plastic, are nonbiodegradable. Much of our waste ends up in landfills or dumps. Some places are running out of space for landfills. Clean water is essential to maintaining good health. Water pollution may be caused by wastewater (used water from people's homes and communities); illegal dumping of industrial chemical wastes; and runoff (rainwater or snowmelt that runs over the land, picking up pesticides, fertilizers, etc. along the way). Some of the garbage we create is hazardous, or toxic. Examples of hazardous waste include dry-cleaning solvents, paints, pesticides, herbicides, and adhesives. These materials need to be disposed of at special collection sites and should not be thrown out with household trash because they can contaminate the land and seep into the water supply.

Another type of land pollution is deforestation, which is the cutting down of trees and forests to make way for farms, ranches, and housing. Deforestation changes the earth's balance, resulting in soil erosion, flooding, and sediment buildup in nearby rivers and lakes. Deforestation also changes rainfall patterns because of changes in rates of evaporation. As a result, regions experiencing deforestation become hotter and drier. These climate changes are a serious concern.

Even if you're a concerned environmental citizen, it's sometimes tough to make a difference. There are many things you can do to help protect the environment and reduce the negative impacts of pollution on your health and the health of those around you. The Three Rs Remember the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Reduce your use of products that use excessive packaging so there will be less to throw away. Reuse items by getting them fixed, trading with friends, or buying from secondhand stores. Refill empty water bottles instead of throwing them away. Recycle everything you can. We certainly can get in the habit of separating paper, plastic, glass, and metal from our garbage and getting them to a recycling center or pickup point. Often, there are recycling receptacles placed in public places. Recycling includes more than everyday items like newspapers and water bottles. What happens to the bigger items, like computers or refrigerators? In Japan, there is little room left for landfills. Under a new law, manufacturers must recycle four types of appliances—washing machines, televisions, refrigerators, and air conditioners—accounting for around 80 percent of all appliances produced in Japan. Dispose of Household Trash Properly Dispose of household trash properly by separating hazardous materials. Don't pour motor oil or household chemicals down the drain. Don't put used batteries in the trash (car batteries belong in the category of hazardous waste and should be taken to hazardous waste sites or to a garage that will recycle them for you). Remember the information about land and water pollution, and follow your community's instructions on where to take batteries for proper disposal.

Conservation not only saves resources, it saves money as well. Here are some ways to conserve resources: Use less fuel. You'll be very comfortable inside your home if you keep the thermostat at 68°F when it's cold outside and at 78°F when it's hot outside. There's no need to blast the heater at 80°F or the air conditioner at 65°F. Use less water. Fix leaky faucets or toilets, and don't keep the water running when you aren't actively using it to brush your teeth, wash your face, or do the dishes. Use less electricity. Buy energy-efficient appliances, and replace incandescent lightbulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Turn off the lights when you leave the room, and don't leave the television on when no one is watching it.