This ppt will highlight on health factors and diseases common in middle adulthood

1. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD –
HEALTH AND DISEASE

2. CHRONIC DISORDERS
Chronic disorders – characterized by slow onset and long duration.
Arthritis, Hypertension
Gender difference; Men – higher incidence of fatal chronic conditions
such as coronary heart disease, cancer and stroke;
Women – nonfatal ones such as arthritis, varicose veins and bursitis

3. STRESS AND DISEASE
• Stress – factor in disease – cumulative effect often takes a toll on
health on individuals by the time they reach middle age.
• Stress is linked to disease through both the immune system and CVD
(Ho & others, 2010).

4. The Immune System And Stress
• Recognizes foreign materials such as bacteria, viruses and tumors and
destroy them
• Immune system functioning decreases with aging
• The immune system’s machinery consists of billions of WBCs located in the
circulatory system – the number of WB cells and their effectiveness in
killing foreign bodies are related to stress levels
• Study – persistently unemployed individuals had lower NK (natural killer
cells – a type of WBCells that is more likely to be present in low-stress
circumstances) cells than their previously unemployed counterparts who
became reemployed (Cohen & others, 2007).
• Persistent stress – weakens immune system

5. Stress and the Cardiovascular system
• Stress and negative emotions can affect the development and course
of cardiovascular disease by altering underlying physiological
processes (Philips & Hughes, 2010)
• Sometimes the link is indirect:
Smoking, overeating, not exercising - CVD

6. Culture and Health
• When people migrate to another culture, their health practices are
likely to change while their genetic predispositions to certain
disorders remain constant.
• Immigrants – SES, immigrant status, social and language skills,
occupational opportunities, social resources – availability of
meaningful support network
• How the medical system operates
• Prejudice and discrimination – significant stressors

7. Mortality Rates
• In the past – infectious disease – main cause of death
• Chronic diseases; In middle age – single, readily identifiable condition;
In old age – combined effect of several chronic conditions