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 Many who work in health-related fields feel that health awareness is an ongoing process. Health is no longer defined and understood as the absence of symptoms or sickness, but is described as a balance of the physical, emotional, social, mental and spiritual dimensions or aspects of one's life. Throughout this year the Health Awareness Focus will shift from one dimension to another until all have been included. We will begin by focusing our awareness on the physical dimension of health — on ways that our physical health can be positively affected by what we do and also on how our actions as allies and advocates can have an impact on the health of those whose health status has been negatively affected by historic lack or health care and health information.
As you read through the information about physical health, please remember that working toward better physical health is a process that begins at a different place for each individual. Progress is measured by the distance from the beginning point toward the individual goal.
"God's intention of health — shalom — for the earth and its people, and Christ's promise of abundant life — health, healing and restoration of wholeness in body, mind and spirit — are central dimensions of the faith we profess and the vocation to which we are called as Christians.”
(The introductory comments of Life Abundant: Values, Choices and Health Care — The Responsibility and Role of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 200th General Assembly
Read more from "Life Abundant...")
Take a Health Risk Assessment inventory
Polls and surveys tell us that people are concerned about their health status, health care and health related issues and generally are looking for ways to be healthier. Oddly, this interest and concern has not always resulted in healthier behaviors. As individuals, we are still struggling to become less sedentary and more active and to apply what we are learning about nutrition to our daily food intake.
We also know that there are wide disparities in health status and in access to health care. Today an estimated 48 million people in the United States lack access to care. Many of the people in this group are working in low-paying jobs that do not have health benefits.
Disproportionately, African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos cannot get adequate health care and have higher rates of preventable diseases.
Recently we have seen alarming headlines telling of increases in obesity and weight-related diseases among youth. Although documentation showing that health, prevention and wellness education decreases in unhealthy behaviors, only 27 states require that any health education courses are taught in schools. And, although physical activity contributes to better health, fewer than half of high school students are involved in physical education.
Perhaps we might ask ourselves if there a role for each of us in working to reduce health disparities and what is our responsibility as stewards of our own health. Can congregations raise a prophetic voice here?
Issues to consider for focus: Health awareness
Healthy people — Eliminating health disparities
Over the past two decades, a movement called Healthy People (housed in the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) focused on improving the physical health of people in the United States, has produced a wealth of information and set goals for becoming a healthier nation.
The newest plan, Healthy People 2010, acknowledges that the playing field has been historically unlevel and that large disparities in health status exist between different population groups. Principally, African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and other smaller population groups of people of color have significantly higher health risks.
One of the two overarching goals of HP 2010 is to reduce (ideally eliminate) those disparities.
As we lift up Health Awareness, renewing our commitment to working as advocates for better and more accessible health care is very important.
United States Health and Human Services has determined that there are six areas in which racial-ethnic people experience serious disparities in health care access and outcomes. The following information, including areas of disparity and the measure of that disparity, is provided by the Office of Minority Health.
Major health disparities are found in the following areas.
Infant Mortality
African-American, American Indian and Puerto Rican infants have higher death rates than white infants. In 2000, the black-to-white ratio in infant mortality was 2.5 (up from 2.4 in 1998). This widening disparity between black and white infants is a trend that has persisted over the last two decades.
Cancer Screening and Management
African-American women are more than twice as likely to die of cervical cancer than are white women and are more likely to die of breast cancer than are women of any other racial or ethnic group.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. In 2000, rates of death from diseases of the heart were 29 percent higher among African-American adults than among white adults, and death rates from stroke were 40 percent higher.
Diabetes
In 2000, Native Americans and Alaska Natives were 2.6 times more likely to have diagnosed diabetes compared with non-Hispanic whites, African Americans were 2.0 times more likely, and Hispanics were 1.9 times more likely.
HIV Infection/AIDS
Although African Americans and Hispanics represented only 26 percent of the United States population in 2001, they accounted for 66 percent of adult AIDS cases and 82 percent of pediatric AIDS cases reported in the first half of that year.
Immunizations
In 2001, Latinos and African Americans aged 65 and older were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to report having received influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.
In addition to the disparities mentioned above, there are mental health disparities. The publications note that Native Americans and Alaska Natives appear to suffer disproportionately from depression and substance abuse, and that they have less access to mental health services. Racial-ethnic people are less likely to receive needed mental health services, and when they do, they often receive a poorer quality of mental health care. For some groups, language provides a tremendous barrier to care and in areas where translators are not available, the rapport and trust needed in a health care situation, as well as the care can be adversely affected.
Learn more about health disparities.
Learn how to be an effective advocate.
Working toward better physical health - Get active!
The second goal of Healthy People 2010 is to increase quality and years of healthy life — to help individuals of all ages increase life expectancy and improve their quality of life.
We know that proper diet and appropriate physical activity can help achieve the first goal. Specifically, regular physical activity performed most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States. Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:
- Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
- Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.
- Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
- Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
- Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
- Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
- Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
- Helps control weight.
- Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.
- Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.
- Promotes psychological well-being.
Just think about it — the long term effects of increased physical activity can reduce our health risks and have a positive effect on our cardiovascular systems, our metabolic and endocrine systems, our bones, our joints and our moods. Such a deal! Find out more about Healthy People 2010.
Wondering if you already have enough activity in your daily activities?
How do you determine the right amount of physical activity? In general physical activity simply means any movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.
Moderate physical activities include:
Walking briskly (about 3½ miles per hour)
Hiking
Gardening/yard work
Dancing
Golf (walking and carrying clubs)
Bicycling (less than 10 miles per hour)
Weight training (general light workout)
Vigorous physical activities include:
Running/jogging (5 miles per hour)
Bicycling (more than 10 miles per hour)
Swimming (freestyle laps)
Aerobics
Walking very fast (4½ miles per hour)
Heavy yard work, such as chopping wood
Weight lifting (vigorous effort)
Basketball (competitive)
Remember that some physical activities are not intense enough. If you are recording and timing your activity levels, walking, strolling at a casual pace, and doing light household chores, or vicarious exercise — simply watching others exercise does not count.
Research tells us that people are more likely to continue to work toward a health related goal if a group supports them. Congregations that decide to "get healthy" by beginning physical activity programs can form that all-important support group.
Before beginning any exercise program, please consult your health care provider and together, plan a program that is right for you. Are you ready to take some healthy steps?
Exercises for older adults
When beginning an exercise program, it is best to follow guidelines for age specific exercises recommended for particular age groups. Balance exercises, for instance are very important as we age because muscles loose flexibility, bones become less dense and falls are more dangerous. We also know the risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than for men.Check out the suggested exercises for older adults.
Working toward better physical health — Nutrition
Dieting is a huge industry in the United States. Between the pills that will take care of our excessive appetites, the diets that either eliminate of one food group or another, or the diets that propose eating only from one food group, confusion reigns!
One way of determining your optimal weight is by using the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI describes relative weight for height. One is considered overweight if the BMI is between 25 and 29.9, and obese if the MBI is 30 or more. According to data collected as part of Healthy People 2010, approximately 108 million adults in the US — 58 percent — are overweight or obese. Go to the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management Web site for an easy calculator and a BMI chart to see how your BMI measures up (or to find the ideal weight for your height — as opposed to the ideal height for your weight.)
In an attempt to provide sound advice, the United States Department of Agriculture has developed a new version of the food pyramid that is familiar to many of us. This pyramid is more individualized and offers individualized planning and tracking online.
The most important way to control one’s diet is to be aware of what one is eating. This awareness extends to the labels on the foods. To be certain that you are not taking in calories or nutrients you do not need, or missing nutrients you do need — read!
To summarize:
About fats
- Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol and keep trans fatty acid consumption at zero or as low as possible.
- Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.
- When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low fat or fat-free.
- Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils, such as vegetable oils. Use Olive oil whenever possible as it has added benefits.
About carbohydrates
- Choose fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. If you choose carbs, select whole grains and brown rice rather than the simple carbs that are metabolized very quickly by your body. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners, such as amounts suggested by the USDA Food Guide and the DASH Eating Plan.
- Reduce the incidence of dental caries by practicing good oral hygiene and consuming sugar- and starch-containing foods and beverages less frequently.
About sodium and potassium
- Consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately 1 tsp of salt) of sodium per day. If you eat foods that might be likely to contain MSG or other flavorings, remember these too are high in sodium. When cooking, select flavoring marked “powder” rather than “salt” to enhance flavor without adding sodium.
- If you must buy canned products, select those marked “No Salt.” Watch prepared products.
- Choose and prepare foods with little salt. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Remember your nutritional guidelines when eating out. If you are curious about what is in a food, ask.
- Read the complete dietary guidelines.
What can congregations do to promote better health?
In addition to the suggestions included in the articles, here are a few more ways your congregation can focus on health:
1. Use every opportunity possible to talk about health and the importance of healthy lifestyles. Add information to bulletins, church newsletters, bulletin board displays and other visible places.
2. Hold a health fair with health education and screenings for hypertension and diabetes.
3. Make a commitment to incorporate appropriate healthy activity into each meeting, program or event sponsored by the church.
4. Be certain that church-wide meals are healthy.
5. Police your potlucks! Encourage your cooks to try new healthy recipes.
6. Start a cooking class for people who are unaccustomed to cooking. Recently single folks (particularly men) may not have been the household cook and will need to learn how to cook healthy.
7. Start a congregational walking group. See if over a 6-month period of time your group can walk to Bethlehem.
8. Encourage the youth group to engage in fitness and enlist their help with other age groups.
9. Teach age appropriate exercises — particularly balance and endurance exercises for older adults.
10. Be a healthy example! Start a health ministry if you do not already have one.
What can individuals do to add more physical activity in their lives?
At Home
It is convenient, comfortable, safe and often less expensive to work out at home. If one has children, it sets an example of being active. One can combine exercise with other activities, such as watching TV. Buying exercise equipment is a one-time expense and other family members can use it. And, it is easy to have short bouts of activity several times a day.
Suggestions for incorporating exercise:
- Do housework instead of hiring someone else to do it — oh my!
- Work in the garden or mow the grass. Using a riding mower does not count! Rake leaves, prune, dig and pick up trash.
- Go out for a short walk before breakfast, after dinner or both! Start with five to 10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes.
- Walk or bike to the corner store instead of driving.
- When walking, pick up the pace from leisurely to brisk. Choose a hilly route. When watching TV, sit up instead of lying on the sofa. Better yet, spend a few minutes pedaling on a stationary bicycle while watching TV. Throw away the video remote control. Instead of asking someone to bring a drink, get up off the couch and get it.
- Stand up while talking on the telephone.
- Walk the dog.
- Park farther away at the shopping mall and walk the extra distance. Wear walking shoes and sneak in an extra lap or two around the mall.
- Stretch to reach items in high places and squat or bend to look at items at floor level.
- Keep exercise equipment repaired and use it!
At the office
Many people today have sedentary jobs and work takes up a significant part of the day. What can one do to increase physical activity during the workday?
- Brainstorm project ideas with a co-worker while taking a walk.
- Stand while talking on the telephone.
- Walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone or sending an e-mail.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or get off a few floors early and take the stairs the rest of the way.
- Walk while waiting for the plane at the airport.
- Stay at hotels with fitness centers or swimming pools and USE them while on business trips.
- Take along a jump rope. Jump and do calisthenics in the hotel room (at times when noise does not matter to the neighboring occupants.)
- Participate in or start a recreation league at work.
- Form a sports team to raise money for charity events.
- Join a fitness center or Y near work. Work out before or after work to avoid rush-hour traffic, or drop by for a noon workout.
- Schedule exercise time on the calendar and treat it as any other important appointment.
- Get off the bus or train a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way to work or home.
- Walk around the block or building for a break during the workday or during lunch.
At Play
Play and recreation are important for good health. Look for opportunities to be active and have fun at the same time.
- Plan family outings and vacations that include physical activity (hiking, backpacking, swimming, etc.)
- See the sights in new cities by walking, jogging or bicycling.
- Make a date with a friend to enjoy favorite physical activities. Do them regularly.
- Play motivational music while exercising.
- Dance. Take dancing lessons. Hit the dance floor on fast numbers instead of slow ones.
- Join a recreational club that emphasizes physical activity.
- At the beach, sit and watch the waves instead of lying flat. Better yet, get up and walk, run or fly a kite.
- When golfing, walk instead of using a cart.
- Play singles tennis or racquetball instead of doubles.
- At a picnic, join in on badminton instead of croquet.
- At the lake, rent a rowboat instead of a canoe.
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