Solution Manual For
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Core Concepts in Health 4 Canadian Edition By Jennifer Irwin, Shauna Burke,
Claire Insel, Walton T. Roth, Paul M. Insel
Chapter 1-19
Chapter 1: Taking Charge of Your Health
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Describe the dimensions of wellness.
2. Identify major health problems in Canada today.
3. Describe the influence of gender, ethnicity, income, disability, family history, and environment on health.
4. Explain the importance of personal decision-making and behaviour change in achieving wellness.
5. List the available sources of health information and how to think critically about them.
6. Describe the steps in creating a behaviour management plan to change a health-related behaviour.
KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
chronic disease A disease that develops and continues over a long period of time; usually caused by a variety of
factors, including lifestyle factors.
gender The roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and
women.
gene A package of hereditary material that defines an individual‘s unique traits.
genome The complete set of genetic material in an individual‘s cells.
infectious disease A disease that can spread from person to person; caused by microorganisms such as bacteria and
viruses.
locus of control The figurative ―place‖ a person designates as the source of responsibility for the events in his or
her life.
self-efficacy The belief in one‘s ability to take action and perform a specific behaviour.
sex The biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.
target behaviour An isolated behaviour selected as the object for a behaviour change program.
wellness Optimal health and vitality, encompassing all dimensions of well-being.
,LECTURE OUTLINE
This chapter focuses on defining health and describing how wellness can be achieved through a behaviour change
plan.
LO1: Describe the dimensions of wellness
I. Wellness: The New Health Goal
Wellness transcends the concept of health, which is limited to the absence of physical disease. True wellness is
largely determined by an individual‘s decisions and encompasses life lived actively, energetically, and fully, in
a state of optimal personal, interpersonal, and environmental well-being.
A. The interrelated dimensions of wellness interact continuously. Making changes in one dimension often
affects others.
1. Physical wellness
2. Emotional wellness
3. Intellectual wellness
4. Interpersonal wellness
5. Cultural wellness
6. Spiritual wellness
7. Environmental wellness
8. Financial wellness
9. Occupational
LO2: Identify major health problems in Canada today
B. Many of the factors that contribute to wellness are things we can control—diet, work, play, sexual and
reproductive choices, and some environmental factors.
1. Vaccines, antibiotics, and public health campaigns all have contributed to a more than 60% increase in
the average life span.
2. The best treatment for cancer, heart disease, and stroke—three of the top five causes of death in
Canada—is prevention.
3. One step in disease prevention is learning about wellness, illness, and treatments.
C. The Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy was created in 2002 when the federal, provincial,
and territorial ministers of health sought a collaborative and coordinated approach to curbing our nation‘s
non-communicable diseases. The latest report has three broad national goals:
1. Increase by 20% the proportion of Canadians who make healthy food choices.
2. Increase by 20% the proportion of Canadians who participate in regular physical activity based on 30
minutes/day of moderate to vigorous activity (the amount needed for health benefits).
3. Increase by 20% the proportion of Canadians at a ―normal‖ body weight based on BMI (18.5 to 24.9).
D. Health issues for diverse populations
1. Canadians are a diverse people, with over 250 ethnic origins identified in the 2016 Canadian National
Household Survey.
2. We live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas and work in every imaginable occupation.
3. Most health issues concern us all equally.
4. Some of our differences have important implications for health.
a. Some individuals have a genetic predisposition for developing certain health problems.
b. Certain people have grown up eating foods that raise their risk of heart disease or obesity.
c. Some of us live in an environment that increases the likelihood of smoking cigarettes or abusing
alcohol.
, d. Such health-related differences among individuals and groups can be biological—determined
genetically – or cultural – acquired as patterns of behaviour through daily interactions with our
families, communities, and society.
e. Many health conditions are a function of biology and culture combined.
5. There are two related dangers when discussing health issues for diverse populations:
a. Stereotyping, by talking about groups rather than individuals.
b. Over-generalizing, by ignoring the extensive biological and cultural diversity that exists among
people that are grouped together.
LO3: Describe the influence of gender, ethnicity, income, disability, family history, and environment on
health
6. Health-related differences among groups can be identified and described in the context of several
different dimensions. Well accepted dimensions are gender, ethnicity, income and education,
disability, geographic locality, and sexual orientation.
a. Sex and gender
(1) The World Health Organization defines sex as the biological and physiological characteristics
that define men and women; these characteristics are related to chromosomes and their effects
on reproductive organs and the functioning of the body.
(2) Gender is defined as roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women. Examples of gender-related characteristics that affect
wellness include a higher risk of mental health problems for gender-diverse
individuals, drinking among men compared to women, and lower earnings among women
(compared with earnings for men doing similar work). (3) See the Box ―Women‘s
Health/Men‘s Health‖ for more on gender differences that affect wellness.
b. Ethnicity
(1) Canadian diversity is well recognized, however very little data on health status of Canadian
ethnic minorities are documented. North American statistics indicate that ethnic minorities
have higher rates of death and disability due to a number of factors.
(a) Such disparities result from a complex mix of genetic variations, environmental factors,
and health behaviours.
(2) Some genetic diseases are concentrated in certain gene pools, the result of each group‘s
relative distinct history.
(a) Sickle-cell disease is most common among people of African ancestry.
(b) Tay-Sachs disease afflicts people of Eastern European Jewish heritage and French-
Canadian heritage.
(c) Cystic fibrosis is more common among Northern Europeans.
(3) Many cultural differences occur along ethnic lines, including:
(a) Traditional diets
(b) Family and interpersonal relationships
(c) Attitudes toward tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs
(d) Health beliefs and practices
(e) See the Box ―Health Disparities among Ethnic Minorities‖ for more information.
(4) Within Canada, Indigenous persons represent an important portion of the population in many
ways, including cultural richness and historical prominence.
(a) 4.9 percent (about 1.67 million) of the Canadian population identifies as Indigenous
(b) Approximately one in six (260 550) speak fluently in their Indigenous language
(5) In comparison to the non-Indigenous population, the Indigenous population faces many
additional health challenges.
, (a) The Indigenous population is the youngest in Canada, with 44 percent of Indigenous
people being 25 years of age or younger due to higher birth rates, however the population
residing on reserve tends to exhibit a higher infant mortality rate.
(b) Indigenous persons have 1.5-2 times the rate of heart disease, 3-5 times the rate of type-2
diabetes mellitus, and 40 times the rate of infection from tuberculosis when living on
reserve.
(c) Other lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and inadequate
nutritional intake further complicates their health status.
(d) Many Indigenous populations suffer from a disproportionate burden of alcohol and other
substance abuse issues, often as a method to cope with the traumas left by the Residential
School System and other factors related to colonialization
(e) Indigenous people are also 4 times more likely to be unemployed, and those living on
reserve earn about one half the income of non-Indigenous Canadians.
c. Income and Education: Inequalities in income and education underlie many of the health disparities
among Canadians.
(1) Poverty and low educational attainment are far more important predictors of poor health than
any ethnic factor.
(2) Canadians that are poor with poor education tend to have higher rates of infant mortality,
traumatic injury and violent death, many diseases including heart disease, diabetes,
tuberculosis, HIV infection, and some cancers.
d. Disability: Individuals with a disability have activity limitations, use assistance, or perceive
themselves as having a disability.
(1) About 22 percent of Canadians aged 15 years and older, as well as a third of Canadian
seniors, have some level of disability.
(2) Peoples with disabilities are more likely to be inactive or overweight, report higher rates of
depressive episodes, and lack access to health care services.
e. Geographic Location: About one in five Canadians live in rural locations—with fewer than 1000
residents and with less than 400 people per square kilometer.
(1) These individuals are more likely to be inactive and not use safety belts or obtain preventive
health care.
(2) They are less likely to finish high school, and also have less access to emergency services,
have higher rates of injury-related death, and are more likely to lack health insurance.
(3) They are less likely to receive a cancer diagnosis. They report feeling less stressed and have a
stronger sense of community belonging compared to urban dwellers.
(4) Children living in dangerous neighbourhoods – rural or urban – are four times more likely to
be overweight than children living in safer neighbourhoods.
f. Approximately 3% of Canadians aged 15+ identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual make up
a diverse community with varied health concerns. (1) Emotional wellness and personal safety are
affected by factors relating to personal, family, and social acceptance of their sexual orientation.
(2) Gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens are more likely to engage in unsafe sex and drug use. They are
more likely to suffer from depression and to attempt suicide.
LO4: Explain the importance of personal decision making and behaviour change in achieving wellness
II. Choosing Wellness
A. Our behaviour, family history, environment, and access to health care are all important influences on
wellness.
B. Scientific research is continuously revealing new connections between our habits and health.
1. Unfortunately, poor health habits take hold before many Canadians reach adulthood.
C. Your genome consists of the complete set of genetic material in your cells; it contains about 20,000 genes,
half from each of your parents.
1. The human genome varies slightly from person to person, and many differences do not affect health.
