Importance of Health:

Health is a positive state of well being, where every part of the body and mind is in
harmony and in proper functioning balance with every other part. In other words,
when every organ of the body is functioning normally, the state of physical well
being is known as health. It has been well said that only that person can be called
really healthy who has a sound mind in a sound body. Health is the characteristic of
life that enables a person to live longer. According to World Health Organisation
(WHO): Health is the state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing and not merely absence of disease. If a person is disease free or in a good
physical state, but under stress, tension, anger, greed etc. than that person is not
considered as a healthy person. Hence, in addition to physical health, we must
consider the mental and emotional health also, only than spiritual and social health
can be achieved and man can progress forward for the well being of the society. Let
us understand the various aspects of health.

Physical health When the body is free from any physical ailment or abnormal
condition, it is physical health. Mental health The state of absence of stress,
tension, worry, negative thoughts etc. is mental health. Emotional health A
balanced state of absence of anger, greed, proud, hatred etc. is emotional health.
Spiritual health To live in yourself with uniformity and harmony is spiritual health.
Also, to have faith in your religion and respect & view others religion with equal
harmony is known as spiritual health.

Community health is the art and science of maintaining, protecting and improving
the health of people through organized community efforts.
Hygiene is defined as the science and art of preserving and improving health. The
purpose of hygiene is to allow man to live in healthy relationship with his
environment. It deals both with an individual and a community as a whole. In order
to be healthy one must realize that hygiene and sanitation play a very important
role.

Awareness how we can be healthy:

Health Awareness
Our health is affected by a wide variety of factors, from the genes that we inherit
from our parents to the climate we live in and the work we do.
But there is a growing body of scientific evidence that shows our lifestyles play a
huge part in how healthy we are.
From what we eat and drink, to how much exercise we take, and whether we smoke
or take drugs, all will affect our health, not only in terms of life expectancy, but how
long we can expect to live without experiencing chronic disease.
Taking control of your health may seem daunting, particularly for those of us who
are trying to change what may be the habit of a lifetime, like smoking. But simple
changes, like eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting down on alcohol and taking
regular exercise, can and will help you to look and feel better, now and in the future,
whatever your age.
In these pages you will find information about alcohol, information about smoking,
advice on healthy eating and help on getting active.

Health Awareness Months, Weeks, and Days

January

Cervical Health Awareness Month

National Birth Defects Prevention
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
Thyroid Awareness Month
National Winter Sports TBI Awareness Month
National Folic Acid Awareness Week (second week of January)

February

American Heart Month

AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
National Children's Dental Health Month
International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
African Heritage & Health Week (first week of February)
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (February 7-14)
Condom Week (week of Valentine's Day)
Eating Disorders Awareness Week (last week of February)

National "Wear Red" Day (first Friday of February)

March

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

National Endometriosis Awareness Month
National Kidney Month
Multiple Sclerosis Education Month (promoted by the Multiple Sclerosis
Foundation and others)
National Nutrition Month
Save Your Vision Month
Sleep Awareness Month (promoted by the National Sleep Foundation)
Trisomy Awareness Month
Workplace Eye Wellness Month
Patient Safety Awareness Week (first full week of March)
National Sleep Awareness Week (the week before daylight savings switch)
Brain Awareness Week (second full week of March)
National Poison Prevention Week (third full week of March)

April

Alcohol Awareness Month

National Autism Awareness Month
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
National Donate Life Month
National Facial Protection Month
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Month
National Minority Health Month
Occupational Therapy Month
National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month
STI Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month
Women's Eye Health and Safety Month
National Public Health Week (first full week of April)
Minority Cancer Awareness Week (second full week of April)
National Infertility Awareness Week (last full week of April)
Every Kid Healthy Week (last full week of April)
World Immunization Week (last week of April)
National Infant Immunization Week (generally last week of April)
Air Quality Awareness Week (last week of April)

May

American Stroke Awareness Month (promoted by the National Stroke

Association)
Arthritis Awareness Month
National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month
National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Children's Mental Health Week
Clean Air Month
Global Employee Health and Fitness Month
Healthy Vision Month
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month (promoted by the Lupus Foundation of America)
National Mediterranean Diet Month
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
Mental Health Month
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
Older Americans Month
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
Preecalmpsia Awareness Month
Ultraviolet Awareness Month
Children's Mental Health Awareness Week (first full week of May)
Food Allergy Awareness Week (second full week of May)
National Women's Health Week (begins on Mother's Day)
National Alcohol- and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Awareness Week
(begins on Mother's Day)
National Neuropathy Awareness Week (second full week of May)
National Senior Health Fitness Day (last Wednesday of May)

June

Cataract Awareness Month

Fireworks Safety Month (through July 4)
Hernia Awareness Month
Men's Health Month
Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month
National Aphasia Awareness Month
National Congenital Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month
National Safety Month
National Scleroderma Awareness Month
Scoliosis Awareness Month (promoted by National Scoliosis Foundation and
others)

Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week

Men's Health Week (second week of June)
National Cancer Survivors Day (first Sunday of June)
PTSD Awareness Month

July

Cord Blood Awareness Month

International Group B Strep Throat Awareness Month
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month

August

Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

National Breastfeeding Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
Psoriasis Awareness Month
World Breastfeeding Week (first week of August)
National Health Center Week (second full week of August)

September

National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
National Food Safety Education Month
Fruit and Veggies-More Matters Month
Healthy Aging Month
National ITP Awareness Month
Blood Cancer Awareness Month (promoted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society)
National Cholesterol Education Month
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
National Pediculosis Prevention Month/Head Lice Prevention Month
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Recovery Month
National Sickle Cell Month
National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month
National Yoga Awareness Month
Newborn Screening Awarenss Month
Whole Grains Month
World Alzheimer's Month
Sepsis Awareness Month
National Suicide Prevention Week
World Suicide Prevention Day (10)
World Sepsis Day (13)

October

National Breast Cancer Awareness

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Eye Injury Prevention Month
Health Literacy Month
Healthy Lung Month
Home Eye Safety Month
National Physical Therapy Month
SIDS Awareness Month
Spina Bifida Awareness Month (promoted by the Spina Bifida Association)
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Mental Illness Awareness Week (first full week of October)
Bone and Joint Health National Awareness Week (12-20)
National Health Education Week (third full week of October)
International Infection Prevention Week (third full week of October)
Respiratory Care Week (last full week of October)
Red Ribbon Week (last week of October)
World Mental Health Day (10)
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day (15)

November

National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

American Diabetes Month
COPD Awareness Month
Diabetic Eye Disease Month
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Healthy Skin Month
National Hospice Palliative Care Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month
Prematurity Awareness Month
GERD Awareness Week (Thanksgiving week)
Great American Smokeout (third Thursday of November)
World Prematurity Day (17)

December

Safe Toys and Gifts Month

National Influenza Vaccination Week (first full week of December)
World AIDS Day (1)

Recomendation:
Healthy eating
Our bodies are complex, and we need enough fuel and nutrients to carry out a huge
variety of functions everyday from fighting infection to repairing everyday wear
and tear. Good nutrition is vital for health and well-being.
A poor diet can contribute to obesity, malnutrition, diabetes, cancer, stroke and
heart disease. The World Health Organization has identified an unhealthy diet as
one of the leading global risks to health.
In Scotland, we tend to eat too much of the foods that are less healthy, such as
sugary drinks and processed foods that are high in saturated fat or salt. Most of us
know that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is good for our health,
but we dont always manage to achieve this.
There are lots of reasons why eating a healthy diet can be difficult. NHS Lothian and
our partners are working to improve access to healthy foods and increase
knowledge, confidence and skills in cooking and healthy eating.
Healthy Diet:
A healthy diet for most people is based on the Eatwell Plate. This means that we
should aim to eat a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, including:

Plenty of fruit and vegetables

Plenty of starchy foods, such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta
Some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
Some milk and dairy foods
Just a small amount of food and drinks that are high in fat and/or sugar.

The healthy eating recommendations are different for babies and young children.
People with certain health conditions may be given tailored advice by a dietitian.
Prevention & Health Promotion
Despite common belief, it is possible to prevent the development of food and weight
preoccupation and eating disorders. It is also possible to prevent existing eating
disorders from getting worse.

From learning about and improving our own self-esteem and body image, to working
with others and making positive societal changes, the following information can
help us to reduce the occurrence of disordered eating.

Prevention of Disordered Eating

Ideas for Us All
Ideas for Families
Ideas for Educators
Ideas for Administrators
Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW)
International No Diet Day (INDD)
Ideas for EDAW & INDD

1.Prevention of Disordered Eating:

Understanding that you can make a difference and that you can affect the people
around you. If we work together we can stop people from hating their bodies,
thinking too much about their weight, and developing eating disorders.
Your prevention project does not have to be expensive or complicated. Prevention
can be as simple as:

Living a healthy life - it can inspire others.

Focusing on health and well-being, no matter what size you are.
Knowing the risk factors for problems with food and weight.

Prevention can also happen every time you talk to people. When you talk about
food and weight problems, make sure you:

Use language and ideas that are right for the person's age.
Take into account all the social and cultural messages people get.
Talk to both sexes about eating disorders and unhealthy attitudes or
activities.

Consider the following ideas for us all, for families and friends, for educators, and
for administrators.
You can start changes in your home, school, workplace, sports or hobby group,
place of worship, camp and anywhere else you can think of. Explore the What's New
section or contact NEDIC and other community organizations for a list of Eating
Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) and International No Diet Day (INDD) events in
your area. For ideas on how to start an event in your community, explore the Ideas
for EDAW & INDD section.

Ideas for Us All :

Here are some additional things all of us can do:
Model a healthy lifestyle. When others see you eating well and being physically
active in a normal, ongoing way, without preaching or over-emphasis, they will
accept these behaviours as normal. You can be a role model to guide them.
Remind people how to identify symptoms of stress: Shallow, fast breathing; sweaty
palms; racing heart; headaches or stomach-aches; a panicky sensation. Suggest
things to do to calm down.

Model and teach ways to deal with stress and conflict: Deep breathing, progressive
relaxation exercises, a solitary walk, quiet time alone, listening to or playing music.
You can also teach ways to deal with stressful situations, such as:
Make a list of the things you have to do and put them in order of importance.
Practice talking positively to yourself to get you through the effects of a poor
decision or unhappy result: it was one incident, not your whole life.
Keep a journal to help you understand your feelings and thoughts. Think up new
ways to cope and share them with others.
Help others to develop self-esteem based on qualities other than physical
appearance: Comment on and affirm characteristics that contribute to the smooth
working of a study group or class. Be specific with your compliments:
Help other individuals to have realistic expectations of themselves and others.
Encourage individuals to take ownership of their accomplishments and talents.
Encourage and affirm personally and socially responsible behaviour.
Don't ignore negative comments about physical appearance, including size, shape,
cultural dress or race. Do not allow belittling remarks based on racial, sexist or other
stereotypes. Use them as teachable moments without shaming anyone.
Teach critical thinking skills. Help others learn to analyze, synthesize, apply and
evaluate.
Teach about aspects of self and life that one can influence, and help people feel
stronger and more able to cope.
Get rid of your diet! Fight against the main cause of eating disorders - dieting. All
you need is a trash can. Put one in your office, school or home. Get rid of all those

negative products in your life. Fill it with dieting how-to guides, calorie counters,
bathroom scales, diet pills, laxatives and other diet products. Be real. Free your
body and your mind. Spend your money and your passion on something that
matters.
Get rid of your scale! Numbers can be deceiving. Listen to your body. Let it tell you
how healthy you are. Remember that your weight is not a measurement of your
health or self-worth. Make health and vitality your goal, not a specific weight. Read
about Dieting Facts & Fiction and how diets that restrict calories are harmful to your
emotional and physical health.
Avoid labelling food "bad," "sinful," or "junk food." Labels like this can make you
feel guilty or ashamed for eating "bad food". If we think this way, we can restrict,
and then binge, on certain foods. Remember that a healthy diet includes both
regularly eating nutritious food and occasionally eating less nutritious, high calorie
food. Use different labels for food like "sometimes food" and "everyday food."
Do not encourage or laugh at jokes that make fun of a person's size or body. Find a
direct and gentle way to say that a person's worth and morality are not related to
how they look.
Criticize the culture that promotes unhealthy body image, not your self. Look at
how encouraging people to dislike their bodies helps to sell products. Even young
children can understand this. Encourage children to question, evaluate and respond
to the messages that promote unhealthy body image and low self-esteem.
Tell the media what you think: they do listen. Write a letter to the editor of a
newspaper, call a TV station, radio station or newspaper. Let them know what you
think of their advertisements, articles, stories, etc. Organize a shredding table at a
local community centre and invite the public to bring and shred their most despised
adverts and articles. Provide a paper shredder or scissors and a wastepaper basket.
Invite the media. Work within your community to gather petitions through schools,
community health centres and youth organizations. Help raise awareness of harmful
images and messages by contacting local media activism organizations, such
as MediaWatch or Adbusters. Send copies of the petitions to the offending company
and to your provincial or federal standards association. Advertising Standards
Canada is one such association responsible for all print and television
advertisements in Canada. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) also deals with any radio, televised or Internet complaints.
Tell advertisers how much you appreciate positive advertisements. This increases
the likelihood of them using more inclusive and real images. For examples of
positive examples,
Celebrate Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) and International No Diet Day
(INDD) in your community. For ideas and information see Ideas for EDAW

Ideas for Families

Children develop their beliefs and behaviours from the adults that they love and
respect. You can make a positive difference to the children in your life. Emotionally
healthy children depend on positive relationships with both male and female
caretakers.
Teach children that their self-worth is not related to how they look. Emphasize their
talents and qualities. Don't focus on their physical appearance.
Give children healthy choices, and teach them to make informed decisions about
what they eat. Involve them in planning meals, shopping and cooking.Emphasize
the positive aspects of healthy eating, rather than focusing on the effects of
unhealthy eating.
Do not use food as a reward or punishment. If you use food as a reward or comfort,
or if you restrict food as a punishment, you are sending the message that food leads
to love and acceptance. This may encourage children to seek out food for comfort
or self-punishment.
Encourage children to take responsibility for their own well-being. This will help
them learn to listen to their bodies. Remind them to eat when they are hungry and
stop when they are full.
Remind them that the amounts they eat will vary as they grow. The amount also
depends on how active they are each day.Respect their choices. Do not make them
finish their plate if they are full. Do not limit food if they are hungry.
Teach them to recognize and act on the signs of what they are feeling. For example,
teach them that if they are worried their palms may sweat, their heart may race, or
their stomach may hurt. To relieve the feeling they can try deep breathing, a walk,
or talk about what is bothering them.
Make your family meals a peaceful time for enjoying food and talking with each
other. Save arguments, TV shows, telephone calls and difficult decisions for another
time.
Live with a positive attitude to body image, not with a focus on food and
weight. Show how you can be happy, healthy and active at any body size. Avoid
complaining about your body, particularly in front of children. Don't talk about diets,
calories and weight.Model a healthy lifestyle.
Balance work and leisure time.Take care of yourself. Meet your emotional, spiritual,
mental and physical needs.

Regularly participate in exercise you enjoy. Let your child decide what physical
activity she/he prefers. Help children be physically active by limiting TV and other
inactive play. Encourage physical activities. These can be as simple as washing the
car, shovelling snow or gardening.
Encourage self-awareness and critical thinking skills. These will help children
evaluate new information using their own values, strengths and needs. Children who
can do this are more likely to resolve their problems in healthy ways rather than by
using food and weight manipulation as coping strategies.

Be aware of advertising and toys aimed at children. Notice how they reinforce
gender stereotypes and body dissatisfaction. Encourage a conversation about how
the child in your care views the advertisement or the toy. Foster critical thinking.
and playfulness.
Work toward identifying and resisting all forms of discrimination. Remember that
prejudice against size and body relates to prejudice based on sex, race, sexuality,
class and physical ability.

Ideas for Educators

Research shows that it might be harmful to teach students about eating disorders.
Some students might learn to glamourize disturbed eating patterns. Information
must be age appropriate. Instead, teach students about general health. This can
include:

Healthy lifestyles (healthy eating, active living, self-acceptance).

Media literacy, Positive life skills (assertive communication, positive
relationships, problem solving).
Ways to cope with sexual, racial or other harassment and appearance based
teasing.

Prevention must take place on many levels:

Help parents and teachers to think about their own attitudes. Their behaviour,
language, eating and physical activities influence children. Make time and space for
meals at school. Discourage "starve-a-thons". Set up policies that ban teasing
about physical appearance Empower adolescent girls to feel good about
themselves. Start a support group. Promote understanding and tolerance for natural
weight gain and fat among girls going through puberty. Maintain consistent health
promotion messages.

Ideas for Administrators

Administrators are in a unique position to effect change in our communities. Below
are several suggestions to help turn the tide of eating disorders:
Organize staff development sessions for teachers and administrators. Encourage
teachers to examine their own attitudes toward physical appearance and their own
body image. Highlight the importance of being role models for their students. This
does not mean being "perfect". It does mean being willing to explore and resolve
difficult issues. Equip teachers with practical skills to deal with self-esteem and body
image issues. Invite local agencies and/or community health organizations to lead
training sessions in your school. Contact Us to connect with organizations that can
lead training sessions in your school.
Organize a parent information session to teach parents how their attitudes affect
their children's body image. Involve parents in developing policy and curriculum.
Equip parents with ideas on how to deal with self-esteem, body image issues, and
problem food and weight behaviours in their children.
Establish an effective school-wide policy on teasing and bullying. Ensure that you
include physical appearance in your anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies.
Involve parents, students, teachers and school administrators in developing this
policy.
Introduce Peer Mediation Programs or Anti-Bullying programs in your school.
Consider a peer support program between senior and junior students to help
younger students feel less afraid, stressed and isolated. Older students will feel
greater self-esteem and learn leadership and problem-solving skills.
Develop a classroom behaviour agreement with your students. Ask them each to
sign the agreement, and display the terms of agreement in a place where they can
all see it. Commit to respecting each other's point of view, listening, respecting
differences and challenging stereotypes.
Develop a school health program where students receive consistent positive
messages about healthy eating attitudes and behaviours and healthy body image.
Focus on health and well-being, not physical appearance. Respect the wide range of
ethnic foods eaten. Involve teachers, administrators, families, community leaders
and students when you develop this program. Make sure the school staff agree to
treat students' bodies respectfully and do not make comments about students' body
shapes and size.
Work with the library. Give your librarian a list of resources that are appropriate for
different age groups - you can find a list of helpful books, magazines and videos in
Information Resources. Ask your school library and local libraries to stop subscribing
to fashion magazines. Encourage them to order magazines that promote healthier

images. Examples are New Moon, for girls between the ages of 9 and 14, and
Shameless for older teens.
Involve food services at your school. Encourage your school to provide a variety of
nutritious foods to children in the cafeteria, at school activities and at fundraising
events. Support every effort to promote healthy eating.
Learn to recognize the signs of someone at risk. The BodyWise handbook is an
excellent, free resource for school personnel, teachers, nurses, coaches, and other
educators. The handbook includes tips for identifying disordered eating, and
suggestions for integrating eating disorder prevention into existing curricula and
initiating school-wide activities to promote healthy eating and prevent weight
preoccupation.
Teach children critical-thinking skills to help them identify and resist cultural
messages that could promote negative body image. Teachers can integrate media
literacy lessons into many subjects, such as social sciences, literature, history and
health. For more information see Information Resources and Beyond Images.
With your students, examine the images in your school. Look at posters, books,
magazines or even activities that promote stereotypical representations of the ideal
beautiful or healthy body.
Provide children with alternative images of healthy bodies. For example, showcase
pictures of athletes of all different sizes and shapes, including athletes who are
differently abled. Put the pictures under the title "Healthy bodies come in all shapes
and sizes." Normalise and celebrate diversity by having a range of pictures around
the school. Check out our Resources for appropriate posters, or go to your local art
gallery.