Good Health Is Your Responsibility

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“Good Health is your Responsibility. Act Now” In achieving good health, it is an individual’s responsibility to take care of their own body. A large extent of factors cannot be controlled [1]. These include the determinants of health – individual, socio-cultural, socio-economic and environmental aspects and modifiable and non-modifiable characteristics. An individual’s determinants of health are obvious factors that contribute to good health. Over long term, knowledge, skills, attitudes and genetics will pose a major influence on the individual that will help them sustain a healthy behaviour to achieve the best lifestyle. From surveys shown, it has found that “14% of Australian’s approve of smoking” and “nearly 50% of women could not identify age as a risk factor for breast cancer” [2]. This suggests that people are not recognising the important health messages or developing greater knowledge in realising issues that may be affecting them. So it is important for us to understand how much control we have over our health with our individual determinants as the attitudes and skills we gain will put an image to others on our view of health. The socio-cultural factor which includes family, peers, media, religion and culture will greatly manipulate how we can be responsible for our health. The family is the most important source of education and role modelling where we learn the fundamental skills, values and beliefs about ourselves [2]. They are crucial in helping set up for the future and how we behave. In the Australian culture, we are also influenced by peers, media and religion which will deter us from keeping responsibility over our health. It’s harder during adolescent years to make decisions, as you are often influenced by others and the media health [2]. However, as you grow older and understand the consequences to health, you will make the right
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