Health and Technology

What you NEED to know

Meaning of Health:

• The health triangle consists of SOCIAL, MENTAL and PHYSICAL

health
• Healthy lifestyles include regular exercise, appropriate range of
food, fun activities and relaxation
• Unnecessary health risks are smoking, drinking alcohol and taking
drugs

Physiological Measurements:

• Physiological measurements can monitor health

• Temperature is measured using a digital clinical thermometer or
clinical thermometer
• Body fat is measured using a body fat sensor or skin fold callipers
• Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer or
stethoscope and mercury manometer
• Heart rate is measured using a pulsometer, a heart rate monitor or
finger and a stethoscope and stopclock
• High tech equipment is accurate. This is an advantage
• High tech equipment is expensive and not widely available. These
are disadvantages
• Low tech equipment is inexpensive, easy to use and widely available.
These are advantages
• Low tech equipment is not very accurate. This is a disadvantage.

Healthy Heart:

• Heart is a muscle
• Function of the heart is to pump blood around the body
• There are 3 MAIN blood vessels, ARTERIES, CAPILLARIES and
VEINS
• Arteries carry blood away from the heart
• Veins return blood to the heart
• Capillaries link arteries and veins
• Blood carries oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide and waste
• Capillaries deliver nutrients and oxygen to tissues
• Capillaries allow waste and carbon dioxide to leave tissues
 • Pulse rate is measured in beats per minute (bpm) using a
pulsometer or stopwatch and finger
• Pulse rate depends on the size, age, sex and fitness of the person
• Normal pulse rate is 60-70 beats per minute
• A high resting pulse rate can lead to heart disease
• A low resting pulse rate indicates fitness
• Recovery time is the time taken for pulse to return to normal after
exercise
• A short recovery time indicates fitness
• Resting pulse rate and recovery time can be reduced by regular
exercise

Blood Pressure:

• Blood pressure is measured using a digital sphygmomanometer or a

stethoscope and mercury manometer
• Average blood pressure (BP) is 120/80
• Blood pressure greater than 160/90 means high blood pressure
• High blood pressure is caused by being overweight, lack of
exercise, too much salt and fat in the diet and excessive alcohol
intake
• High blood pressure leads to angina, heart attack or stroke
• Low blood pressure can cause fainting or can mean heart failure

Blood Tests:

• Antibodies in blood = infection

• Low iron content in blood = anaemia
• High sugar level in blood = diabetes
• Abnormal white blood cell count = Leukaemia
• Different blood groups are A, B, AB, O and rhesus
• Blood groups must be tested before transfusion to avoid rejection

Healthy Lungs:

• Know the position of the windpipe (trachea), bronchi, bronchioles

and air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs
• Function of the lungs is to take oxygen from the air into blood and
remove carbon dioxide from blood
 • Exercise results in faster, deeper breathing and more gas
exchange in the lungs (exercise improves the efficiency of the
lungs)
• During recovery time breathing rate and depth return to normal
• Short recovery time means fitness
• Tidal volume, vital capacity and peak flow depend on age, sex and
size of a person
• Tidal volume is the volume of air breathed in and out with one
normal breath
• Vital capacity is the maximum volume of air breathed out after a
deep breath
• Peak flow is the rate at which air is forced from the lungs
• Peak flow is used to diagnose and manage asthma
• Tar in cigarette smoke can lead to cancer
• Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas in cigarette smoke
• Carbon monoxide lowers the amount of oxygen carried by the blood
• Smoking can lead to heart disease and cancer
• Smoking when pregnant can damage the health of the baby

Healthy Body:

• Healthy diet includes carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and

minerals, fibre and water
• Energy food = fat and carbohydrate
• Body building foods = protein
• Protective nutrients = vitamins and minerals
• Body fat is measured using skin fold callipers or body fat sensors
• Body fat measurements can be used to calibrate % fat
• Normal % body fat is around 20% but depends on age, sex and
height of the person
• Being overweight leads to heart disease, kidney failure, arthritis
and diabetes
• Being underweight can indicate cancer or anorexia

Body Temperature:

• Body temperature can be measured using clinical or digital

thermometers
• Normal body temperature is 37oC
• Temperature above 40 oC leads to heat stroke or indicates a fever
due to fighting infection
 • Temperature below 35 oC indicates hypothermia
• Temperature below 30 oC causes death

Muscles:

• Muscles need oxygen to work. During exercise muscles use up more

oxygen
• Muscle fatigue is when muscles are tired due to lack of oxygen
• Exercise increases the size and strength of muscles
• Lack of exercise reduces the size and strength of muscles

Reaction time:

• Reaction time is the time taken to respond to a stimulus

• Reaction time is measured using a dropped ruler or an electronic
timer
• Reaction time is affected by alcohol (slow it) or drugs (slow it) or
excitement (speeds it up)
• Reaction time can be reduced with practice (improved)
• A long reaction time can indicate diabetes, brain or nerve disorders
or arterial disease

Alcohol:

• Alcohol is carried around the body in blood

• Short term effects of alcohol are slow reaction time, poor
judgement and poor muscle control
• Long term effects of alcohol are liver damage and brain damage.