Think for a moment about a third-world country that has no running water and no sewage system. The human waste of the community members is left in ditches and the water that is available is often contaminated with disease. These environmental factors can have a tremendous impact on the health and wellness of the community. Now consider the environment in which you reside or work. Are there elements in your environment that might affect your own health and wellness?

Issues such as environmental health, escalating health costs because of chronic disease, and increased healthcare needs of the aging population are leading to a growing interest in careers in promoting health and wellness.

For this paper, you consider how the environment can affect health and wellness. Also, think about the scope of personal health and wellness and the increase in careers related to health and wellness.

To prepare:

• Review Chapter 16 in Health: The Basics, 13th edition. Think about how environmental factors affect personal health and wellness.
• Review the article “Some public attitudes about health and the environment.”
• Review the article “The cow in the room: Public knowledge of the links between dietary choices and health and environmental impacts.”
• Think about your environment and its impact on your personal health and wellness.
• Using the Internet and the Walden Library, select two careers within the field of health that promote personal health and wellness in which you might be interested. Identify the skills and credentials necessary for each position.

With these thoughts in mind:

Select one of the two Questions.

Post a brief explanation of one way that environmental factors might positively affect personal health and wellness and one way environmental factors might negatively affect personal health and wellness. (Do not use the example in the Introduction). Then explain how you might mitigate any negative effects. (750 words)

OR

Post a brief description of the careers you selected in preparation for this Discussion. Then describe the credentials needed for these careers. Finally, explain why these careers are of interest to you. (750 words)

PLEASE MAKE USE OF THE PROVIDED RESOURCES ESPECIALLY THE TEXTBOOK!

Donatelle, R. J. (2019). Health: The basics (13th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson.

• Chapter 16 “Promoting Environmental Health”
• Chapter 15 “Making Smart Health Care Choices”

Chinn, D. (2011). Critical health literacy: A review and critical analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 73(1), 60–67.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Baxter, R. (1990). Some public attitudes about health and the environment. Environmental Health Perspectives, 86, 261–269.
Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Joyce, A., Dixon, S., Comfort, J., & Hallett, J. (2008). The cow in the room: Public knowledge of the links between dietary choices and health and environmental impacts. Environmental Health Insights, 1, 31–34.
The Cow in the Room: Public Knowledge of the Links Between Dietary Choices and Health and Environmental Impacts by Joyce, A., Dixon, S., Comfort, J., & Hallett, J., in Environmental Health Insights. Copyright 2008 by Libertas Academia. Reprinted by permission of Libertas Academia via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Personal Health and Wellness: Dimensions of Health Wheel [Multimedia], Baltimore, MD: Author.

• Dimension of Health: Week 6

Optional Resources

Web Resources on Health Literacy

Health.gov (2012). Retrieved from http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/

Torpy, M. J. (2011, September 14). Health Literacy. Retrieved July 07, 2017, from http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1104329