YOUR FITNESS YOUR HEALTH

Many Africans may be surprised at the extent and strength of the evidence linking physical activity to numerous health improvements. Most importantly, regularly physical activity greatly reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in Africa today. Physical activity also reduces the risk of developing non-communicable diseases in our society.

            In Africa today, our society is just beginning to recognize the role of regular Physical activity in good health management. Physical activity evaluation provides morbidity and mortality prognostic information from hemodynamic, electrocar diographic, cardiovascular and pulmonary exercise responses. Physical activity also evaluate muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular capacity, provides valuable information that enables exercise professionals to determine a clients overall functional capability, assess his or her safety for physical exertion, prescribe exercise, interventions, and evaluate impact of these interventions.

            Health, promotion is a means of increasing individual and collective participation in health action and strengthening programmes through the integrative use of various methods. These  methods are combine through comprehensive approaches which ensure action at all levels of society, leading to enhanced health impact.

            Health promotion practices has been in existence for a long time though the use of the term to refer to a specific field started only in the 1980s. The development of health promotion was greatly influenced by the evolution of other broad approached to human development such as  

Ø  The health-for-all concept

Ø  Movements to protect and improve the physical environment

Ø  The increased attention being paid to poverty as a major underlying cause of illness.

Countries in the region are experiencing double burden of disease. Communicable diseases which are highly prevalent, and non-communicable diseases, malaria and the re-emergence of tuberculosis etc have further compounded this situation. Low levels of literacy (especially among women), poor sanitation, inadequate food, civil strife and risky behaviours (e.g. smoking increasing sedentary living and unhealthy diets), which constitute broad determinant of health. Poverty fuels the impact of these factors on health as it keeps people in poor health and poor health keeps people in poverty.

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You can participate in this lesson by answering and contributing to the following questions...

Quiz

How do you promote health of an individual in your own community?

Quiz

List and Explain five methods of teaching health education in your own community?

Quiz

List and Explain two risky behaviours that can keeps people in poor health?