Personal, School, And Community Health JSS1 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note

TOPIC- HEALTH DETERMINANTS

What is health? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

The definition above reveals that someone may be physically well but emotionally or socially unwell.

Determinants of health

There are four general determinants of health. These include:

(i)                  Health care service

(ii)                Lifestyle

(iii)              Heredity (human biology)

(iv)              Environment

Health care service

This is the prevention, treatment, and management of mental, physical, and social well-being through the service offered by the medical community and health professionals.

Health care services are designed for promotion, curative, and palliative interventions, whether direct to individuals or the general population.

Life style

Lifestyle is the way a person lives his or her life. A lifestyle is a characteristic of behaviors that a person exhibits to oneself or others at a given time. It includes the social interactions with people, the style of dressing, entertainment, and choice of environment in which he or she chooses to live.     

 Heredity

This is the process by which physical, physiological, and mental characteristics or in-born factors are transmitted from parents to children. Heredity determines the growth, development, intelligence, some types of sickness, and other natural characteristics of a child.  

Environment

All of the external factors affect human well-being. Human being and their environment constantly interact and both are changed by the interaction environment determines the following of an individual: social life, dressing, shelter, behavior, etc.

Characteristics of a physically fit person

(i)                  Freedom from diseases

(ii)                Normal system and body function

(iii)              Health of mind and emotion

(iv)              Freedom from correctable physical defect