Title: Awareness on Personal Health

Thesis Statement: People must be aware of their own health

I. Introduction

Health is the state of a living organism or one of its organs wherein they

function or words normally. Awareness is the ability to know and understand the

situations around you. The impact of health to a human being has a little value,

unless disorders or diseases of the organs and or system have occurred. Health

has been referred to as the responsibility of the medical and dental personnel. It

is then viewed as treatment rather than preventive.

Personal health is the state of one’s health and the overall condition of the

person’s body; it is affected by the decisions made by that person. It not only

refers to the physical state of an individual but it also comprises the emotional,

intellectual, social, economic, spiritual state and other areas of life. Human health

is like a bank account— unless you contribute to it regularly, you get very little

from it. Although the ingredients of good health are simple to understand and

practice, most people are conditioned to complexities and refuse to accept

simple natural laws which demand a change in their entrenched unnatural habits.

2 Awareness on Personal Health

II. Health and Behavior

People do not live in order to be healthy-they do not seek health for health

sake. They seek it along with many other necessities, as a means to achieve and

enjoy a satisfactory and total life. Health is a means to a much more

comprehensive end, and illness is an obstacle to its achievement. What worries

most people is how they will work and pay for housing, food, clothing, education,

and all the other expenses if they become “unwell“.

Each individual is faced with decisions and actions that require careful

thought and planning throughout life. Circumstances related to health and

healthful behavior is inherent in daily encounters and other individuals and

various environments and must be confronted. Man will do almost anything to

avoid introducing radical charges to his pattern of living habits. Often these have

been established at a very early age, prior to the development of the brain so that

it could engage in creative thought.1

1
Haro, l Personal Health (1977 pg.6-7)

3 Awareness on Personal Health

A. Habits

Habits are the pattern by which most of creation lives. It provides the formula

for reaction, but rarely for action. Habit is an automatic following along a known

course, with rarely a thorough investigation into whether such a course is wise.

Unfortunately, it often is not. Human life, if it is to fulfill its purpose, must be

characterized by action, not reaction. In that manner, it contrasts with the lives of

other creatures. When man lives objectively, an intense satisfaction attends his

efforts. When he lives by habit, he is so often a victim of uncertainties and fears.

Yet man, is common with all creatures, has the vital ability of adaptation at his

disposal and this he constantly employs without understanding if it is directed

towards his good. Man will do almost anything to avoid introducing radical

changes to his pattern at living habits. Often these have been established at a

very early age, prior to the development of the brain so that it could engage in

creative thoughts. The information of habits preceded any creative effort on the

part of their performer, implying that they are hand-downs from parents whose

own habits also were formed devoid of thoughtfulness.2

2
Phillips D. New Dimensions in Health(1983 pg. 1-3)

4 Awareness on Personal Health

B. Health Related Behavior

Health behavior refers to the beliefs and actions of a person on their health and

wellbeing. Health related behavior has three sections; health behavior, illness

behavior and sick role behavior.

1. Health Behavior

Health Behavior is any activity undertaken by people believing themselves to

be healthy, for the purpose of preventing disease or detecting it in a symptomatic

stage.

2. Illness Behavior

Illness Behavior is any activity undertaken by people who feel ill to define the

stage of their health and discover a suitable remedy. The principal activities here

are complaining and seeking consolation from relatives, friends and those trained

in matters of health.

3. Sick-Role Behavior

Sick-Role Behavior is the behavior by those who think of themselves as ill

for the reason of getting well. It includes receiving treatment from appropriate

therapists, generally involves a wide range of dependent behaviors, and leads to

some degree of neglect of customary duties.

We can illustrate the importance of each type of health-related behavior by

using breast cancer as an example. Breast self-examination is a form of health

behavior engage in by a woman who assumes that she is healthy, but wants to

detect early any abnormal changes in her breasts. Should she discover an

5 Awareness on Personal Health

 abnormal lump through self-examination, her health then becomes dependent on

appropriate illness behavior, which in this case would be to consult a physician. If

the physician confirms that something is wrong and finally does diagnose cancer,

the woman will probably engage in the appropriate sick-role behavior (submitting

to surgery and follow-up therapy) in order to return to a healthy state. 3

C. Self-Responsibility for Health

In the years ahead there will be a concerted effort to alert the public to the

fact that the gap between the ability of medical science and the public’s use of

that ability to achieve optimum health can be narrowed. Education for health,

leaving towards the improvement of the quality of life for all, involves an

interchange of sociological, cultural, psychological, economic, and political

considerations, as well as a sound foundation of biological facts based upon

scientific evidence If the gap is to be narrowed, functional, programs must be

devised to promote health for the individual and for the community by furnishing

facts and by motivating people to take positive action for their health, however,

only so much such for the people.

If, when, and in what form national health is adopted, what impact will it have

on our existing health and medical care resources? According to one study,

national health insurance would produce a 5 to 15 percent increase in hospital

3
Haro, M. Personal Health (1977 pg. 2-5)

6 Awareness on Personal Health

 demand and a 30 to 75 percent increase in demand for ambulatory physician

services. The answer to these and many other questions are the subject of

further discussion and debate and remain to be determined. Certainly national

health insurance, in whatever form it takes, will not be the panacea for all our

society’s ills. We should not forget the other 4contributing factor-education,

employment, trauma, exposure to toxic substances, excessive noise, inadequate.

III. Health and Medical Care

In order to understand the role each individual must play to maintain

wellness, consider the following distinction between health care and medical

care. The word health comes from a stem meaning “whole” whereas medical is

derived from the Latin root meaning “to heal”. Health care involves an ongoing

program designed to maintain the “wholeness” of the individual, and the

responsibility for implementing such program is primarily the individuals in

5contrast, the implementation of medical care is the responsibility of the medical

profession after disease and also associated illness have become fact.

Healthcare and medical care are independent. In the first place, many

determinants of health hazards are closely related to lifestyle variables and only

become medical problems once the condition becomes recognizable. For

example, atherosclerotic heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults

4
Haro M. Personal Health (1977 pgs. 225-245)

7 Awareness on Personal Health

past the age of 40, and the contributing factors probably include a sedentary

lifestyle, cigarette smoking, obesity, stress, uncontrolled diabetes, increased

cholesterol, high blood pressure, and family history. Likewise, the determinants

of homicide suicide, cancer of the lung, cirrhosis, and motor vehicle and other

accidents are not amenable to medical solution, but must be suppressed or

eliminated by personal, societal and legislative action. However, regardless of

how cautious and prevention minded we are, illness and injury will occur. If and

when high quality of life is compromised, medical care will, in many cases, be

needed Health care and medical care tend to complement each other, and the

quality of a person’s life depends upon how well he or she understands and

participates in each facet.

Health care encompasses social, economic, and environmental influences

involving a combination of efforts by medical practitioners, by individuals involved

in the self-direction of their health behavior, and by groups of individuals acting in

behalf of the public at large through healthy agency and governmental public

health programs. Medical care services provided directly by the physician or

indirectly by others under the direction of the physician to individuals for the

maintenance and restoration of health and for the prevention of disease. 6

6
Hart, E. (1977 pg. 225)

8 Awareness on Personal Health

A. The Functions of Medical Care

Medical care has important functions other than restoring of maintaining

health. These other functions are assessment and certification of health status,

prognostication, segregation of the ill to limit communication of illness, and

helping to cope with the problems of illness- the caring function Medical care

deals not only with problems of disease and injury, but also with problems of

birth, death, and living- problems that are separate from disease or injury.

Medical care services the advancement of health through curing or preventing

illness. However, curing and prevention are not the only purposes intended by

the provider or sought by the patient.

Other functions important to society, functions, that may, in fact, be more

important to the patient than those that benefit health, are assessment of health

status, separation of the ill from the well, and caring, which can also be described

as helping to cope with illness. Examples of medical care activities serving these

functions are pre- employment examinations, multiphasic health testing, and

custodial nursing care, care of limited illnesses and care of terminal illnesses.

Medical care means services to patient by health professionals and by

institutional providers such as hospitals, nursing homes, and home care

programs. 7

7
http://www.imedpub.com/scholarly/personal-health-journals-articles-ppts-list.php

9 Awareness on Personal Health

B. Healthy Practices

Today’s world is a busy world. There are tasks to do and goals to achieve.

You must stay healthy in order to carry out your responsibilities at home, in

school and in the community where you live. Staying Healthy does not only

mean that you eat good food. It also demands that you practice proper Health

Habits in order to be acceptable to the members of your family and to the people

you meet as you perform your daily activities. Personal hygiene should always be

a part of one’s daily habits. The idea about hygiene should not only be thought of

as the best way to keep away illness. It is also the way by which one can be

acceptable to others. Having clean hands before eating is very much about

keeping healthy. Taking a bath also keeps the body clean and healthy.

Here are some basic information about healthy hygiene practices.

1. Body Odor

Body Odor is caused by bacteria that are trapped in the dead layers of the

skin. Some of these bacteria make chemicals like methane and hydrogen sulfide

which give off unpleasant odors. Body odor is also due to things that the body

should get rid of such as garlic and alcohol. Washing with clean water and mild

soap can stop body odor, but only for a while. The use of deodorants and

antiperspirants is advisable.

10 Awareness on Personal Health

2. Hand Washing

Most illnesses are caused by germs in our hands when we put food in our

mouth. Some germs are transmitted when other people’s dirty hands touch the

food we eat. As often as you move your hands to your mouth the chances for

infection increase. It is important to wash your hands after using the toilet, before

preparing and eating food and after handling dogs or other pets.

3. Having a Clean Environment

Hygiene does not stop with cleanliness of the body but it extends to the

surroundings. A clean and orderly place promotes well-being. Keeping the house

clean is important for good health. We can avoid catching germs that could make

us sick by sweeping the floor, dusting the furniture, scrubbing the walls and

disposing the trash and garbage properly. 8

8 Balgan, C.L. PEHM. (1991 pg. 74)

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C. Medical Practice

Medicine is practiced in one of three basic ways: Solo Practice, Cooperative

Practice and Group Practice.

1. Solo Practice

The use of the term solo practice is carried over from the past. Today, the

physicians are dependent on other physicians in one way or another as

consultants. The Physicians also needs access to hospitals and sophisticated

technology. Although, Physicians may be engaged in private practice, it is rare

that they are in strictest sense, solo, independent of other colleagues. Other

Physicians may be needed who can be called upon as consultants or to “cover”

during sickness and vacation periods.

2. Cooperative Practice

Cooperative Practice refers to an arrangement where two or more Physicians

practice in a professional building or medical center. They keep their own

patients and collect their own fees.

3. Group Practice

12 Awareness on Personal Health

 Group Practice involves an organization of several full time Physicians who

provide medical care, consultation, diagnosis and treatment through the joint use

of equipment and personnel. 9

IV. Conclusions

The purpose of this research is to make people aware of their personal

health condition. People must be aware of their personal health to be able to

care for them-selves and to stop or prevent the decline of their health condition.

They should hold responsibility to all the activity that might affect their overall

health. Through the use of health practices they can prevent or minimize the

risks of diseases or illnesses from developing.

As the awareness of people about personal health decline, they start to

neglect to taking care of themselves, starting to become ignorant of the risks of

being unaware of what is to befall on them. The purpose of this research is to

raise and promote awareness about personal health. In conclusion, people need

to become aware and cautious about their own health, to always be in optimum

condition for surviving in life. As life in this world starts to become more and more

challenging, we must be prepared, because as the world changes in a fast pace,

our bodies cannot keep up. That is why we must be aware of our condition.

Health is wealth; a sound soul dwells in a sound body and a sound mind.

9
Hart, E. (1977 pg. 222-223)

13 Awareness on Personal Health

 V. Recommendation

We, the researcher recommend that everyone should be aware of their

own health, because in this generation there were so many people start to

neglect to take care of themselves.

We research about this topic, because we need to make people aware of

their health by creating a campaign wherein it promotes awareness on the health

of an individual and they will also organize a fund raising, benefiting the

community and also the campaign. We will also do our best in making some

signage; encouraging and letting people know to be aware of their own health.

We would like to get the attention of the people who is not aware of their own

health by the means of useful messages like life experience that we shared and

alerting them or encouraging them to join the program via the local officials. The

impact of this awareness to everyone is it improves the way you perceive at life

and it helps in guiding them on the proper way to live.

We would like to advice those people who have been aware of their health,

maintain it and keep up what you are doing. You should maintain, to take care of

your health by eating healthy foods and having a healthy diet, proper hygiene

14 Awareness on Personal Health

and consulting professionals about their conditions. Always remember that being

aware of your own health, helps you to become better and stronger.

References:

Books

Balgan C. 1991
Physical Education Health and Music
FNB Educational Inc.
pp.74

613.07
Haro M. et al 1977
Personal Health
Hoghton Mifflin Company
Pp.2-13, 225-245

613.26
Phillips D. 1983
New Dimensions in Health
Angus and Roberton Publishers
pp.1-3

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15 Awareness on Personal Health

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