Concept of Unitive and Preventive Health
2 Types of Traits
An Individual
- A unique being that is different from every human
being with different genetic make-up, life expectancies,
and environmental interactions.
- A person’s identity encompasses the way the person
interprets the environment or situation, directly
affecting how the person thinks, feels, and acts in any
given situation.
- These are the people who consult at the health center
and receive health services.
- Considered as the entry point in working with the
whole family.
Procreation and Creation
- Procreation is the creation of a new human person, by
the act of sexual intercourse, by a man and a woman.
o Propagation
o Breeding
o Conception
o Generation
o Impregnation
o Engenderment
- Creation is the making of all things from nothing by an
act of God, at some time in the past.
Terminology
 DNA – the hereditary material carried in the nucleus
of each of the somatic (body) cells which determines an
individual’s physical characteristics.
 Chromosomes – DNA forms threadlike strands known
as chromosomes that carry the genes transmitting
heredity.
 Genes – composed of smaller segments (small pieces)
of DNA which is a basic unit of heredity that contains
all the hereditary materials passed from biological
parents to children.
 Each cell in the body contains an estimated 100, 000
genes made of DNA.
 Genetics – the study of genes passed from one
offspring that determines “who we are” and how we
function at the most basic cellular level.
 All normal human somatic cells contain 46
chromosomes arranges as 23 pairs of homogenous
(matched) chromosomes.
 One chromosome of each pair is inherited from each
parent.
 22 pairs control most traits in the body.
 1 pair of sex chromosome controls primarily sex
determination.
 The large female chromosome is called the X.
 The tiny male chromosome is the Y.
 When an ovum (X) is fertilized by an X carrying sperm
the zygote formed is XX (female). When an ovum (X)
is fertilized by Y carrying sperm, resulting zygote is XY
(male).
 Homozygous
- Refers to having identical alleles for a single trait.
- These alleles are inherited from parents during
sexual reproduction.
- Upon fertilization, alleles are randomly united as
homologous chromosomes pair up.
- A human cell, for example, contains 23 pairs of
chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes.
- One chromosome in each pair is donated from
the mother and the other from the father.
- The alleles on these chromosomes determine
traits or characteristics in organisms.
- A person who has 2-like genes for a trait. (e.g
blue eyes from Dad and Mom)
 Heterozygous
- Refers to an individual having two different
alleles for a specific trait.
- An allele is a version of a gene or specific DNA
sequence on a chromosome.
- Alleles are inherited through sexual reproduction
as the resulting offspring inherit half of their
chromosomes from the mother and half from the
father.
- If the genes differ the result is (e.g blue eyes from
the father and brown eyes from the mother)
Nature of Inheritance
- A person’s PHENOTYPE refers to his/her
outward appearance.
- A person’s GENOTYPE refers to her/his actual
gene composition
- A person’s GENOME complete set of genes
(about 50,00 – 100,00)
- A normal genome is expressed as 46 XX or 46 XY.
Allele
- An allele is a viable DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
coding that occupies a given locus (position) on a
chromosome.
- Usually alleles are sequences that code for a gene.
- An organism which has two different alleles of
the gene is called heterozygous.
Heredity
- The passing on of physical or mental
characteristics genetically from one generation to
another.
Gametogenesis
- The development and production of the male and
female germ cells required to form a new
individual.
Oogenesis
- The process of egg (ovum) formation.
Spermatogenesis
- The process of sperm formation.
Zygote
- The cell formed by the union of a male sex cell (a
sperm) and a female sex cell (ovum).
Mitosis
- Mitosis is the step in the cell cycle where the
newly duplicated DNA is separated, and two
new cells are formed.
- The cells begin to differentiate which allows them
to complete special tasks in the body.
- Eventually a fully functioning organism is
developed and can be born or produced into the
world.
Meiosis
- Meiosis is the process by which sexually
reproducing organisms make their sex cells,
sperm and eggs.
- During meiosis, a specialized cell called a germ
cell splits to make four new sex cells, each with
half the number of chromosomes as the original
germ cell.
- Each of the four sex cells has a unique
combination of DNA, meaning no two sperm or
eggs are genetically identical.
Biological Significance of Mitosis & Meiosis in Sexual
Reproduction
 Mitosis and meiosis both involve cells dividing to
make new cells.
 This makes them both vital processes for the existence
of living things that reproduce sexually. Meiosis
makes the cells needed for sexual reproduction to
occur, and mitosis replicates non-sex cells needed for
growth and development.
 Together, they provide the cellular basis for healthy
growth and sexual reproduction.
What are Genetic Disorders?
- Genetic disorders are physical defects or illnesses
that are caused by problems in the body’s genetic
code.
- These chromosomes come together to complete
and entire genetic code.
- Sometimes, however, defects can occur in some
of the chromosomes or individual genes. As a
result, fetal development can change, and the
child can be born with a genetic with a genetic
disorder.
Risk Factors of Genetic Disorders
Age
- Maternal age has long been associated with the
increased risk of having offspring with genetic
disorder, and now paternal age has also been
identified in influencing genetic defects. Fathers
over the age of 50 were found to have a greater
chance of having a child with Down’s syndrome
and limb abnormalities upon scientific review of
a fertility database.
What are the types of Genetic Disease?
1. Chromosomal Abnormalities
2. Single gene defects
3. Multifactorial problems
4. Teratogenic problems
The following factors may increase the chance of getting or
passing on a genetic disease:
1. Parents who have a genetic disease
2. A family history of a genetic disease
3. Parents who are closely related to or part of a distinct
ethnic or geographic community
4. Parent who do not show disease symptoms, but
“carry” a disease gene in their genetic makeup (this
can be discovered through genetic testing)
5. Most diseases involve many genes in complex
interactions, in addition to environmental influences.
6. An individual may not be born with a disease but
may be at high risk of acquiring it.
7. This is called as genetic predisposition or
susceptibility.
8. The genetic susceptibility to a particular disease due
to the presence of one or more gene mutations,
and/or a combination of alleles.
Four types of Genetic Disorders
Tay-Sachs Disease (single gene)
- A devastating illness that can cause several
mental and physical incapacity.
- A hereditary disease, this illness can be passed on
to the child if both the man and the woman are
carriers of the Tay-Sachs genetic defect.
- Symptoms of the illness generally appear a few
months after birth and gradually worsen. They
include blindness, seizures, dementia, and
paralysis.
- Most children born with Tay-Sachs disease die
before the age of five.
- This illness is most common among people of
Ashkenazi Jewish or French-Canadian descent.
Sickle Cell Anemia
- Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia
– a condition in which there are not enough
 healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen
throughout the body.
- Normally, red blood cells are flexible and round,
moving easily through the blood vessels.
- In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become
rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or
crescent moons.
- These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in
small blood vessels, which can slow or block
blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.
- There is no cure for most people with sickle cell
anemia.
Cystic Fibrosis
- Cystic fibrosis is most common in white people
of Northern European ancestry, but also occurs in
Hispanics, African-American and some Native
Americans. It is rare in people of Asian and
Middle Eastern origin.
Phenylketonuria
- Phenylketonuria (commonly known as PKU is an
inherited disorder that increases the levels of a
substance called phenylalanine in the blood.
- Phenylalanine is a building block of proteins (an
amino acid) that is obtained through the diet. It is
found in all proteins and in some artificial
sweeteners.
- If PKU is not treated, phenylalanine can build up
to harmful levels in the body, causing intellectual
disability and other serious health problems.
- Infants with classic PKU appear normal until a
few months old. Without treatment, these
children develop permanent intellectual
disability.
- Seizures, delayed development, behavioral
problems, and psychiatric disorders are also
common. Untreated individuals may have a
musty or mouse-like odor as a side effect of
excess phenylalanine in the body.
Sex-linked Genetic Disorders
- Sex-linked genetic disorders are any diseases or
abnormal conditions that are caused by a
defective gene on the X-chromosome, one of the
sex chromosomes. These disorders may also
involve a deviation in the number of X or Y
chromosomes.
- An example of this is Turner Syndrome, a
disorder in which all of part of one of the
female’s X chromosomes is missing.
o A condition that affects only girls and
women, results from a missing or
incomplete sex chromosome.
o Can cause a variety of medical and
developmental problems, including
short stature, failure to begin puberty,
infertility, heart defects, and certain
disabilities.
- Examples of sex-linked disorders caused by a
single gene defect on the X chromosome include:
o Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – a
progressive degeneration of muscle
tissue.
o Hemophilia – a deficiency in one of
several blood-clotting factors and causes
uncontrollable bleeding.
o Fragile-X Syndrome – a problem with
the gene on the X chromosome, which
can cause mental retardation.
 A genetic condition that causes
a range of developmental
problems including learning
disabilities and cognitive
impairment. Usually, males are
more severely affected by this
disorder than females.
 Most males and about half of
females with fragile X
syndrome have characteristic
physical features that become
more apparent with age. These
features include a long and
narrow face, large ears, a
prominent jaw and forehead,
unusually flexible fingers, flat
feet, and in males, enlarged
testicles (macroorchidism) after
puberty.
 Children with fragile X
syndrome may also have
anxiety and hyperactive
behavior such as fidgeting or
impulsive actions. They may
have attention deficit disorder
(ADD), which includes an
impaired ability to maintain
attention and difficulty
focusing on specific tasks.
 About 1/3 of individuals with
fragile X syndrome have
features of autism spectrum
disorder that affect
communication and social
interaction. Seizures occur in
about 15% of males and about
5% of females with fragile X
syndrome.
What is Multifactorial Inheritance?
 Multifactorial inheritance means that “many factors”
(multifactorial) are involved causing a birth defect
 The factors are usually both genetic and
environmental, where a combination of genes from
 both parents, in addition to unknown environmental
factors, produce the trait or condition
What are some different types of multifactorial traits and
diseases?
 Height
- Height is determined by both genetic and
environmental factors.
- Some people may be exceptionally short or
exceptionally tall, often due to some gene with
major effect on height.
- Otherwise, children are often a height similar to,
or ‘in-between’ their parents, or simple closer to
the population average.
 Neural Tube Defects
o During pregnancy, the human brain and
spine begin as a flat plate of cells, which rolls
into a “tube”, called the neural tube.
o If all or part of the neural tube fails to close,
leaving an opening, this is known as an open
neural tube defect, or ONTD.
o This opening may be left exposed (80% of
the time) or covered with bone or skin (20%
of the time)
 Spina Bifida (Open Spine)
o Babies born with spina bifida may have
minimal or transient (temporary) problems,
or may have permanent, often serious,
physical problems.
o These may include paralysis, lack of bowel
and bladder control, club feet, hydrocephaly
( a condition marked by an accumulation of
spinal fluid in the head) and mental
retardation.
o In most cases, one or more surgeries after
birth may be necessary.
 Anencephaly
o Occurs when the neural tube fails to close at
the base of the skull.
o Babies with anencephaly are stillborn or
usually live for only a few days after
delivery.
Chromosomal Disorders
- Chromosomes are structures within cells that
contain a person’s genes. A gene is a segment of
DNA and contains the code for a specific protein
that functions in one or more types of cells in the
body.
- The sex chromosomes are one of the 23 pairs of
chromosomes. Normal people have 2 sex
chromosomes, and each is either an X or a Y
chromosome. Normal females have two
chromosomes (XX) , and normal males have one
X and one Y chromosome (XY)
Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Chromosomal abnormalities can affect any
chromosome, including the sex chromosome.
- Chromosomal abnormalities affect the number or
structure of chromosomes and may be visible
with a microscope in a test called karyotype
analysis.
Down Syndrome
- A genetic condition that causes delays in physical
and intellectual development.
- It occurs in approximately one in every 800 live
births.
- Individuals have an extra copy of the 21st
chromosome that affects some or all cells.
- It is the most frequently occurring chromosomal
disorder.
- Not related to race, nationality, religion, or
socioeconomic status.
What causes Down Syndrome?
- Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in
cell division called non-disjunction.
- It is not known why this occurs. However, it is
known that the error occurs at conception and is
not related to anything the mother did during
pregnancy.
- Statistically the incidence of Down syndrome
increases with advancing maternal age
- However, 80% of children with down syndrome
are born to women under 35 years of age.
Typical features of Down’s Syndrome:
- Up slanting palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds,
flat nasal bridge.
- The other striking physical finding in the
newborn is hypotonia.
o when the infant is lifted off the bed, the
examiner had to give much more than
typical amount of support to the infant’s
head and shoulders, and still the arms
flop back towards the bed.
o The sensation is similar to handling a
rag doll.
o For a newborn, hypotonia of this degree
can significantly impact the baby’s
ability to feed well, so breastfeeding
should be carefully monitored.
- another physical finding in many infants with
Down’s syndrome is an increased gap between
the great and the first toes.
Preventive Health

Preventive Care

Primary Prevention

- These are actions taken to avoid the occurrence of

disease. Result  no disease.
- Examples of primary prevention:
o Immunization
o Lifestyle changes
o Sterilization of equipment
o Sanitation

Secondary Prevention

- These are actions taken to stop or delay the

progression of disease.
- Used to detect diseases at its earliest stages
- Examples of secondary prevention
o Hypertension – checking blood
pressure in asymptomatic individuals
o Cervical cancer – doing Pap smears

Tertiary Prevention

- These are management of established disease so

as to minimize disability.
- Rehabilitation process
- Examples of tertiary prevention:
o Neurorehabilitation for stroke patients
o Cardio rehabilitation for IHD patients

Why Preventive Health?

- To detect developing diseases and prevent them.

- Increases better chances for treatment and cure
- Can identify health issues early and avoid future
risk.
- Improves healthy habits
- Helps to increase productivity at work

Benefits of a healthy lifestyle

- Can save mental and physical trauma and money

- The individual can enjoy a long, healthy and
happy life.