I.

Health Promotion/Disease Prevention

What is health promotion?

Health promotion enables people to increase control over their own health. It covers a wide range of social and
environmental interventions that are designed to benefit and protect individual people’s health and quality of
life by addressing and preventing the root causes of ill health, not just focusing on treatment and cure. (WHO,
2016)

Principles of health promotion

1. It involves as a whole in the context of their everyday life, rather than focusing on people at
risk for specific diseases.
2. It is directed towards action on the causes or determinants of health to ensure that the total
environment which is beyond the control of individuals is conducive to health.
3. It combines diverse, but complementary, methods of approaches including communication,
education, legislation, fiscal measures, organizational change, community development and
spontaneous local activities against health hazards.
4. It aims particularly at effective public participation supporting the principle of self-help
movements and encouraging people to find their own ways of managing the health of their
community.
5. While health promotion is basically an activity in the health and social fields and not a
medical service, health professionals – particularly in primary health care – have an important
role in nurturing and enabling health promotion

1. Selected Strategies

a. Healthy diet
i. Definition
- Healthy diet is eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients to maintain your health,
and produce energy.
- A healthy diet comprises cereals or starchy tubers, legumes, food from animal sources, fruits
and vegetables.
- The Food and Nutrition Research Institute recommends that each healthy meal should be
composed of 33% rice, 33% vegetables, 17% meat, and 17% fruit.

Food Pyramid and the basic food groups

- Food pyramid helps you achieve a healthy diet by getting the correct amount of nutrients
such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals needed to maintain good health.
Foods containing the same type of nutrients are placed together on each shelf of the
pyramid. It illustrated choices you can choose from different foods to obtain a healthy diet.
Studies show that more calories from foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt, on the top
shelf of the Food Pyramid were consumed than the required needed amount in the body.
- The pyramid is divided into 6 shelves starting from the most needed or foods that should be
consumed more in the bottom and as it moves upward the intake of other specific foods are
being reduced.
- There are 3 basic food groups which are the Go, Grow and Glow. The Go Foods provide
fuel and help us become active. Examples include bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potato.
These foods give our muscles fuel to run, swim, jump, cycle and our brain to concentrate.
- Grow Foods help in growth and development. It builds the body’s bones, teeth and muscles.
Examples are chicken, meat, fish, eggs and milk, cheese and yoghurt.
- Glow Foods are full of vitamins and minerals to keep the skin, hair and eyes bright and
healthy. It can keep the immune system strong to fight any infection or viruses. Examples
are fruits and vegetables.

Benefits of a healthy diet

- Vitamins and minerals in the diet are vital to boost immunity and healthy development
- Protects the human body against certain types of diseases, in particular non communicable
diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and
skeletal conditions.
- Healthy diets can also contribute to an adequate body weight.
Ways to promote a healthy diet
 - Eat a variety of food from each of the food groups with the recommended amounts because
it helps provide the body a range of different nutrients. Each food differs from what its
purpose to the body. Eating a variety of foods promotes also promotes good health and
lessens the risks for diseases
- Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day because
keeping a food diary can help reveal unhealthy habits, it can help you manage your food
portions and it can evaluate whether you have been eating healthy or enough food from the
food groups.
- Limit the intake of sugars lessening your calories from added sugars to 6 teaspoons or 100
calories per day for women and 9 teaspoons or 150 calories for men. It prevents possible
various diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Reduce salt intake and consume less fat prevents risk for high cholesterol, heart disease.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends limiting fat to 20 to 30 percent of
calories. Excess fat intake leads to elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels which
is a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke. Intake of saturated fats (e.g. fatty pork, beef, high
fat dairy) should be sparingly and trans fats (e.g. fried food, margarine, processed foods)
should be avoided.
- Plant a vegetable garden because it helps you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. You can
control and know what kinds of fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food
unlike buying chemically injected food in the market.

b. Physical Activity/ Exercise

i. Definition
- Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that
results in expenditure of energy and includes, leisure time, and routine daily activities. On
the other hand, Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity that is planned, repetitive
structured and aimed at improving or maintaining fitness or health.

ii. Benefits of exercise

- Regular physical activity contributes to physiologic stability and high level functioning.
Physiological response to exercise depends on the intensity, duration and frequency of the
exercise and its environmental conditions. During physical exercise, requirements for
oxygen are increased, also the removal of metabolites and carbon dioxide. Balancing
training exercises such as yoga can improve stability.
- Increases bone mass, enhances mental well-being and prevents development of
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Exercises include walking,
hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing. Resistance exercises like lifting
weights an also strengthen bones.
- Develop stronger bones, muscles and joints and lower risk of developing osteoporosis
- Increase energy levels and have a better mood, feel more relaxed and sleep better.

iii. Levels of physical activity

 Among the three levels of physical activity, it is recommended 150 minutes moderate exercise
which falls under the medium category for ages 18-64 years old.
- Low: Less than 150 minutes per week (e.g. sitting using computer, walking slowly, standing)
- Medium: 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity
physical activity (e.g. washing car, swimming leisurely, ballroom dancing, sweeping floors)
- High: more than 300 minutes of moderate intensity a week. (e.g. running, jogging, soccer,
hiking)
c. Adequate rest, sleep and recreation
i. Definition
- Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered
consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity. 6 to 8 hours of sleep is considered
adequate. Rest is the act of ceasing work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or
recover strength. Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time.

ii. Benefits of sleep, rest and recreation

- Protects your mental health in terms of improved memory, physical health, quality of life, and
safety.
- Support growth and development.
- Sleep reduces inflammation
- For recreation, community recreation reduces alienation, loneliness, and anti-social
behaviors
- Through the provision of parks, open spaces and protected natural environments, recreation
can contribute to the environmental health of our communities

iii. Recreational activities

 - Outdoor: Hiking and camping, biking, rock climbing, surfing, hunting, etc.
- Indoor: Board games like chess, watching movies, etc.
iv. Ways to promote sleep
- Keep a sleep diary
- Reduce consumption of caffeine and alcohol
- Have a regular sleep-wake schedule
- Limit naps during the day to less than 45 minutes.
- Take a hot bath 2 hours before bedtime. Temperature drop after the bath helps to induce
sleep.
- Sleep in a cool room. Individuals grow sleepier and become less active when body
temperature falls.

d. Stress Management strategies

i. Definition
- Stress management is to improve quality of life by increasing healthy, effective coping, thereby
reducing the unhealthy consequences of distress. Stress is the negative physical,
psychological, social or spiritual effect of life’s pressures and events. It acted as a protective
mechanism that warned us of danger; a natural reaction that told us when to run.
ii. Benefits of stress management
- Reducing stress increases an individual’s productivity at work and increase in concentration
- Reducing stress improves sleep and reduces irritability, anxiety and depression
- Improved interpersonal relationships with co-workers or family members.
- Stress management programs put you in charge and give you a sense of control, which
leads to enhanced self-esteem, less likelihood of depression, and an overall improvement in
quality of life.

iii. Tips on stress management

- Understand your stress
- Identify your stress sources
- Learn to recognize stress signals
- Recognize your stress strategies
- Implement healthy stress management strategies
- Make self-care a priority
- Ask for support when needed