Personal and Community Health - HLT 110 at Patrick & Henry Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/phcc/courses/HLT110-PersonalandCommunityHealth
Effective: 2022-05-01
Course Description
Introduces students to the basic concepts of health and dimensions of wellness through exploration of a variety of personal health topics. Identifies factors that affect the health status of individuals in addition to health promotion and disease prevention at the personal and community level.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
HLT 110 explores basic concepts of personal health and wellness at the individual and community level.
Course Objectives
- Communication
- Communicate openly and accurately with others regarding personal and community health issues
- Critical Thinking
- Analyze health risks, needs, and prevention opportunities for various populations (gender, age, ethnicity, etc.)
- Explain the relationship between personal and community health
- Social and Cultural Understanding
- Identify the socio-economic and socio-cultural factors that affect the health of the community in both positive and negative ways
- Identify community health and wellness resources and describe their contributions to improving personal and community health
- Information Literacy
- Evaluate consumer health information for reliability, accuracy and biases
- Select and utilize credible sources of health information
- Scientific Reasoning
- Identify and analyze the most important data required to understand community health issues, resources and behaviors
- Distinguish between scientific and non-scientific health information
- Personal Development
- Identify and apply the dimensions of wellness to the improvement of overall well-being
- Assess and analyze impact of personal health behaviors
- Explore concepts of physical activity, nutrition, stress management, social relationships, and other self-care strategies for improving health and preventing disease
- Identify personal health goals and evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken to achieve those goals
- Explain how an individual?s decisions and behavior impact their personal health status
- Introduction to Personal Health and Wellness
- Define health and wellness
- Identify the dimensions of wellness
- Distinguish between health prevention and risk reduction strategies
- Identify the levels of disease prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary)
- Define the dimensions of health
- Discuss the influence of culture on health
- Identify the social determinants of health
- Define health disparity
- Identify factors that influence health disparities
- Discuss the factors that shape health and health behavior change
- Construct one SMART goal for personal health change
- Discuss self-care tools, techniques and behaviors
- Consumer Health
- Describe the importance of health literacy in enhancing health
- Assess the quality and credibility of a website for health information
- Identify the various types of healthcare facilities and professionals
- Identify the main components of health insurance plans
- Distinguish between brand name and generic drugs
- Describe different types of complementary and alternative therapies
- Discuss ways to identify health fraud
- Emotional Health and Stress Management
- Identify characteristics of emotionally healthy persons
- Identify signs, symptoms, and risk factors of common mental health disorders
- Discuss treatment options for mental health disorders
- Define stress
- Identify the physical and psychological changes associated with the body?s stress response.
- Describe personal stressors impacting college students
- Discuss strategies, tools and techniques to minimize the impact of student stressors
- Identify ways of managing time more efficiently
- Describe relaxation techniques to help cope with stress
- Identify personal stressors and evaluate current management strategies
- Identify community resources related to mental health and stress management
- Sleep
- Identify specific types, causes, and potential remedies of sleep issues
- Describe the importance of stabilizing the circadian rhythm, production of melatonin and release of cortisol as a sleep strategy
- Describe SAD and potential remedies
- Describe the impact of poor quality and quantity of sleep on physical and mental health
- Identify specific lifestyle strategies and behaviors for repairing and healing sleep issues
- Physical Activity/Fitness
- Describe the components of a well-designed physical activity program
- Explain the key recommendations of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
- Describe the health benefits of regular physical activity
- List and describe various cardiorespiratory activities
- Explain the benefits of a muscle training program
- Define flexibility
- Discuss elements of exercise safety
- Identify community resources related to physical fitness
- Nutrition
- Identify the components of a healthy diet (carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals)
- Explain the key recommendations of the USDA Choose My Plate plan and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- Create a healthy meal plan based on the components of a healthy diet and USDA healthy eating guidelines
- Dispel common nutrition myths and misconceptions
- Identify the components of the food label
- Interpret nutritional information provided on food labels
- Identify risks and benefits related to dietary supplements
- Identify personal impediments to creating and implementing a diet that supports optimal health and potential solutions to address those impediments
- Explore community resources related to nutrition
- Human Sexuality
- Define sexuality and sexual health
- Identify the factors that shape individual views on sexuality
- Identify bias and misconceptions related to sexuality issues
- Identify the different options for contraception and how they work
- List advantages and disadvantages of methods of contraception
- Describe the methods of STD transmission
- List and define common sexually transmitted infections
- Describe the signs/symptoms and treatments for various STDs
- Discuss strategies for reducing the risk of common STDs
- Explore community resources related to sexual health
- Substance Abuse
- Identify types of drug dependence
- Discuss the factors affecting drug dependence
- Describe the effects and health risks of commonly misused and abused drugs
- Describe available treatment methods for drug dependence
- Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate use of over-the-counter and prescription medications
- Describe the impacts of alcohol misuse among college students
- Define a standard drink for various types of alcohol products
- Describe the symptoms of alcohol poisoning
- Define alcohol abuse, dependence, and alcoholism, and list their symptoms
- List the health effects of tobacco use (smoking & smokeless tobacco) and vaping
- Discuss recommended strategies to quit smoking
- Describe the health effects of environmental, or secondhand, tobacco smoke
- Assess personal health risks associated with substance use, alcohol use, and use/exposure to tobacco products
- Identify community resources related to substance abuse
- Disease Prevention - Communicable and Non-Communicable
- Identify the factors involved in disease transmission
- Distinguish between communicable and non-communicable diseases
- Identify the characteristics of various non-communicable diseases
- Explain how different agents of infection spread disease
- Describe how the body protects itself from infectious disease
- Identify appropriate immunization schedules for various age groups
- Identify risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes
- Identify management strategies for cardiovascular disease and diabetes
- Describe strategies for reducing risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease supported by research
- Describe how cancer develops
- Identify the risk factors for the most common types of cancer
- Describe lifestyle strategies to reduce the risk of cancer development supported by research
- List ways to reduce risk for the cold or influenza
- Explain the dangers of overuse or misuse of antibiotics
- Assess personal risk for communicable and non-communicable diseases
- Identify community resources related to disease prevention
Major Topics to be Included
- Introduction to Personal Health and Wellness
- Consumer Health
- Emotional Health and Stress Management
- Sleep
- Physical Activity/Fitness
- Nutrition
- Human Sexuality
- Substance Abuse
- Disease Prevention - Communicable and Non-Communicable