| LESSON: | Reducing Health Risks |
| CONTENT AREA: | Personal and Consumer Health |
| GRADE LEVEL: | Middle School |
| RATING: |
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Students learn about the major categories of risk factors: heredity, environment, behavior, and access to health care services. Students analyze a sample health assessment to determine how risk factors are related to health problems. They then publish a newspaper that identifies ways of reducing various health risks.
Students will advocate ways to improve health or to reduce a health risk.
Have overhead projector.
Make transparencies:
Copy student pages:
Copy teacher pages:
Note to Teachers: Although unprotected sexual activity and the use of alcohol and other drugs also affect health status, they have not been included in the health assessments in this lesson. These risks would typically be addressed in health assessments and by health care providers. However, these topics are covered in other lessons in this curriculum.
Visual Aid: Factors Influencing Health
Explain the concept of risk factors and provide information about the major categories of risk factors: heredity, environment (including pathogens), behavior, and access to health care. See Heredity, Environment, Behavior As Causes of Illness.
Visual Aid: Health Assessment Example
Lead students in analyzing the health assessment findings and identifying the specific risk factors. Ask students to decide in which category to place each risk factor (environment, heredity, behavior). Note responses on the board. See Teacher Page: Coded Health Assessment Example.
Discuss how lifestyle, family history, the environment, and other risk factors are related to the cause or prevention of health problems.
Discuss ways to reduce health risks, focusing on three areas - healthy living, taking action to avoid or reduce known risks, obtaining regular checkups and recommended services to prevent disease. Ask students to think of actions that can be taken to apply each principle.
Student Page: Healthy Living
Student Page: Taking Action to Reduce Known Risks
Student Page: Obtaining Regular Check-ups and Recommended Services
As a class, select a method for organizing and presenting information about healthful living to other students at the school. Ideas include a student newspaper, magazine or newsletter, or a class website.
Divide the class into three groups. Adjust the number of students in each group according to the number of topics to be covered in the specific section. Explain that each group will be responsible for a different section of the class publication. Assign each group one of the following principles.
Allow time inside or outside of class for work on the publications. Discuss the importance of identifying a target audience, using conviction, and providing specific, accurate information.
Discuss the information students compiled for their publication.
Visual Aid: Health Risk Assessment
Have students write a letter, create a pamphlet with art, or create a series of drawings to recommend changes for this person based on the health assessment on the study sheet. Students should advocate for changes to improve the health of this person.
Student work demonstrates proficiency by showing the ability to:
Student work demonstrates proficiency by providing:
