Importance of Writing Things Down or Having Them on Paper

1. Why is it important to write things down or have them on paper? Why are contracts important?

2. What You’ll Learn 1. Discuss the purpose of a health behavior inventory. 2. Discuss healthful behaviors. 3. Give examples of risk behaviors. 4. List the six categories of risk behaviors in teens. 5. List the five parts of a health behavior contract.

3. Key Terms • behavior • habits • healthful behaviors • risk behaviors • health behavior inventory • health behavior contract

4. Health Behavior Inventories • A behavior is the way you act or choose to act in a situation. • Habits are fixed behaviors that you use automatically.

5. Health Behavior Inventories • Healthful behaviors are behaviors that promote health, prevent injury and premature death, and improve the quality of the environment. • Risk behaviors are behaviors that threaten health, can cause injury or premature death and harm, or destroy the environment.

6. The Value of a Health Behavior Inventory • You can have optimal health. • Practicing healthful behaviors and avoiding risk behaviors helps you to maintain optimal health status. • A health behavior inventory is a tool that helps a person decide how well he or she is practicing healthful behaviors.

7. The Value of a Health Behavior Inventory Six Categories of Risk Behaviors in Teens These behaviors threaten health, can cause injury or premature death, and/or destroy the environment: • Behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries • Tobacco use • Alcohol and other drug abuse • Sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection or other sexually transmitted diseases and in unplanned pregnancies • Diet choices that contribute to disease • Lack of physical activity

8. Completing a Health Behavior Inventory • You can use this inventory to become aware of healthful behaviors that you already practice and discover new habits that could improve your health status.

9. How to Complete a Health Behavior Inventory • To take the inventory, number from 1 to 100 on a sheet of paper. • Click here to read each behavior (or refer to pages 28–31 of your textbook). Write yes or no next to the same number on your paper. • Each yes indicates a behavior you practice. • Each no indicates a behavior you do not currently practice on a regular basis.

10. How to Complete a Health Behavior Inventory • Review your responses and plan to continue each healthful behavior that you already practice. • Make a list of the healthful behaviors that you do not yet practice. • Select one and set realistic steps to achieve the goal of practicing this healthful behavior.

11. Health Behavior Contracts • A health behavior contract is a written plan that a person makes in which he or she agrees to develop the habit of practicing a specific healthful behavior. • The healthful behavior you want to practice becomes a health goal.

12. How to Create a Health Behavior Contract • The five steps to follow when making a health behavior contract are: 1. Write your name and the date. 2. Write the healthful behavior you want to practice as a health goal. 3. Write specific statements that describe how this healthful behavior reduces health risks. 4. Make a specific plan for recording your progress. 5. Complete the evaluation of how the plan helped you accomplish the health goal.

13. Study Guide 1. Match the following terms and definitions. ___ behavior ___ healthful behavior ___ habit ___ risk behavior A. health-threatening behavior that can cause injury or early death, or harm the environment B. health-promoting behavior that can prevent injury and early death or improve the environment C. way of acting in a situation D. a fixed, automatic behavior C B D A

14. Study Guide 2. Identify whether the following statements are true or false. _______ Healthful behaviors in the health behavior inventory are of equal value. _______ A health behavior contract is a written plan to develop the habit of practicing a healthful behavior. _______ Lack of physical activity is a risk behavior in teens. _______ A habit is the way you act or choose to act in a situation. false true true false

15. Study Guide 3. List the six categories of risk behaviors in teens. 1. Behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries 2. Tobacco use 3. Alcohol and other drug abuse 4. Sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection or other sexually transmitted diseases and in unplanned pregnancies 5. Diet choices that contribute to disease 6. Lack of physical activity

16. End of the Lesson