Core 1

• Health is a result of a continually changing process
• Judging where we are along the health continuum at any time is highly subjective, as people see health in different ways, have different perceptions about what is optimal or normal, and define the extremes of the continuum differently
• Relative nature of health:

  • Refers to how we judge our health compared to other people or other points in time in our life
• Dynamic nature of health:

  • Refers to the constant fluctuations that occur in our level of health
• People's perception of health is highly subjective, impacting the priority placed on health and the type of actions taken; for example, sport might be more important to some than others
• Perceptions of health can be influenced by:

  • Environment
  • Personal interpretation of health
  • Behaviors and lifestyle
  • Past level of health
  • Attitudes about health conveyed by peers, family, and the media
  • The value placed on the importance of being healthy
  • Beliefs about our capacity to achieve good health
• Mortality is the number of deaths in a given population from a particular cause, and/or over a particular period of time
• Morbidity is the incidence or level of illness in a given population
• Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining to a person at a particular age, based on current death rates
• Analysis of trends in epidemiology influences health promotion and health care within Australia
• Epidemiology is used to identify areas of need, determine risk factors, and target prevention or intervention strategies towards particular populations
• Perceptions of health as social constructs are largely influenced by social, economic, and cultural conditions of families and societies
• Social constructs of health include:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Geographic location
  • Community values and expectations
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Level of education
  • Cultural background
• Determining health priorities impacts the allocation of expenditure and the provision of resources by all levels of government
• Social construct is a concept that recognizes that people have different views based on their social circumstances and ways of interpreting and interacting with their environment
• Protective behaviours are those that are likely to enhance a persons level of health
• Risk behaviours are those health behaviours that have been found to contribute to the development of poor health and health problems
• Examples of protective behaviours include exercising, eating, well, drinking water, socialising, and having hobbies
• Examples of risk behaviours include smoking, drinking alcohol, not exercising texting, while driving and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs