Health Promotion
Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle Choices
- Physical activity
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Limiting alcohol use
- Healthy eating
- Health screenings
- Wearing a seat belt
- Avoiding exposure to tobacco
- Preventable Causes of Death - graph
7 Tips from North Carolina's Eat Smart Move More program
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Regular physical activity enhances the quality of life for people of all ages and helps older adults maintain their functional independence.
Regular physical exercise can help prevent and manage coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, stress, anxiety and mental health problems. Physical activity has also has been associated with lower rates of colon and breast cancer and of stroke, and it may help reduce back injuries and improve depression. It can also improve endurance, strength, balance, bone density and self-esteem.
Lack of time is often sited as an excuse for lack of physical activity, yet we can all fit physical activity into our day by taking the stairs, going for a walk during break time, not using drive-up windows, etc. Another common excuse for not being physically active is a lack of energy, yet physical activity actually increases energy, while also improving emotional well-being.
Make time for exercise today, or make time for illness later.
Being physically active can help reduce the risk of:
- asthma
- arthritis
- back pain
- breast cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- depression
- diabetes
- falling
- high blood pressure
- injuries
- liver disease
- loss of independence
- obesity
- mobility problems
- stroke
Keep track of your Daily Dose of physical activity
Guide to Walking - by a physical therapist
| 40% |
. . . of Montanans are physically active.
Behavior Risk Survey, 2010
MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WEIGHT
A healthy body weight is easy on joints and bones and avoids unnecessary stress on heart, lungs, liver, kidney's and other organs. You move better, sleep better, and have more energy if you maintain a healthy weight. It also allows for better quality of life and independence, especially as a person ages.
Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in the US, and is responsible for an increased risk of nearly 30 medical conditions, as well as reduced mobility. In addition, the social stigma associated with obesity can hamper employment opportunities and community interaction, leading to isolation and depression.
Reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight can help reduce the risk of:
- asthma
- arthritis
- back pain
- birth defects in their children
- cardiovascular disease
- cervical cancer
- complications during pregnancy and childbirth
- complications following surgery
- dementia
- depression
- diabetes
- increased rate of dental gum disease
- hernias
- high blood pressure
- higher health care costs
- joint disorders
- kidney stones
- leg injuries
- liver disease
- respiratory problems
- sleeping disorders
- slow healing
- stroke
- urinary incontinence in women
100,000 Cancers Linked to Excess Body Fat - American Cancer Institute
Obesity and cancer risk - National Cancer Insttute
Overweight and Obesity Concerns
| 41% |
. . . of Montanans are at a healthy body weight.
Behavior Risk Survey 2010
LIMITING ALCOHOL USE
Alcohol is an integral part of our society, and red wine even has a small health benefit. However, alcohol is also a mood altering drug that impairs a person’s judgment and ability to do routine tasks, and, in some people, it is addictive.
Even moderate alcohol use can increase the risk of accidental injury. Nationwide, alcohol is related to:
- 30% - 40% of traffic crashes
- 30% of suicide deaths
- 25% - 50% of boating accidents
- 70% of assaults
As many as 40% of traumatic injuries treated in US emergency rooms may be alcohol-related; 20% - 25% of hospital admissions for an injury are alcohol-related.
Reducing alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of:
- cirrhosis
- injuries
- crime
- depression/suicide
- traffic crashes
- high blood pressure
- breast cancer
- cancer of the esophagus
- stomach cancer
- osteoporosis
HEALTHY EATING
There is a direct link between good eating habits and good health.
Fresh food, grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, poultry and fish, offer complete nutrition and variety of flavor and texture. Home cooked meals can be low in fat, sodium, and calories and higher in nutrition and fiber than processed or restaurant food. Preparing meals at home has the added benefits of saving money and bringing families closer together.
Eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of:
- cervical cancer
- cardiovascular disease
- diabetes type II
- high blood pressure
- obesity
- malnutrition
- fatigue
- tooth decay
- osteoporosis
- uterine fibroid tumors American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2011
Soda Pop - a poor choice
Our society, especially teens, seems to always be sipping on a soda. While some choose artificially sweetened pop, many more choose the sugar-sweetened variety, with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 15 calories per ounce. (The average 12 oz can contains almost ¼ cup of sugar, and 150 calories.) This contributes to obesity as well as tooth decay, and may also contribute to poor nutrition by replacing nutrition-rich food, milk or fruit juice with high-calorie flavored sugar water that has no nutritional value. Many sodas now contain caffeine as well, which is a mildly addictive stimulant.
- It is estimated that American teenagers get 13% of their calories from soft drinks.
- In the late 1970’s, teens drank more than twice as much milk as soda.
- By the late 1990’s, that was reversed, and teens drank twice as much soda as milk.
Fruits & Veggies – a good choice
Fruits and vegetables are the ultimate fast food, packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber which protect against chronic diseases. Substituting fruits and veggies for high-fat, low-fiber fast food can help manage weight and improve energy levels. Fruits and veggies are also less expensive than high-fat fast food, and require minimal preparation and packaging.
| 25% |
. . . of Montanans eat 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies every day.
Behavior Risk Survey 2010
HEALTH SCREENINGS
The cost of prevention is small peanuts in comparison to the staggering social and personal costs of treating, managing, and living with chronic diseases. When detected in the early stages and management guidelines are conscientiously followed, the impact of chronic diseases can be significantly reduced.
Cancer Screening Recommendations - American Cancer Society
Health screenings should also include:
- blood pressure check - adults, every year
- cholesterol test - adults over age 20, every 5 years.
| 57% |
. . . of Montanans have ever had a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy.
Behavior Risk Survey 2010
WEARING A SEAT BELT
A seat belt is the best defense against serious injury or death in a traffic crash. You may be a good driver, but your seat belt can help protect you from "the other guy" who may be distracted, impaired, reckless, or just using poor judgment
During a crash, everything and everyone not belted in gets thrown around. That means that a person wearing a seat belt can be injured or killed by an un-belted occupant.
Car crash injuries have an impact on more than the victim:
- Family members often miss time at work or school to care for the injured person.
- Costs for medical treatment, even with insurance coverage, can be devastating to the whole family.
- Recuperation time can disrupt family activities and commitments.
- An employer must either do without the injured worker, or train a temporary replacement, and pay the replacement's salary in addition to the victim's sick leave.
- The community foots the bill for Emergency Response and medical insurance pay-outs.
- Car crash deaths often turn families upside down, and can create upheaval in the workplace, and great voids in the community.
The simple seat belt is very effective at reducing the physical, emotional, financial and community costs of traffic crashes.
| 76% of women | & | 62% of men |
. . . in Montanan reported always wearing a seat belt.
- People with health insurance were more likely to report seat belt use (71%) than persons without health insurance (59%).
2010 study be Center for Disease Control and Prevention
AVOIDING EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO
Research has repeatedly shown that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco in any form, and that nicotine and the chemicals added to tobacco are physically and mentally addictive. Even exposure to secondhand smoke (involuntary smoking) has similar effects. Lung Association and Secondhand Smoke.
- In Montana, one out of every five deaths is tobacco-related. (Montana BRFSS 1993)
- Smoking is the cause cited for 87% of lung cancer deaths. (HP 2000)
- There are more tobacco-related deaths than deaths from traffic crashes, alcohol and drugs, homicides, suicides, and AIDS combined. (BRFSS, Smoke Free Air, 1995-1996)
- While spit tobacco use does not cause lung diseases, it is equally detrimental to the circulatory system, and carries an increased risk of throat and mouth cancers.
To eliminate the risks, don't start smoking; if you do smoke, quit. If you can't quit, don't smoke around children or other non-smokers.
Eliminating a child's exposure to second-hand smoke can reduce their risk of:
- asthma
- upper respiratory infections
- hearing loss
- ear infections
- slower lung development
If you are a non-smoker, ask smokers to go outside if they are in your home.
| 84% |
. . . of Montanans do not allow smoking at all in their homes.
. . . of Montanans support the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act which prohibits smoking in any public indoor places, including bars and casinos.
Montana Adult Alcohol Survey 2008
Eliminating exposure to tobacco can reduce the risk of:
- asthma
- breast and cervical cancer
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- high blood pressure
- cancer of the bladder, lung, esophagus, mouth, stomach, colon, liver, etc.
- premature aging
- stroke
- impotence
- premature births
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- emphysema
- respiratory infections
- for pregnant women: miscarriage or pre-term birth
- cervical cancer
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