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Well-being and Quality of Life GEHP 3000 online

Javier A. Osorio

November 2013

Health and Wellness

• Health can be defined as the absence of illness, or as the state when body and mind are absent of abnormality.

• Wellness acknowledge that there are varying degrees of health with each dimension. The key to wellness is balance among the dimensions of health and the interaction with the environment.

• Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. – World Health Organization

Health dimensions

• Physical health – It is the capacity the body has to perform any type of

exercise that shows resistance, strength, agility, skills, coordination, and flexibility.

– You maintain physical wellness by exercising regularly, eating a healthy and well balanced diet, making educated decisions about your health, and avoiding unhealthy habits, such as drugs or tobacco.

Health dimensions

• Mental health

– The World Health Organization describes mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."

Health dimensions

• Social health

– It refers to the health of a person in reference to his or her ability to interact with others and thrive in social settings.

– It also refers to the health of a society, in general, and how the members of that society are treated and behave toward each other.

Holistic Health

• Three dimensions have been added to the concept of health:

– emotional

– spiritual

– occupational

Health dimensions

• Emotional

– A person is of good emotional health if he or she is generally happy and free of any mental or emotional disorders.

– It refers to the ability of a person to correctly express him- or herself through emotions.

– It includes the ability of coping with stress and being flexible.

Health dimensions

• Spiritual – It is considered to be the search for meaning and

purpose in human existence, leading one to strive for a state of harmony with oneself and others, while working to balance inner needs with the rest of the world.

– Religious beliefs are part of this level, but it also refers to the relationship with other living beings, the appreciation of nature, universe, and sense of life.

Health dimensions

• Occupational

– It refers to the personal satisfaction you get from your career.

• It is reached by choosing a career that is consistent with your personal values​​, beliefs, and interests.

• Through this type of health, a person develop skills that can benefit others, or that can be taught to others.

Factors that Influence Health

• Gender

• Race and ethnicity

• Income and education

• Genetics

• Location

• Health habits

• Environment

• Access to health care and resources

Factors that Influence Health

Gender • One of the most important factors that affects

health is gender.

– Although men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer, more women than men get the disease.

– Heart disease is the number one killer of women, but they often don’t receive the proper medical attention. In addition, most of the studies on this disease have focused primarily on men.

Factors that Influence Health

Race and Ethnicity • African Americans are more likely to have

sickle cell anemia than any other race.

• People whose ancestors are from Northern Europe, on the other hand, are more likely to suffer from cystic fibrosis.

• Hispanics have higher rates of obesity and diabetes than Caucasians.

Factors that Influence Health

Income and education • Socioeconomic status, which is often a

reflection of income and education, is one of the main reasons for health disparities.

• Socioeconomic status dictates where you live and where you obtain health services.

• Because income and education are closely related, people who live in poverty and have little education often suffer the most.

Factors that Influence Health

Genetics • It is accountable for 25% of the factors that

contribute to the leading causes of death.

• You cannot change who your biological parents are or the genes you inherit from them, but you can keep yourself in good physical condition.

Factors that Influence Health

Location • Those who live in rural areas are less likely to

engage in physical activity and have less access to heath care than people who live in either suburban or urban areas.

• In 2004, people living in rural areas reported fair or poor health, had more chronic conditions, and died from heart disease more frequently.

Factors that Influence Health

Health habits • The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

estimate that lifestyle choices account for about half the factors contributing to chronic diseases. – Example: Deciding to smoke: Smoking is a risk factor for

cancer and heart disease. If you choose to smoke you are at risk of getting these diseases.

• Other lifestyle choices include decisions about nutrition, stress management, and exercise.

Factors that Influence Health

Environment • About 20% of the risk factors that contribute to

leading causes of death are related to poor environmental quality.

• Environmental quality refers to the state of the physical world around you. – Examples: The safety of the water you drink, the air

you breathe, the food you eat

• Certain jobs can sometimes require a person to assume greater environmental health risks that others.

Factors that Influence Health

Access to health care and resources • Inadequate health care accounts for about 10%

of the risk factors that contribute to the leading causes of death.

• Failure to diagnose (identify) a disease early can interfere with the receipt of an effective treatment.

• If you have adequate and timely access to proper health care, you will be treated for symptoms in a more effective and efficient manner.

• In the following slides, you can review a presentation of a report made by the World Health Organization, in which they studied the global health risks. In addition, at the end you can read the conclusions they reached.

*Presentation taken from the WHO web page

Global Health Risks: Selected figures and tables

Health Statistics and Informatics Department

Leading causes of attributable global mortality and burden of disease, 2004

%

1. High blood pressure 12.8

2. Tobacco use 8.7

3. High blood glucose 5.8

4. Physical inactivity 5.5

5. Overweight and obesity 4.8

6. High cholesterol 4.5

7. Unsafe sex 4.0

8. Alcohol use 3.8

9. Childhood underweight 3.8

10. Indoor smoke from solid fuels 3.3

59 million total global deaths in 2004

%

1. Childhood underweight 5.9

2. Unsafe sex 4.6

3. Alcohol use 4.5

4. Unsafe water, sanitation, hygiene 4.2

5. High blood pressure 3.7

6. Tobacco use 3.7

7. Suboptimal breastfeeding 2.9

8. High blood glucose 2.7

9. Indoor smoke from solid fuels 2.7

10. Overweight and obesity 2.3

1.5 billion total global DALYs in 2004

Attributable Mortality Attributable DALYs

Deaths attributed to 19 leading factors, by country income level, 2004

Percentage of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to 19 leading risk factors, by country income level, 2004

Major causes of death in children under 5 with disease-specific contribution of undernutrition, 2004

Attributable DALY rates for selected diet-related risk factors by WHO region, 2004

Burden of disease attributable to contraception by WHO region, 2004

Percentage of deaths over age 30 caused by tobacco, 2004

Disease burden attributable to 24 global risk factors by income and WHO region, 2004

Potential life expectancy gain in the absence of selected risks to global health, 2004

Key findings 1

• High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for mortality, responsible for 13% of deaths globally

• Childhood underweight is the leading risk factor for burden of disease and is responsible for over 2 million children dying per year, mainly in low-income countries

• Environmental risks such as unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene and indoor smoke from solid fuels cause around 2 million children deaths per year

• Low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of exercise, alcohol and tobacco use, high body mass index, high cholesterol, high blood glucose, and high blood pressure are risk factors responsible for more than half of the deaths due to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world

Key findings 2

• Unsafe sex, which leads to transmission of human papillomavirus, is responsible for virtually all deaths due to cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is responsible for 11 percent of global unsafe sex deaths and is the leading cause of cancer death in Africa.

• Tobacco is a leading risk factor for mortality, responsible for 5.1 million deaths. Almost 1 in 8 deaths of adults over the age of 30 is due to smoking.

• Being overweight or suffering from obesity is the fifth leading risk for death. It responsible for 7 per cent of deaths globally - 8 per cent in high income countries and 7 per cent in middle income countries.