2. What I will be covering
The major concerns that effect physical
aging, and health: nutrition, exercise,
substance abuse, sexuality, and
psychological stress
3. Nutrition
Adults find it increasingly difficult to make wise dietary decisions. An abundance
of food, combined with a heavily scheduled life, means that most Americans eat
because they feel like it or because it is time to do so rather than to maintain the
body’s functions (Donatelle, 2012). Overweight and obesity and a high-fat diet
are widespread nutritional problems with long-term consequences for adult
health.
4. Nutrition
Overweight and Obesity
Obese – defined as a greater than 20% increase over average body weight, based
on age, sex, and physical build.
Overweight – less extreme but nevertheless unhealthy condition ---affects 33% of
Americans
The rates of overweight and obesity combined total 69% making Americans the
heaviest people in the world
Today, 36% of U.S adults are obese. The rates rise to 38 % among Hispanics, 39%
among Native Americans, and 50% among African Americans (Flegal et al., 2012)
5. Nutrition
Overweight and Obesity – Causes
Environmental pressures underlie the rising rates of obesity in industrialized
nations: Wiith the decline in need for physical labor in the home and workplace,
our lives have become more sednetary
6. Nutrition
Overweight and Obesity – Treatment
Lifestyle change to a nutrious diet lower in calories, sugar, and fat, plus regular
exercise
Keeping an accurate record of food intake and body weight
Social support
7. Exercise
What happens when you don’t work out?
Weight and blood pressure: Possible weight gain, increased risk for high blood
pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Bones and strength: Bones lose density with age, and lack of weight bearing
exercise plays a role in osteoporosis, or brittle bones
Endurance: Lack of energy and endurance makes you out of breath, while walking
up a flight of stairs
Mental Health: Diminished sense of well being, social isolation and bad eating
habits (Barlowe, B, 2015).
8. Exercise
Although most Americans are aware of the health benefits of exercise, over half of
Americans are inactive, with no regular brief sessions of even light activity (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2011c)
More women than men are inactive. And inactivity is greater among low-SES
adults, who live in less safe neighborhoods, have more health problems,
experience less social support for exercising regularly, and feel less personal
control over their health
9. Exercise (cont)
Exercise also promotes cardiovascular functioning by strengthening the heart
muscle, decreasing blood pressure, and producing a form of “good cholesterol”
(high-density lipoproteins, or HDLs) that helps remove “bad cholesterol” (low
density lipoproteins, or LDLs) from the artery walls.
Yet another way that exercise guards against illness is through its mental health
benefits. Physical activity reduces anxiety and depression and improves mood,
alertness, and energy
Exercise fosters resistance to disease
Frequent bouts of moderate intensity exercise enhance the immune response,
lowering the risk of colds or flu, and promoting faster recovery from these
illnesses (Donatelle, 2011)
10. Exercise (cont)
How much exercise is recommended for healthier, happier, and longer life?
Moderately intense physical activity– for example, 30 minutes of brisk walking--
on most days leads to health benefits for previously inactive people
Adults who exercise at greater intensity – enough to build up a sweat – derive
even greater protection (American College of Sports Medicine, 2011)
Regular, vigorous exercisers show large reductions in risk of cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity.
11. If you avoid it, you’ll always hate it! I
didn’t always like running. I fell in love
with the environment of it : )
12. Substance Abuse
When alcohol and drug taking become chronic, they intensify the psychological
problems that underlie addiction. As many as 12 percent of 19 – to 25 year old
men and 6 percent women are substance abusers (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2011d).
Cigarette smoking is the single most important preventable cause of death in
industrialized nations. One out of every three young people who become regular
smokers will die from a smoking related disease, and the vast majority will suffer
from at least one serious illness (Adhikari et al., 2009)
14. Substance Abuse
Each ingredient leaves their damage mark throughout the body, in deterioration
of the retina of the eye; constriction of blood vessels leading to painful vascular
disease; skin abnormalities, including premature aging, poor wound healing, and
hair loss; decline in bone mass; decrease in reserve ova, uterine abnormalities,
and earlier menopause in women; and reduced sperm count and higher rate of
sexual impotence in men. (Dechanet et al., 2011)
Other deadly outcomes include increased risk of heart attack, stroke, acute
leukemia, melanoma, and cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, lungs,
stomach, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder
17. Substance Abuse
National surveys reveal that about 10 percent of men and 3 percent of women in
the United States are heavy drinkers (U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 2011d). About one- third of them are alcoholics—people who cannot
limit their alcohol use. In men, alcoholism usually begins in the teens and early
twenties and worsens over the following decade. In women, its onset is typically
later, in the twenties and thirties, and its course is more variable
18. Substance Abuse
What does alcohol do?
Alcohol acts as a depressant, impairing the brains ability to control thought and
action. In a heavy drinker, it relieves anxiety at first but then induces it as the
effects wear off, so the alcoholic drinks again.
The best known complication of chronic alcohol use is liver disease, but it is also
linked to cardiovascular disease, inflammation of the pancreas, irritation of the
intestinal tract, bone marrow problems, disorders of the blood and joints, and
some forms of cancer
Over time, alcohol causes brain damage, leading to confusion, apathy, inability to
learn, and impaired memory
19. Sexuality
Sexual partners, whether dating, cohabiting, or married, tend to be similar in age
(within five years), education, ethnicity, and (to a lesser extent) religion. In
addition, people who establish lasting relationships often meet in conventional
ways--- through friends or family members, or at school or social events where
people similar to themselves congregate.
Sustaining an intimate relationship is easier when adults share interests and
values and people they know approve of the match
20. Sexuality
Most adults are less sexually active than media images suggest, but they display a
wider rage of sexual choices and lifestyles and have had more sexual partners
than earlier generations. The internet has become a popular way to intimate
relationships.
Adults in committed relationships report high satisfaction with their sex lives.
Only a minority report persistent sexual problems---difficulties linked to low SES
and psychological stress
21. Sexuality
Most rape victims have been harmed by men they know. Men who commit sexual
assault typically support traditional gender roles, approve of violence against
women, accept rape myths, and misinterpret women's social behaviors. Female
initiated coercive sexual behavior also occurs but is less often reported and
recognized
22. Sexuality
Prevention and treatment
Routine screening for victimization
Validation f the experience
Safety planning
23. Psychological Stress
As Socioeconomic decreases, exposure to diverse stressors rises an association
that likely plays an important role in the strong connection between low SES and
poor health. (Chandola & Marmot, 2011)
Chronic stress is linked to overweight and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and
atherosclerosis. And in susceptible individuals, acute stress can trigger cardiac
events, including heat-beat rhythm abnormalities and heart attacks. These
relationships contribute to the high incidence of heart disease in low-income
groups, especially African Americans
Compared to with higher-SES individuals, low-SES adults show a stronger
cardiovascular response to stress, perhaps because they more often perceive
stressors as unsolvable. (Almeida et al., 2005; Carroll et al., 2007)
24. Psychological Stress – relief tips
"Make sure that you schedule some "me-time" for self-care. It will reduce your stress, increase
your productivity, and boost your happiness!" - Amy Przeworski, Ph.D
"Get regular exercise, and vary your exercise routine to prevent boredom." - Stephanie Sarkis,
Ph.D.
"My most effective stress relief comes from speaking with friends, but only the ones I know have
my best interests at heart. They are great listeners, supportive, and almost always come up with
strategies to cope with the stressor or, at the least, put it in perspective for me. If nothing else,
they point me in a better, less stressful direction." - Susan Newman, Ph.D.
"I go outside. There's something about natural light that's tremendously soothing to me. Any
weather will do, except maybe pouring rain. But sun, clouds, snow...all good. I try to be mindful of
my surroundings, noticing the trees against the sky, grackle on a lawn, the patterns of clouds. It
just takes the edge of." - Sophia Dembling, Psychology Today Blogger. (Boyce, A, 2013).
25. References
BARLOWE, B. (2015, April 23). How Fast is Muscle Lost When Not Training?
Retrieved November 29, 2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/383660-
how-fast-do-you-lose-muscle-by-not-training/
Boyce, A. (2013, January 28). 17 Psychology Experts Share Their Best Stress Relief
Tips. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201301/17-psychology-
experts-share-their-best-stress-relief-tips
Berk, L. E. (2014). Exploring lifespan development (Third ed.). Boston: Pearson.
