1. Health Risks and Your Behavior
Lesson 3
Health Risks and Your Behavior

2. Identifying Health Risks
Risk Behaviors = actions that can potentially threaten your health or the health of others.
YOU can control most risk behaviors
Understanding risks associated with certain behaviors can influence safe and responsible decisions about risks to avoid

3. Recognizing Risk Behaviors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified six risk behaviors that account for most deaths and disabilities of young adults.
These risk behaviors can leade to heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses later in life:
Tobacco use
Unhealthy dietary behaviors
Inadequate physical activity
Alcohol and drug use
Sexual behaviors that may result in HIV infection, other STD’s and unintended pregnancies.
Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence.

4. Risks and Consequences
Risk behaviors have serious impact on health
Behaviors carry consequences, either short-term or long-term, that can harm health, some may even be fatal.
Evaluate consequences before engaging in these risks

5. Risks and Consequences (Con’t)
Cumulative Risks = related risks that increase in effect with each added risk.
These can add up over time
Examples?

6. How to Avoid or Reduce Risks
You can take action to reduce your exposure to health risks by practicing positive health behaviors
One way to reduce health risks is through prevention ( taking steps to keep something from happening or getting worse.
Another way to reduce health risks is through abstinence (deliberate decision to avoide high-risk behaviors, including sexual activity, and the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs)
By abstaining from these behaviors, you show you value your well being, demonstrate maturity, and play an active role in maintaining your health.

7. Lifestyle Factors These factors include:
Personal habits or behaviors related to the way a person lives
People who practice positive health habits tend to be healthier and live longer
These factors include:
Getting 8 hours of sleep each night
Starting each day with a healthy breakfast
Eating a variety of nutritious foods each day
Being physically active for minutes
Maintaining a healthy weight
Abstatining from smoking or use of other tobacco products
Abstaining from the use of alcohol and other drugs

8. Group Work
Discuss at least 5 specific strategies individuals can use to reduce risks and enhance health