Good health can be measured in many ways. Weight, fitness, emotional well-being, and being disease- and injury-free are just a few of those measures. Although it may be tempting to quantify health by a single, absolute standard, it’s actually an accumulation of factors that contribute to overall health. Show “There are three key things that healthy people do every day: exercise, maintain a nutritious diet and get a good night’s sleep. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all equation,” said Jasprit Takher, MD, Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at MountainView Hospital. As we enact our resolutions for the New Year, prioritizing balance and a healthy lifestyle is more important than obsessing over weight or spending hours in the gym. Here are small changes you can make daily to help establish optimal health. ExerciseThe benefits of a regular exercise routine extend far beyond meeting weight-loss goals. Regular exercise can help prevent disease as well as contribute to emotional wellness because of the feel-good chemicals released during and after physical activity. “First, people should find an exercise they truly enjoy doing. Forcing yourself into an exercise routine that you don’t enjoy just sets yourself up for failure. Once you’ve found an activity that you like, then you can start setting goals,” Takher said. The recommended amount of weekly exercise is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity. 150 minutes a week can equal approximately 20 minutes a day, 35-50 minutes every other day, or 1-1.5 hours twice a week. Sleep“Getting enough sleep every night can improve immune function, memory, cognition and mood,” Takher said. While the benefits of a good night’s sleep are numerous, many people sacrifice sleep when negotiating a busy schedule. Healthy people need to make sleep a top priority in their lives. People ages 16 to 60 should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep nightly. People ages 65 and over should aim for 7 to 8 hours. To optimize sleep, commit to a regular sleep schedule; always wake up and go to bed at the same time every day (even on weekends), avoid naps and don’t hit the snooze button in the morning. Eat healthfullyWe live in a dieting-centric society, and while fad diets may be popular, making an effort to simply eat well every day will yield better long-term results for most people. “A balanced diet is extremely important; it keeps you healthy now and is an investment for your future health, too,” Takher said. The ideal balance of dietary nutrients:• 40 to 60 percent carbohydrates • 10 to 30 percent protein • 10 to 30 percent fat Remember that the sources of these nutrients are not created equally, as there are both good and bad carbs, proteins and fat. Good carbs tend to be high in fiber and have a low glycemic index. Choose whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and avoid refined carbs and added sugar. Good proteins often come from lean meats and legumes, and only rarely should come from red meat. Good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, like those that come from salmon, nuts and avocados. People should avoid trans fat and saturated fat. What about “cheat” meals?Even people who eat well regularly may want to indulge in a burger occasionally, and that’s OK. For many people, being too restrictive about their diet can do more harm than good in the long run. “Start with a balanced diet with low glycemic index foods on a daily basis. Once you’re eating well regularly, it’s OK to have one or two cheat meals a week, but many people find they crave ‘cheat’ foods less when they’re eating well on a daily basis,” Takher said. Drink waterDrinking enough water is integral to good health; it helps to flush out toxins, carries nutrients and aids in cell renewal. Dehydration can cause myriad health problems, including chronic fatigue and dry skin. Most men over the age of 19 should get at least 11-12 8-ounce glasses of water daily and women should aim for 8-9 glasses. However, when in doubt, drink more water than the recommended amount. Takher notes that overhydrating is unlikely unless you’re drinking well above the recommended amount or you have an existing medical condition, such as heart disease or kidney/liver problems. Enjoy leisure timeEven if you’re getting 8 hours of sleep a night, your other 16 waking hours shouldn’t be dedicated solely to work commitments, exercise and eating well. Self-care is necessary for living a healthy and balanced lifestyle, so it’s important to take time out of your day to do activities that bring you joy and help you de-stress. It can be especially beneficial if you’re able to unplug and put your phone away during time you’ve dedicated for yourself. Know your risk factors and be proactive with your healthAll the healthy living in the world isn’t enough to guarantee you won’t get sick someday. Go to your annual checkup and be diligent about preventive screenings such as pap smears, mammograms, colonoscopies, prostate exams and other procedures. If you have medical risk factors, such as heart disease or cancer in your family history, talk to your doctor about extra steps you can take to be protected.
Healthy People 2020 is exploring these questions by:
The range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status are known as determinants of health. Determinants of health fall under several broad categories: It is the interrelationships among these factors that determine individual and population health. Because of this, interventions that target multiple determinants of health are most likely to be effective. Determinants of health reach beyond the boundaries of traditional health care and public health sectors; sectors such as education, housing, transportation, agriculture, and environment can be important allies in improving population health. Back to Top PolicymakingPolicies at the local, state, and federal level affect individual and population health. Increasing taxes on tobacco sales, for example, can improve population health by reducing the number of people using tobacco products. Some policies affect entire populations over extended periods of time while simultaneously helping to change individual behavior. For example, the 1966 Highway Safety Act and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act authorized the Federal Government to set and regulate standards for motor vehicles and highways. This led to an increase in safety standards for cars, including seat belts, which in turn reduced rates of injuries and deaths from motor vehicle accidents.1 Social FactorsSocial determinants of health reflect the social factors and physical conditions of the environment in which people are born, live, learn, play, work, and age. Also known as social and physical determinants of health, they impact a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. Don’t miss the Social Determinants of Health topic area and objectives. Examples of social determinants include:
Examples of physical determinants include:
Poor health outcomes are often made worse by the interaction between individuals and their social and physical environment. For example, millions of people in the United States live in places that have unhealthy levels of ozone or other air pollutants. In counties where ozone pollution is high, there is often a higher prevalence of asthma in both adults and children compared with state and national averages. Poor air quality can worsen asthma symptoms, especially in children.2 Back to Top Health ServicesBoth access to health services and the quality of health services can impact health. Healthy People 2020 directly addresses access to health services as a topic area and incorporates quality of health services throughout a number of topic areas. Lack of access, or limited access, to health services greatly impacts an individual’s health status. For example, when individuals do not have health insurance, they are less likely to participate in preventive care and are more likely to delay medical treatment.3 Don’t miss the Access to Health Services topic area and objectives. Barriers to accessing health services include:
These barriers to accessing health services lead to:
Individual BehaviorIndividual behavior also plays a role in health outcomes. For example, if an individual quits smoking, his or her risk of developing heart disease is greatly reduced. Many public health and health care interventions focus on changing individual behaviors such as substance abuse, diet, and physical activity. Positive changes in individual behavior can reduce the rates of chronic disease in this country. Examples of individual behavior determinants of health include:
Back to Top Biology and GeneticsSome biological and genetic factors affect specific populations more than others. For example, older adults are biologically prone to being in poorer health than adolescents due to the physical and cognitive effects of aging. Sickle cell disease is a common example of a genetic determinant of health. Sickle cell is a condition that people inherit when both parents carry the gene for sickle cell. The gene is most common in people with ancestors from West African countries, Mediterranean countries, South or Central American countries, Caribbean islands, India, and Saudi Arabia. Examples of biological and genetic social determinants of health include:
References1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Achievements in public health, 1900–1999 motor-vehicle safety: A 20th century public health achievement [Internet]. MMWR Weekly. 1999 May 14;48(18);369–74 [cited 2010 August 27]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4818a1.htm. 2State of the Air [Internet]. Washington, DC: American Lung Association. Available from: http://www.stateoftheair.org. 3Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National healthcare disparities report, 2008. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AHRQ; 2009 Mar. Pub no. 09-002. Available from: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr08/nhdr08.pdf [PDF – 2.6 MB]. Additional ResourcesCommission on Social Determinants of Health. Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008 [cited 2010 May 10]. Available from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2008/WHO_IER_CSDH_08.1_eng.pdf [PDF – 4.3 MB]. Harris K, Holden C, Chen M. Background information on national indicators for social determinants of health. Paper presented to the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020, National Opinion Research Center; January 5, 2010. Institute of Medicine. Unequal treatment: Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2003. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Draft report of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 on Social Determinants; revised 2009 Sep 9. Wilkinson R, Marmot M, editors. Social determinants of health: The solid facts [Internet]. 2nd ed. Copenhagen: World Health Organization; 2003 [cited 2010 May 26]. Available from: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/98438/e81384.pdf [PDF – 470 KB]. Back to Top |
What are 5 factors that contribute to a good health and briefly describe why each factor is beneficial?
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