Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Concept of
Health and
Wellness
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
INTRODUCTION
Let us begin our learning of this module by first considering a concept which
may be familiar to you.
TOPIC 1
TOPIC 1
An important inference one can draw from the foregoing discussion is that the
well-being of a person is dependent on a combination of factors. Hence,
happiness, healthiness and prosperity are collectively desirable elements for a
sense of well-being. It is difficult to be happy if one is not healthy. Likewise, one
may not be able to relish his/her prosperity if one is not happy or healthy
enough to enjoy it.
In the following subtopics, you will acquire further clarity on the concepts of
health and wellness as being vital components of well-being. In addition, the
contents of the subtopic will also cover characteristics of a healthy lifestyle,
personal responsibilities for attaining and maintaining health and wellness,
factors that characterise the health and wellness state of an individual and the
benefits of a comprehensive health and wellness lifestyle. We hope that you will
enjoy this first topic and gain a lot of knowledge on health and wellness. Let us
delve deeper into the lesson!
1.1
MEANING OF HEALTH
Let us first look at the meaning of health. Later in the next subtopic, we will look
at the concept of wellness. Hopefully, by the end of these two subtopics, you will
be able to differentiate between health and wellness.
How would you define health? As you may be well aware, there are people who
may not have an actual idea about what health means, though each may
express it in his/her own unique way. Some however understand what health
means but are unable to express the concept clearly. Let us look at a formal
definition of health by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health can be defined as the state of complete physical health, mental
health and social well-being, and not merely the absence of illness and
infirmity.
WHO (2003)
As you can infer from the definition by WHO, being healthy encompasses a wide
span of factors and is not just about being free from diseases.
Since the established definition by WHO, there have been additional
explanations to help further clarify health as a concept within several
dimensions. Currently, many people describe health as being a multidimensional concept encompassing different aspects of personal life. For
example, Donatelle, Snow and Wilcox (1999) consider the concept of health as
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TOPIC 1
ACTIVITY 1.1
1.
2.
1.2
Physical health;
(b)
(c)
Social well-being.
Cite any major differences between the WHO definition and other
explanations of health.
MEANING OF WELLNESS
Now let us continue our lesson by focusing on wellness. Over the years, new
discoveries and technological innovations have improved literacy and
understanding of the significant value of preventive and promotive aspects of
healthcare preservation.
Consequently, expectations are growing from merely being healthy to aspirations
for a higher quality of life. People no longer accept that being healthy and
disease-free means subscribing to a pill-popping culture. Rather, they wish to
be stronger and fitter and strive in sports and recreational physical activities to be
reassured of their superior wellness state.
TOPIC 1
Historically, the concept of wellness was first introduced in the early 1970s to
represent individual attempts at perking up the existing state of health. Dunn
(1977) first used the word wellness to signify an active process in which a
person becomes aware of and makes conscious personal choices to achieve a
healthier state of being in all important dimensions of his or her life.
Edlin and Golanty (2010) further summed up the concept of wellness as being a
proactive and preventive approach designed to achieve optimum levels of
physical health, as well as social and emotional functioning. It can be seen as a
commitment within personal limitations and potentials and a process of
continued striving towards optimal health, without merely focusing on the
absence of diseases.
From the previous explanations, it is hoped that you have noticed the subtle
differences between wellness and health. To summarise, health is a state of
well-being at a particular moment based on the ability of an individual to
perform basic activities of daily living. Wellness on the other hand, is an active
process through which a person becomes aware of personal limitations and
makes conscious choices to gain more independence from the constraints to his
or her contentment for a successful existence.
Are you ready for the next subtopic? We will explore the significant
characteristics that reflect a health and wellness lifestyle in the following
subtopic.
SELF-CHECK 1.1
Differentiate between health and wellness.
ACTIVITY 1.2
Reflect on your own state of health and answer the following questions:
(a)
(b)
(c)
1.3
TOPIC 1
CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE
After reading this subtopic, I hope that you will be able to describe the
characteristics of a healthy lifestyle.
Now that you have a basic understanding about the concepts of health and
wellness, let us deliberate on the characteristics of a healthy individual. Before
we proceed, do ponder about the kind of life you live now and what
improvements you wish for yourself in the future. Chances are that you will opt
for being well, having an abundance of energy for your daily activities and being
free to pursue your dreams for as long as Gods given lifespan permits.
Why do we need to choose a healthy lifestyle? A healthy lifestyle offers a choice
of living behaviours which maximise the state of wellness and decrease risk of
illness and premature death.
Choices for leading a healthy lifestyle can be influenced by a multitude of
personal factors as well as external influences. Examples of personal factors
range from internal to external motivation, personal values, ethics and cultural
influences, religious beliefs and fear of life-threatening diseases. On the other
hand, external influences that affect lifestyle choices include environmental,
political and socioeconomic factors. The characteristics of a healthy lifestyle will
be determined by the effects of the choices a person makes in response to
personal habits and the external influences that will shape his or her health
status.
What can a person do to adopt a healthy lifestyle? The immediate choice may be
driven by the degree of internal or external locus of control within the person for
the desire to change. A person with strong internal locus of control will be
inspired by a personal wish to adopt a healthy lifestyle, regardless of how strong
the obstacles are. A person with a strong sense of external locus of control, on the
other hand, would want to survey the worth of external rewards or approval
from external sources as a reason to commit to change.
Sometimes the external source of persuasion to act may seem trivial or intangible
such as idealistic thinking of wellness after seeing a model that we admire or a
chance reading of an article on health and wellness strategies. At other times, the
desire could be more resolute such as making a strong commitment to change
dietary practices after a disheartening observation of body weight on the
weighing scale. Whatever the motives, closing the gap between aspiration and
accomplishment requires a firm commitment that is executed gradually in a
consistent manner towards desired goals.
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TOPIC 1
Humans are very much influenced by social factors. Many of our motives and
compulsions are driven by external influences. We all wish to look and feel good
especially within our social circles. It is a common human trait to be acutely
conscious about body image. But a person who has invested time and effort to
maintain a high degree of wellness will project self-confidence and will not easily
be distraught by the negative opinions of others.
The nature of relationship a person forges with other people as well as
appreciation and tolerance for diversity are also important factors for enhancing
the state of wellness. Light hearted humour and open-mindedness help to block
out negativity and promote positive thoughts in an individual. These wellness
behaviours contribute to the development of a positive awareness which can
reduce stress and have significant influence on the health and wellness of a person.
Based on the above discussion, we can see that lifestyle choices can be influenced
by numerous circumstances, ranging from personal factors to external influences.
Whatever the nature of influence, ultimately, it is up to the individual to act.
The following are some guidelines that characterise healthy lifestyle choices:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Regular exercising;
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)
TOPIC 1
ACTIVITY 1.3
Reflect on your current state of health and work on the following:
(a)
(b)
1.3.1
Let us continue our lesson. It is hoped that by going through this subtopic, you
will be able to identify the personal responsibilities for attaining and maintaining
health and wellness in an individual.
A utilitarian perspective of health and wellness will subscribe to the assumption
that people should take personal responsibility to enhance their quality of life.
Alternatively, giving in to adverse sentiments such as negative thoughts,
procrastination and feelings of self-pity will only depreciate the state of wellness.
In the next subtopic, we will examine some of the attributes which impact an
individuals personal responsibility for health and wellness. What are they? Let
us look at Figure 1.2 for the answers.
TOPIC 1
(ii)
10
(b)
TOPIC 1
(c)
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11
ACTIVITY 1.4
1.
2.
3.
4.
12
1.4
TOPIC 1
Now we come to a new subtopic that looks at influences on health and wellness.
Hopefully, upon completion of this subtopic, you will be able to recognise the
factors that characterise the health and wellness state of an individual.
Clearly, there are numerous factors that influence people to pursue fitness and
adopt a healthy lifestyle. Most people who are consistent in their efforts to
maintain their health do so with the firm belief of reaping a range of physical,
psychological and social benefits for themselves. Then, there are fitness buffs
who take up fitness activities after being inspired by good-looking role models.
There are still others who indulge in fitness activities solely to develop their
physique to draw attention to themselves.
Keep in mind that a realistic awareness of motives is necessary to maintain a
rational balance between the expectations of benefits from partaking in sports
and fitness activities and the risks associated to personal well-being. Besides,
participating in a wellness programme does not necessarily shield a person from
the risk of illness nor bestow permanent immunity from all major ailments. It is
just that the likelihood of developing an illness is far less than those who neglect
healthy lifestyle activities all together.
In the following subtopic, we will consider specific factors that cause people to be
susceptible to diseases, regardless of their state of fitness.
1.4.1
Predisposing Factors
There are over seven billion people on this planet today. Although we are all
unique in our own ways, we are also similar in others. All humans have similar
physiological needs yet there are some socio-cultural and individual uniqueness
among us.
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13
There is a popular saying that we are a product of our past. Our unique traits are
in many ways influenced by genetic factors passed down from our ancestors.
Blood-linked family members are particularly vulnerable to certain diseases that
are genetically inherited. Often close family members with these chronic diseases
pass down their genetic predisposition to their offsprings. Genetic traits can carry
risks of serious chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, mental disorders
and serious blood disorders like haemophilia and thalassemia.
The good news is that even though a person may have genetic predisposition
towards certain types of chronic diseases, following properly designed and
comprehensive health and wellness programmes can reduce the risks or delay
the onset of such conditions. Although you may not be able to avoid your genetic
predisposition for certain diseases, you can still make lifestyle changes to reduce
the chances of developing them. For example, if a person has a family history of
diabetes, it would be wise for him or her to start early in life to adopt suitable
lifestyle changes as a preventive strategy to reduce the risk of developing
diabetes later on.
Aside from genetic factors, the general nature of emotional responses of a person
in dealing with his or her daily life also has a significant influence on health and
wellness outcomes. Usually, a healthy person who is emotionally resilient would
be more able to rebound back easily from incidents of emotional trauma.
Apart from these dispositions, social and environmental conditions are also
significant predisposing factors that influence health and wellness. The nature
and quality of interpersonal relationships can influence a person to be positiveminded, loving and well-adjusted. But on the flip side, it can result in a person
indulging in unhealthy and risky activities such as violence, heterosexual
practices, smoking and alcohol and drug abuse. Conforming to herd-mentality
and peer pressure are some examples of social influences that shape a persons
action. It is believed that children of alcoholic parents have a greater risk of
becoming alcoholic themselves, but if their social environment is altered to
become more healthy and positive, the risks can be easily neutralised.
Another predisposing factor that greatly influences health and wellness choices
are values, attitudes and beliefs that are instilled in a person from early
childhood. Children of health conscious parents are more likely to choose healthy
activities as their natural recreational pursuits. Alternatively, children brought
up in a family of obese siblings while practising poor dietary habits and
sedentary lifestyles, will be more likely to perpetuate such poor practices as
adults.
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TOPIC 1
ACTIVITY 1.5
Identify the obstacles that you may be facing yourself in pursuing a
regular health and wellness plan in your life.
1.4.2
Reinforcing Factors
Now we will examine the role of reinforcing factors that influence health and
wellness. Do you have any idea what they are?
Reinforcing factors for health and wellness are elements that help to promote
and encourage behaviours towards health and wellness options in a persons
life.
They are regarded as the reverse of predisposing factors as these attributes
provide added impetus to enhance the chances for certain traits to occur readily.
Usually, encouragement to persevere with a health and wellness programme is
greatly influenced by reinforcing factors. For example, displaying gory pictures
of cancer victims on cigarette packets will help to reinforce abstinence from
smoking.
Some reinforcing factors may be due to external or internal motives as they may
be linked to a variety of personal reasons for persisting with a wellness
programme. Examples of external drivers may range from wanting to look and
feel good in the eyes of peers or loved ones, to conforming to a particular social
group that espouses the importance of health and wellness.
Similarly, people with an internal sense of reward are driven by a personal
commitment to maintain their wellness. For example, let us look at marathon
runners (see Figure 1.3). What motivates them to pursue their sport?
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15
ACTIVITY 1.6
Identify at least five potential benefits that could motivate an adult to
adopt a regular health and wellness programme.
1.4.3
Barriers to Wellness
Do you agree that sometimes it is very difficult to make lasting changes to habits
and behaviours? Why is it that some people are successful in maintaining an
exercise programme for long periods of time while others tend to give up after a
short try? How about you? Which category do you fall into?
There are many tangible as well as barriers that prevent the adoption of healthy
lifestyle behaviours. For example, economic factors can be a major obstacle for a
person even if he or she is very passionate about leading a health and wellness
lifestyle. A person with an average income would find it challenging to spend
money regularly on a costly fitness programme or having to purchase customary
exercise apparel.
For some people, health and wellness activities are regarded as secondary
choices compared to physiological and security needs. In addition, the nature of
occupation and work schedules also influence the continuity of a health and
wellness routine. Many people who work on rotating shifts find it hard to cope
with a regular exercise programme, particularly due to disruption of their
circadian rhythm.
16
TOPIC 1
Furthermore, urban settings have been identified as another major factor that
impacts participation in health and wellness routines. Overcrowding, pollution
and lack of safety measures are major features of many urban settings, which
then discourage fitness activities. Playgrounds and recreational parks are scarce
due to the ever increasing premium on land space. The emergence of commercial
gymnasiums and fitness clubs does provide a conducive ambience for fitness, but
often these exclusive establishments are commercial in nature and cater mostly
for the well-to-do.
ACTIVITY 1.7
Discuss strategies that a shift worker could adopt in order to pursue a
regular health and wellness programme.
1.4.4
Lifestyle Influences
So far, we have considered several factors that can influence positive behavioural
changes for health and wellness initiatives. In this subtopic, let us examine the
effects of personal lifestyle choices which motivate action or delay participation
in improving ones overall health and wellness state.
Generally, the choices that people make have a significant impact on the quality
and length of their lives. For example, decisions to indulge in risky forms of
behaviours can lead to detrimental consequences even in the pursuit of health
and wellness activities. Inappropriate selection of physical activities and extreme
forms of recreational indulgence increase the chances of adverse reactions and
freak accidents.
Other risks or undesirable consequences in sports include doping to enhance
performance or for recreation, smoking and alcoholism. In addition, a sudden
change in fitness levels of people who shift from a sedentary lifestyle to pursue
physically challenging activities, obesity, indulging in high risk sexual activities
without safety precautions, excessive hostility in competition, uncontrolled
aggression and poor adaptation to stress can also increase the risk of dangerous
incidents.
There are some people with delusional thinking who believe that they are
immune to negative health effects as a result of their risky behaviours.
Unfortunately, most of the time these are the people who are likely to drop
dead one day.
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ACTIVITY 1.8
1.
2.
1.5
What are the benefits of a comprehensive health and wellness lifestyle? What can
you gain from this lifestyle? Each dimension of a wellness activity contributes to
a set of bodily changes for overall health benefits of a person. Many of the
positive lifestyle choices a person makes today will yield short-term health
benefits as well as contribute to the overall well-being of the individual and
society.
For example, physical fitness due to regular exercise and proper dietary practices
will lead to improved cardiovascular fitness and enable a person to be involved
in team sports with friends. In fact, this will improve goodwill and cordiality
within their social circles and help reduce stress and increase self-esteem among
group members. If you make it a routine, this cycle will lead to higher levels of
personal physical conditioning along with improvements in cardiovascular
fitness as well as boost energy levels. Your actions will also help to perpetuate a
healthy culture among your friends and family. Such efforts will lead on towards
creating a healthy and happy community.
There is an extensive list of benefits that one can gain by maintaining a high
degree of wellness. Some of these benefits are listed in Figure 1.4.
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TOPIC 1
1.5.1
Can you explain the functions of the heart? The principle function of the heart is
to pump blood through the circulatory system to enable oxygen to reach the
body cells and remove waste matter from the cells. Therefore, an improved
cardiovascular system will maintain this function effortlessly throughout the
lifetime of a person and enable the individual to function with minimal strain.
1.5.2
What can good muscle tone provide? Good muscle tone provides shape for the
body as well as the ability for limbs to move and act to fulfil daily activities.
Therefore, increased muscle strength supports economic activities that can
improve the quality of life for an individual. A physically fit person invariably
makes good choices in life, as well as enjoys flexibility and endurance against
stress and fatigue. A well-developed musculoskeletal system also protects the
body against injuries from strains and sprains. Bones and joints support the
bodys movements, provide agility and strength and protect the body from
injury.
TOPIC 1
1.5.3
19
People who have better control over their health seem to exude a higher sense of
self-esteem and feel good about themselves, just like in Figure 1.5.
Figure 1.5: A person with high self-esteem always feels good about himself or herself
Such feelings of goodness and self-confidence can positively impact other areas
of a persons life as well as people around him or her.
1.5.4
A healthy person is more likely to have a positive outlook at life and be able to
control stress and change perceptions that lead to an unnecessary build-up of
stress.
In addition, the person also has the potential to recover quickly from a stressful
event and is able to think clearly about options to withstand pressure. People
with self-confidence are generally better equipped to face challenges and
setbacks and see them as opportunities and growth experiences.
1.5.5
Did you know that successful interpersonal relationships often require complex
social dynamics? This includes an assortment of physical and psychological wellbeing being present in an individual. An internal feel good factor is an
essential ingredient for a person striving to maximise his or her social appeal.
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20
1.5.6
TOPIC 1
Did you know that high levels of physical fitness support a well-functioning
immune system? Our immune systems can protect our body from infectious
diseases. In fact, reduced stress levels and proper rest, good dietary habits and
exercises improve cardiovascular fitness and optimal body functioning, which
can delay the onset of chronic diseases. All these forms of protection help to
protect the body against premature death and promote chances of rapid, full
recovery from ailments.
SELF-CHECK 1.2
Describe the benefits of a comprehensive health and wellness lifestyle.
1.6
CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the first topic. It is hoped that
you have grasped the basic concepts for an individual to take personal
responsibility for his or her health and wellness. The next topic will further
expand on the concepts of wellness and provide you with a holistic view of the
eight dimensions of wellness namely; emotional, environmental, financial,
intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual dimensions.
It is hoped that the understanding gained from reading this module will enrich
you intellectually and at the same time, empower you on a path of personal
wellness. All the best!
TOPIC 1
ACTIVITY 1.9
1.
2.
No 3
Do not know 2
No 3
Do not know 2
No 3
Do not know 2
No 1
Not regular 2
No 3
Do not know 2
12.
Do not know 2
Are you obese (> 20lbs or 9kg over average body weight)?
Yes 1
11.
No 3
10.
Do not know 2
9.
No 3
8.
Do not know 2
7.
No 3
6.
Do not know 2
5.
No 3
4.
Do not know 2
3.
No 3
No 3
Not everyday 2
No 3
Not sure 2
21
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TOPIC 1
2.
Based on your score levels, prepare an action plan for healthy lifestyle
activities for yourself. Present your plan in class and compare your
plan with others to identify similarities and differences in approaches
to activities and priorities for wellness.
3.
TOPIC 1
23
Awareness
Personal responsibilities
Barriers to wellness
Predisposing factors
Body image
Regular exercises
Reinforcing factors
Self-control
Self-efficacy
Self-esteem
Sound decision-making
Strength, flexibility and endurance
Stress management and outlook
Well balanced and nourishing diet
Wellness
Donatelle, R., Snow, C., & Wilcox, A. (1999). Wellness: Choices for health and
fitness (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Dunn, L. (1977). What high level wellness means. Health Values, 1(1), 9.
Edlin, G., & Golanty, E. (2010). Health & wellness (10th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones
& Bartlett.
World Health Organization. (2003). WHO definition of health. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html