Health / Unit 1: Health and Wellness Basics
1.2 What Influences Your Health
Notes
Many factors shape health. Some you cannot change, and many you can.
- Heredity: traits and conditions passed down in families through genes.
- Environment: home, school, neighborhood, air and water quality.
- Behavior: the choices you make every day, such as eating, sleeping and activity.
- Culture and family: beliefs, traditions and habits you grow up with.
- Peers and media: friends and online or TV messages can push you toward healthy or unhealthy choices.
- Access to health care: being able to see a doctor, dentist or counselor when needed.
- You have the most control over your own behavior, so it is a good place to start improving health.
Practice
Which influence on health do you have the MOST direct control over?
Daily choices are behaviors you can change; genes and weather you cannot.
A teen's family has a history of type 2 diabetes. This is an example of which influence?
Family health history passed down through genes is heredity.
A student sees many online posts of friends trying a risky online challenge and feels pushed to join. Which two influences are most involved?
Friends and online content are peer and media influences.
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