•GROUP 7

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•A PRESENTATION ON HEALTH DEFEATING BEHAVIOURS
• BY
•AMOAKOA LUCY – BSSN/DD/211096
•PWAJOK FAITH DALYOP – BSSN/DD/211098
•DWAMENA FAUSTINA DANKWA – BSSN/DD/211127
•ANSAH LETICIA – BSSN/WD/211126
•INTRODUCTION
•Recent decades have been seen increasing attention to the contribution of psychological factors, particularly
behaviour, to enhancing or compromising health. Cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, other
substance abuse, unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles and non-adherence to effective medication
regimens were among the health compromising behaviours identified and targeted for modification or
prevention with consequent benefits to the public health.
•DEFINITION OF TERMS
• Health: according to WHO is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.
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•Defeating: means failure to win or be successful.
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•Behaviour: can be defined as the way in which an animal or person behaves in response to a particular
situation or stimulus.
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• Health defeating behaviours: therefore are actions that cause harm to our health or well-being. As when
the use of tobacco products causes cancer
•Health defeating behaviours stems from self-defeating behaviours. Self-defeating behaviours has to do with an individual whereas health defeating
behaviours relate with the mass and the effects of individual defeating behaviours on the individual, and society as a whole.
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• BEHAVIOURS THAT ARE CONSIDERED AS HEALTH DEFEATING BEHAVIOUR
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 Poor diet: poor eating habits include under-or over eating, not having enough of the healthy foods we need each day. Poor nutrition can impair our
daily health and well-being and reduce our ability to lead an enjoyable and active life. It can contribute to the risk of developing some illness and
other health problems such as: being overweight or obese, heart disease and stroke, tooth decay and many others.
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 Alcohol or drug abuse: drug and alcohol abuse is another health defeating behaviour. For addicts, substance use is a trade-off. A person trades off
the risks of using drugs and alcohol for the temporary benefits it brings. Typically, in the long-term, the risks will outweigh the temporary benefits.
People with addiction often have one or more associated health issues which could include lung or heart disease, cancer and, mental health
conditions.
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 Lack of exercise: an additional risk of physical inactivity includes increased feelings of anxiety and depression according to John Hopkins medicine.
Most people know about the physical of exercise, but are less aware of the psychology of exercise and how it can improve mental outcomes. Lack of
exercise can also increase the likelihood of developing other heart disease risk factors including obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
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 Self-medication: is a human behaviour in which an individual uses a substance or any foreign influence to self- administer treatment for physical or psychological
ailments. Self- medicating may offer some relief in the short-term, over time it only aggravate your problems. Whether you turn to alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription
medications, regular self-medication can lead to addiction, worsening of mood disorders, and increased health problems. Self-medication can cause unintentional self-
harm as it may delay in seeking medical advice when needed, incorrect self-diagnosis, incorrect manner of administration, incorrect dosage and dangerous drug
interactions.
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 Smoking: smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. A
variety of plant materials are smoked including marijuana, but the act is most commonly associated with tobacco as smoked in a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Smoke
inhalation inherently poses challenges to various physiologic processes such as respiration. Smoking tobacco is among the leading causes of many diseases such as
lung cancer, heart attack, and erectile dysfunction. Not only the smokers are affected negatively, but also the environment including their spouses and family.
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•H OW INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP HEALTH DEFEATING BEHAVIOURS
i. Negative peer influence
ii. Stress
iii. Unfortunate events like loss of a job or loved one
iv. Negligence that could be from family.
v. Trauma, example abusive childhood
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• HOW TO GET RID OF HEALTH DEFEATING BEHAVIOURS
i. Seeking professional help. Meeting a counsellor or psychologist can be an important part of reducing unhealthy behaviours. A psychologist can
help you to identify triggers that lead to health defeating behaviours and provide tools to help you replace them with healthier options.
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i. Through public education
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i. Rehabilitation
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i. Engaging in recreational activities to get your mind off the habits you have.
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• WAYS TO PROMOTE OR IMPROVE HEALTH
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i. Being physically active. Exercise can reduce feelings of stress and depression and improve your mood.
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i. Getting enough sleep
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i. Eating healthy foods. Good nutrition will help you feel better physically and decrease anxiety and stress.
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i. Practicing good personal hygiene
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i. Smile and laugh more. When we laugh, we breathe deeper and take in more air, which stimulates our heart, lungs and muscles. It also
increases endorphins released by our brains, which positively influence our physiology and mood – automatically placing us into a better,
happier state. Sometimes, laughter really can be the best medicine.
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•E FFECTS OF HEALTH DEFEATING BEHAVIOURS
•Health defeating behaviours affect the individual and the society as a whole. Such effects are as follows;
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• INDIVIDUAL
 It can lead to acquisition of diseases of various kind.
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 It causes premature aging of the human body.
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 It can eventually lead to death.
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 It can leads to stunted (slows down growth) growth and leaves individual unfulfilled and unhappy.
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• SOCIETY
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 Increased pressure on health personnel
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 It increases government expenditure on health. This is because the government has to build more hospitals and supply drugs for those affected due to poor health
behaviours, such as building more psychiatric hospitals.
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 It leads to spread of diseases, thus with smokers and those that practice poor eating habits.
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•REFERENCES
•Vivek Benegal (October 12, 2010). “addicted to alcohol? Here’s why”. India today. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
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•Francesco P. Cappucio, Lanfranco D’Ella, Pasquale Stazzullo, Michele A. Miller (2010, May 1) Sleep Duration
and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of prospective studies. Retrieved November
21, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article.
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•(2019, April 5) Stress Relief from Laughter? It’s no joke. Retrieved November 21, 2019, from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
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