Chapter 24 Health Education

1. Chapter 24 Health Education

2. Balanced diet Leisure time Aerobic exercise Mental health Self-esteem Stress Health hazards Emphysema Passive smoking Problem drinker Social drinker Short-term effects Long-term effects Legal drugs Illegal drugs Restricted drugs Depressants Hallucinogens Sedatives Opiates Stimulants 2

3. After completing this chapter and the homework, assignments and activities that accompany it, you should: Be able to define good health and be able to describe the seven guidelines for good health. Be able to describe what we should reduce and increase in our diets for better health. Be able to describe the benefits of exercise. Understand why adequate sleep, rest and relaxation are important for good health and be able to describe how these can be promoted. Know what positive mental health is and how it can be promoted. Understand the concept of self-esteem and the factors that can cause a person to have low or high self-esteem. 3 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

4. Know what stress is, what effects it can have on the body, both in the short and long term, and be able to describe some ways of coping with stress. Be able to describe the effects of smoking on the body. Understand the terms emphysema and passive smoking. Understand the effects that smoking can have on an unborn baby during pregnancy. Understand what safe limits are for alcohol. Be able to describe the short- and long-term effects of alcohol abuse on the mind, body, family and society. Know where people can get help. Be able to classify drugs in terms of their legal status and effects on the mind and body. Be able to discuss the effects of drug use on the individual, family and society. Understand the ways in which society tries to promote health and prevent the use of health hazards.

5. Health The World Health Organization (WHO) describes health as a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity. 5 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

6. Good health guide Avoid cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. Get enough rest and sleep. Eat a balanced diet. Take regular exercise. Have good personal hygiene. Treat those around you with respect – you in turn will be treated with respect. Think positively about yourself and your experiences (mental well-being). 6 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

7. Healthy diet • Try to follow a balanced diet: • Eat less food that is high in fat, salt or sugar. • Increase fibre. • Drink plenty of water. 7 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

8. Exercise Exercise is vital to good health. Most children do not need to be told to take exercise; they just do it automatically. Unfortunately, during the late teens and early twenties, many people give up sport and regular exercise. This results in unfitness and weight gain. Habits formed during this time can stay for life. Reduces stress Keeps weight off Keeps heart and lungs healthy Maintains good muscle tone and bone density 8 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

9. Relaxation and sleep • Getting enough sleep is vital to good health. For a good night’s sleep, avoid having large meals, tea or coffee late in the evening. Stop doing homework or studying at least one hour before bedtime, as your body and mind need to be relaxed for you to sleep well. • Stress is the most common cause of sleeplessness. It is better to treat the stress itself rather than the sleeplessness alone (for example, with sleeping pills, which can be habit-forming). 9 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

10. Leisure time • Leisure time is time spent away from work, school or study. Some people waste their leisure time and then complain about being bored. They say things like, ‘There is absolutely nothing to do in this area or town.’ This is rarely true. Sometimes leisure facilities are there but people either do not know about them or are unwilling to use them. • Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, step aerobics or playing active sports, works the heart and lungs, making them stronger and healthier. 10

11. Mental health • A mentally healthy person generally: • Feels positive about themselves (positive self-image or high self-esteem) • Feels positive about the people and world around them • Is able to cope with life most of the time Mental and physical health rely on each other: neglect one and the other suffers 11

12. Mental health guidelines Look after your physical health. Do not smoke or use drugs. Keep alcohol within healthy limits. Think positively about yourself. Form a few close, trusting friendships. Discuss problems and feelings with a trusted friend. Have a good routine in your life, including regular sleep and meals. Make good use of leisure time. Avoid too much stress. 12

13. Self-esteem • People who like themselves and have confidence in their abilities have high self-esteem. Those who do not think much of themselves or their abilities have low self-esteem. • Why do some people have low self-esteem? • During childhood, how others treat us plays an important part in the development of self-esteem. • In adulthood, how we treat ourselves has a lot to do with our self-esteem. • The issues below are sometimes linked with low self-esteem: • Alcohol or drug abuse. • Being very critical of other. • Bullying. • Leaving school early. • Mental illness. Overeating. Possessiveness. Smoking. Staying in abusive relationships. Teen pregnancy. 13

14. Stress Stress is a normal reaction to difficulties in our lives. Some stress is healthy or else we would become bored. It is when we experience too much stress that problems occur. 14 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

15. Common effects of stress on the mind and body 15 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

16. Coping with stress • There are two basic ways of coping with stress: • Get rid of the cause of the stress. • Do something to relieve the symptoms: • Eat well. • Take physical exercise. • Take time to relax. • Get enough sleep. • Talk over your problems with someone you trust. 16 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

17. Health hazards Every year in Ireland, thousands of people die prematurely because they expose themselves to health hazards such as smoking, excessive alcohol and illegal drugs use. Smoking Discoloured teeth and hair, bad breath Skin becomes wrinkled and aged Heart disease Nicotine (the drug in cigarettes) is highly addictive Tar in tobacco causes lung cancer, frequent bronchitis (lung infections) and emphysema Strokes (blood clots in the brain) Effects of smoking on the body 17 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

18. Effects of smoking(continued) Emphysema:Emphysema is a serious, incurable disease of the lungs. Passive smoking: Passive smoking means inhaling other people’s smoke. Smoking during pregnancy: If you smoke, your baby smokes too. Babies of smokers are more likely to be born premature 18 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

19. Alcohol When taken in moderation, alcohol can be a positive social substance. However, it is estimated that one in 10 Irish adults are problem drinkers (previously termed alcoholics). A person is considered to be a problem drinker when alcohol is causing a problem in their home, at school, in their social life or at work. 19 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

20. Safe alcohol limits spread over the week • Fully grown men: 21 units per week • Fully grown women: 14 units per week • One unit = half a pint of beer or lager, a small measure of spirits or a glass of wine • Drinking more than five units at one time is considered binge drinking by the World Health Organization. 20 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

21. Short-term effects of alcohol abuse on the mind and body • Face turns red • Loss of inhibitions • Mood alters • Vomiting • Lack of co-ordination • Poor driving skills 21 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

22. Long-term effects of alcohol abuse on the mind and body • Addiction • Brain damage • Mental illness • Heart disease • Liver disease (cirrhosis) • Cancer of the mouth or stomach • Foetal alcohol syndrome (birth defects caused by drinking during pregnancy) 22 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

23. Effects of alcohol abuse on the family • General unhappiness and uncertainty in the family • Separation and divorce • Violence in the home • Financial problems This is the author of ‘A Child Called It’. He lived his life with parents addicted to alcohol. 23 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

24. Effects of alcohol abuse on society • Road accidents • Crime • Cost of treating people for alcohol-related health problems • Absenteeism 24 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

25. Help for those affected by alcohol abuse • Rehabilitation programmes, e.g. Ruthland Centre, Cuan Mhuire, Aiseiri • Alcoholics Anonymous • Al Anon • Alateen 25 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

26. Alcohol misuse video link Watch The Truth About Drugs: Alcohol at www.drugfreeworld.org: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/drugs/alcohol.html 26 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

27. Drugs Drugs can be classified in two ways: according to their effect on the body or their legal status. Legal status Drugs can be legal, e.g. caffeine, nicotine and alcohol; illegal, e.g. cannabis, cocaine; or restricted, e.g. Valium, which is only available through a prescription. Type Examples Effects on the body Depressants Alcohol Slows down the nervous system, making the person relaxed but uncoordinated. LSD, magic mushrooms, solvents, ecstasy, cannabis Hallucinogens Causes changes in mood and thought patterns, may hear and see things in a different way to reality. Sleeping tablets, cannabis, tranquillisers, e.g. Valium Caffeine, nicotine, ecstasy, cocaine Sedatives Stimulants Relief of tension/anxiety, causes sleep, physical and psychological dependence. Increases heart rate and breathing, prevents sleep. Feelings of intense well-being and energy (ecstasy and cocaine). Opiates Heroin, methadone, morphine Feelings of euphoria (intense pleasure), but highly addictive. 27 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

28. Drugs video link Scroll down on the left-hand side of the www.drugfreeworld.org home page for videos on all drugs: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/the-truth-about-drugs.html 28 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

29. Health promotion • Most countries ban or limit the use of substances that are hazardous to health. There are laws banning drink driving and some drugs. Health promotion tactics include health warnings on cigarettes and drug education in schools. • For further information on any health issue, www.healthpromotion.ie is a useful site and will direct you to other relevant sites, such as www.drugs.ie. 29 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

30. Effects of drug abuse on the individual and their families • Health problems from sharing dirty needles, weight loss, cancer if drug is smoked • Physical, psychological and social addiction makes it difficult for the addict to cope with life without the drug • Loss of self-respect • Loss of ambition • Mental illness • Families and children of addicts may suffer poverty, worry, neglect and abuse 30 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

31. Rosanne Holland anti-drugs campaign 31 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

32. Effects of drug abuse on society • Crime • Cost to the taxpayer • Addicts strain an already stretched health care system • Welfare payments for addicts unfit to work 32 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

33. How does the World Health Organization define health? List seven guidelines for good health. List three basic healthy eating guidelines. List four benefits of exercise. What can you do/not do before bedtime to help ensure you get a good night’s sleep? What is aerobic exercise? What is its main benefit? How would you describe a mentally healthy person? Give eight guidelines for positive mental health. What is self-esteem? Why might some children have low-self esteem? 33 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

34. List five issues linked with low self-esteem in adolescents and young adults. List four long-term effects of stress. Suggest three ways of coping with stress. List five effects of smoking on the body. What is emphysema? What is passive smoking? What are its effects? What are the effects on an unborn baby of smoking during pregnancy? What is moderate drinking? When would someone be considered a problem drinker? What are considered to be safe weekly alcohol limits for fully grown men and women? 34 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition

35. List three short-term and three long-term effects of alcohol abuse on the body. What effects can alcohol abuse have on a family? What are the effects of alcohol abuse on society? Where can problem drinkers and their families get help? How can drugs be classified? Name one depressant drug. What effect does it have on the mind/body? Name one hallucinogenic drug. What effect does it have on the mind/body? Name one stimulant drug. What effect does it have on the mind/body? List the possible effects of drug abuse on individuals and their families. What effects can drug abuse have on society?

36. Assignment 41 Now test yourself at www.eTest.ie. 36 Essentials for Living, 3rd Edition