Chapter 1: Taking Charge of Your Health.

The Nine Dimensions of Wellness

1) Physical 2) Emotional 3) Intellectual 4) Interpersonal 5) Cultural 6) Spiritual 7) Environmental 8) Financial 9) Occupational

SMART

1) Specific 2) Measurable 3) Attainable 4) Realistic 5) Time frame-specific

Risk Factor

A condition that increases your chances of disease or injury. We cannot control risk factors such as age and family history, but we can control lifestyle behaviors.

Lifestyle Choice

A conscious behavior that can increase or decrease a person's risk of disease or injury, such as behaviors include smoking, exercising, and eating a healthful diet.

Infectious Disease

A disease that can spread from person to person, caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.

Chronic Disease

A disease that develops and continues over a long period, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.

Health Disparity

A health difference linked to social, economic, or environmental disadvantage that adversely affects a group of people.

Behavior Change

A lifestyle management process that involves cultivating healthy behaviors and working to overcome unhealthy ones.

Gene

A section of a chromosome that contains the nucleotide base sequence for making a particular protein, the basic unit of heredity.

Target Behavior

An isolated behavior selected as the object for a behavior change program.

Latinos

Are a diverse group, with roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and South and Central America. Many Latinos are of mixed Spanish and American Indian descent or of mixed Spanish, Indian, and African American descent. Latinos on average have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and suicide than the general population; areas of concern include gallbladder disease, obesity, diabetes, and lack of health insurance.

Termination

At this stage, you have exited the cycle of change and are no longer tempted to lapse back into your old behavior.

Precontemplation

At this stage, you think you have no problem and don't intend to change your behavior.

Specific

Avoid vague goals like "eat more fruits and vegetables." Instead, use specific terms, such as "eat two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables every day."

Cultural Wellness

Cultural Wellness refers to the way you interact with others who are different from you in terms of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and customs. - Creating relationships with those who are different from you - Maintaining and valuing your own cultural identity - Avoiding stereotyping based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation

Gender

Encompasses how people identify themselves and also the roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for them.

Wellness

Expands the idea of good health to include living a rich, meaningful, and energetic life. Beyond the simple presence or absence of disease, wellness can refer to optimal health and vitality-- living life to its fullest.

Financial Wellness

Financial Wellness refers to your ability to live within your means and manage your money in a way that gives you peace of mind. - Having a basic understanding of how money works - Living within one's means - Avoiding debt, especially for unnecessary items - Saving for the future and for emergencies

Time frame-specific

Give yourself a reasonable amount of time to reach your goal, state the time frame in your behavior change plan, and set your agenda to meet the goal within the given time frame.

African Americans

Have the same leading causes of death as the general population, but they have a higher infant mortality rate and lower rates of suicide and osteoporosis. Health issues of a special concern for African Americans include high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, asthma, and obesity. African American men are at significantly higher risk of prostate cancer than men in other groups.

Health Span

How long we stay healthy and free from chronic or disabling disease.

Asian Americans

Include people who trace their ancestry to countries in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Asian Americans have lower rates of coronary heart disease and obesity. However, health differences exist among these groups. For example, Southeast Asian American men have higher rates of smoking and lung cancer, Vietnamese American women have higher rates of cervical cancer.

Realistic

Manage your expectations when you set goals.

Occupational Wellness

Occupational wellness refers to the level of happiness and fulfillment you gain through your work. - Enjoying what you do - Feeling valued by your manager - Building satisfying relationships with coworkers - Taking advantage of opportunities to learn and be challenged

Interpersonal Wellness

Satisfying and supportive relationships are important to physical and emotional wellness. - Communication skills - Capacity for intimacy - Ability to establish and maintain satisfying relationships - Ability to cultivate a support system of friends and family

Attainable

Set goals that are within your physical limits.

Self-efficacy

The belief in your ability to take action and perform a specific task

Sex

The biological and physiological characteristics of that define men, women, and intersex people.

Genome

The complete set of genetic material in an individual's cells.

Locus of Control

The extent to which a person believes he or she has control over the events in his or her life.

Mortality Rate

The number of deaths in a population in a given period of time; usually expressed as a ratio. Ex: 75 deaths per 1,000 members of the population

Life Expectancy

The period of time a member of a given population is expected to live.

Morbidity Rate

The relative incidence of disease among a population.

Intellectual Wellness

Those who enjoy intellectual wellness constantly challenge their minds. An active mind is essential to wellness because it detects problems, find solutions, and directs behavior. - Openness to new ideas - Capacity to question - Ability to think critically - Motivation to master new skills - Sense of humor - Creativity - Curiosity - Lifelong learning

Spiritual Wellness

To enjoy spiritual wellness is to possess a set of guiding beliefs, principles, or values that give meaning and purpose to your life, especially in difficult times. - Capacity for love - Compassion - Forgiveness - Altruism - Joy and fulfillment - Caring for others - Sense of meaning and purpose - Sense of belonging to something greater than oneself

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Americans

Trace their ancestry to the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, and other Pacific Islands. Pacific Islander Americans have a higher overall death rate than the general population and higher rates of diabetes and asthma. Smoking and obesity are special concerns for this group.

Emotional Wellness

Trust, self-confidence, optimism, satisfying relationships, and self-esteem are some of the qualities of emotional wellness. Emotional wellness is dynamic and involves the ups and downs of living. - Optimism - Trust - Self-esteem - Self-acceptance - Self-confidence - Ability to understand and accept one's feelings - Ability to share feelings with others

American Indians and Alaska Natives

Typically embrace a tribal identity, such as Sioux, Navaho, or Hopi. American Indians and Alaska Natives have lower death rates from heart disease, stroke, and cancer than the general population, but they have higher rates of early death from causes linked to smoking and alcohol use, including injuries and cirrhosis. Diabetes is a special concern for many groups.

Health

Typically refers to the overall condition of a person's body or mind and to the presence or absence of illness or injury.

Maintenance

You have maintained your new, healthier lifestyle for at least six months.

Contemplation

You know you have a problem and within six months intend to do something about it.

Action

You outwardly modify your behavior and your environment.

Preparation

You plan to take action within a month, or you may already have begun to make small changes in your behavior.

Environmental Wellness

Your environmental wellness is defined by the livability of your surroundings. - Having abundant, clean natural resources - Maintaining sustainable development - Recycling whenever possible - Reducing pollution and waste

Physical Wellness

Your physical wellness includes not just your body's overall condition and the absence of disease, but also your fitness level and your ability to care for yourself. - Eating well - Exercising - Avoiding harmful habits - Practicing safer sex - Recognizing symptoms of disease - Getting regular checkups - Avoiding injuries

Measureable

Your progress will be easier to track if your goals are quantifiable, so give your goal a number.