Wellness Throughout Life

Objectives Understand the difference between health and wellness. Identify 10 significant public health achievements of the 20th century. Discuss challenges to wellness in the 21st century. Explain the six dimensions of wellness. Identify factors that influence your wellness. Understand behavior change models and why they work in creating wellness. Know how to set realistic goals.

Top 10 Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century 1.Vaccinations 2.Motor vehicle safety 3.Safer workplaces 4.Control of infectious disease 5.Decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke (continued)

Top 10 Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century (continued) 6.Healthier mothers and babies 7.Safer and healthier foods 8.Family planning 9.Fluoridation of drinking water 10.Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard

Challenges to Wellness Obesity epidemic –According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2004 approximately 34% of U.S. adults over age 20 were obese (CDC 2008). –Obesity increases the risks of developing certain chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Reemergence of infectious diseases –Rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria –More global travelers, both humans and animals –Crowded living conditions (continued)

Challenges to Wellness (continued) Access to health insurance –Nearly 46.5 million nonelderly Americans didn’t have health insurance in –Low-income people are at the highest risk of being uninsured. –The uninsured are more likely to be hospitalized for medical conditions that could have been avoided if proper medical care had been received initially. –The uninsured don’t receive basic preventive care such as Pap smears, mammograms, annual physicals, or blood glucose screenings.

Six Dimensions of Wellness Developed by Bill Hettler, cofounder and president of the board of directors of the National Wellness Institute: –Physical –Intellectual –Emotional –Social –Spiritual –Occupational

How the Six Dimensions Fit Together

Physical Wellness Refers to the wellness of your actual physical body. Affects physical aspects of the body along with the mental aspects.

Intellectual Wellness Addresses your creative and mental activities and your willingness to be open to new ideas and schools of thought. Helps you keep your mind alert and sharp as you go through the aging process.

Emotional Wellness Refers to the ability to get through the rigors of life, including the ability to deal with stress and stressful situations, the ability to be flexible, and your attitude toward yourself and life in general. Aspects include self-acceptance, self- confidence, self-control, and trust. Helps you cope and become comfortable with your emotions.

Social Wellness Emphasis is that you should want to be a contributing member of your community and society. Encourages you to take an active role in your community and encourages effective communication among community members.

Spiritual Wellness Focuses on meaning and purpose in life. Aspects include the ability to forgive, to show compassion, and to love. Includes traditional religious beliefs and practices along with the broader range of your relationships with other living things and your perception and appreciation of nature, the universe, and the meaning of life. Equips you with the ethics, values, and morals that help guide your decisions.

Occupational Wellness Refers to the personal satisfaction you get from your career. You contribute your skills and talents to work that is meaningful and rewarding.

Factors That Influence Wellness Gender Race and ethnicity Income and education Genetics Location Health habits Environment Access to health care and resources

Reaching and Maintaining Wellness Find your current health status and identify areas you want to change or improve. Behavior change models help understand why it’s hard to change behavior: –Transtheoretical model –Self-efficacy and social cognitive theory –Health belief model –Locus of control Set realistic goals.

Transtheoretical Model Developed in the late 1970s by University of Rhode Island researchers. Focuses on the decision-making process. Core of the model is the stages of change, with the primary concept that behavior change is not a one-step process. Other concepts include processes of change and decision balance.

Stages of Change Precontemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance

Progressing Through the Stages

Self-Efficacy Refers to people’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. People with high self-efficacy believe they can master difficult tasks and don’t avoid those kinds of challenges. It’s vital to changing or adopting a health behavior because it helps determine your confidence in your ability to change.

Social Cognitive Theory Developed by psychologist Albert Bandura. People behave in a certain way because of interaction among personal factors, behavior, and the existing environment. Helps explain behavior change. Helps explain how people develop and maintain behavioral patterns. Helps in designing interventions.

Five Principles of Social Cognitive Theory 1.People learn from watching others. 2.Learning is an internal process that may or may not change behavior. 3.Behaviors are targeted toward specific goals. 4.Behavior eventually becomes self- regulated. 5.Reinforcement and punishment have both direct and indirect effects.

Health Belief Model People will engage in a health-related action if 1.they have an interest in health matters (health motivation), 2.they think they are susceptible to a particular illness (perceived vulnerability), 3.they think the benefits of the treatment outweigh the barriers to it (perceived barriers and benefits), and 4.they think a particular illness could be severe (perceived seriousness).

Locus of Control Locus of control is an important aspect of personality that depends on your view about the main causes of events. External control: –Belief that outside circumstances guide behavior –Lack confidence to obtain or overcome health habits Internal control: –Belief that personal decisions affect actions –More confident in your ability to change a behavior

How to Set Realistic Goals Set small goals to help you achieve your overall goal. Write down your goal. Make your goals specific and measurable. Write down when and where you’ll try to change your behavior. Reward yourself whenever you reach a goal. Find social support.