Introduction
Wellness is a major theme in the Biology 30S course. The creation of a wellness portfolio will help you as a student explore this theme. By completing your portfolio, you will personalize the human body content in the Biology 30S program. You will learn more about your medical history, how you body works and collect data on how your body is performing. You will analyze how well you are taking care of yourself and make decisions about your own lifestyle, with the intent of promoting wellness.
The portfolio has a number of assignments in a variety of formats. Each is matched up to an appropriate section of the course.
Your work must be organized in a Duo-tang folder!
Biology 30S - Personal Wellness Portfolio Table of Contents / Value / Mark1 / Wellness Checkup / 2
2 / Wellness Inventory & Wellness Wheel / 2
3 / Article – “While You Wait – the cost of Inactivity” concept map and summary / 6
4 / Personal Wellness – Journal entry #1 (loose leaf) / 2
5 / Family History - Two interviews (loose leaf) and Pedigree chart (template) / 2
6 / Vital Signs Chart (based on labs/assignments) / 2
7 / Your birth story – Interview with your mother/father (loose leaf) / 2
8 / “Once Upon a Time” Story (loose leaf) / 2
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1. Wellness Checkup
· Wellness is more than not being ill.
· Wellness is having a healthy body, mind and spirit.
· Are you able to monitor your wellness?
Task: Complete this checklist of the Four Dimensions of Wellness.
· Each statement in the inventory is an indicator of wellness. By completing the inventory and the wellness wheel, you will be able to determine where you are located on the illness-wellness continuum. This personal information will help you to design your own wellness action plan.
· Read each statement and use the rating scale of 0 to 5 to mark the response that is best suited to you at this time. (You will complete this again at the end of the course to see if any of these responses have changed)
· The items with an asterisk are to be used to complete “My Wellness Wheel.”
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0 No, never
1 Almost never, rarely (less than 10% of the time)
2 Sometimes, maybe (approximately 25% of the time)
3 Often (approximately 50% of the time)
4 Very often, usually (approximately 75% of the time)
5 Almost always (90% of the time or more)
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General Information
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I take care of my health needs – physical, dental, eye checkups.
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I am aware of diseases that run in my family
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know what type of illnesses I have had
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I can explain the types of diagnostic tests I have had
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know what type of treatments I have had
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know the story of my birth
Physical Wellness
Nutrition and digestion
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I eat balanced and regular meals including fresh foods and healthy snacks
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I limit my fast food intake
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I choose low fat items in my daily diet (e.g. low fat dressing, low fat milk, etc.)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I include high fiber foods in my diet (e.g. whole wheat breads, fruit with peels)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have at least 3 serving of milk products per day (e.g. milk, cheese, yogourt, etc.)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have at least 5 servings of grain products per day (e.g. toast, cereal, pasta, etc.)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have at least 2 servings of meat and alternatives (meat, eggs, peanut butter, etc.)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know what a single serving size is for most food items
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I limit my junk food intake
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I taste my food before I add salt
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I limit my salt intake
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I limit my sugar intake
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I make sure that I get enough iron and calcium in my diet
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I don’t drink alcohol
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I don’t go on fad diets
Transportation and respiration
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have some form of physical activity at least 3 times per week
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I maintain a healthy body weight by balancing regular physical activity and healthy eating
0 1 2 3 4 5 – If I am unable to do 30 min. of activity, I am still active in 10 to 15 min. sessions most days
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I do activities to make myself more flexible
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I do activities to make myself stronger
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I do activities to improve my cardiovascular fitness
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know if my blood pressure is in a normal range
0 1 2 3 4 5 – When I exercise, my heart rate is in the target zone
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I avoid the dangers of smoking
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I avoid the dangers of drug abuse
Excretion and waste management
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know the signs of urinary tract infection
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I drink 6 to 8 glasses of non-caffeinated drinks a day (water, juice, milk, etc…)
Protection and control
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I wear seat belts when travelling in a car
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I get 7-9 hours of sleep every night
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I stay current on necessary immunizations
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I do self-exams (breast and testicular)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I only travel with sober drivers
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I wear a helmet when riding (bicycle, motorcycle, snowmobile, etc…)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I wear safety gear when participating in sports
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I practice abstinence
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I practice safe sex
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I wear sunscreen
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know and follow directions for any medications that I take
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I go for regular physical examinations (annually)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I go for eye tests (annually)
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I don’t speed
Psychological Wellness
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I avoid blaming others for my failures or problems
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I achieve goals I set for myself
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I try to associate with people who have a positive attitude about life
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I avoid putting off important tasks to the last minute
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I enjoy spending time without planned or structured activities and make the effort to do so
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I can cope with stress
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I know how to relax
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I like myself
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I consider how my actions will affect others
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I am a lifelong learner
Social Wellness
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I take time for fun and leisure
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have friends to celebrate with in good times and to call when I am feeling low.
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I have a satisfying and fulfilling relationship with my family
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I express my emotions – laugh often, cry when sad, express anger and fear
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I consider the feelings of others, regardless of their age, race, gender, or sexual orientation and do not act in hurtful ways
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I spend time with people much younger or much older than myself
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I am involved in extra-curricular or community activities
0 1 2 3 4 5 – I like school
Spiritual Wellness
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I forgive myself for making mistakes and learn from such experiences
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I take time for silence and solitude and to reflect on what is important to me
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I try to demonstrate genuine respect for the spiritual beliefs of other cultures
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I take time to enjoy nature and the beauty around me
*0 1 2 3 4 5 – I try to relate to myself, my community, and my planet in a non-harmful way
Transfer your scores for each section of the Wellness Inventory to the Wellness Wheel. Colour in the portion of each wedge between the centre of the wheel and the curved line using different colours for each wedge.
My Wellness Wheel
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1. How smoothly would your Wellness Wheel roll? (For example, is it well-rounded and balanced, or
unbalanced in some way?)
2. How do you feel about the shape and size of your Wellness Wheel?
3. In which areas of your life are you most well?
4. In which areas are you least well?
5. What don’t you like about your Wellness Wheel?
6. What improvements would you like to see in your Wellness Wheel? How can you achieve these?
Personal Wellness – Journaling Assignment
Task: Carry out a Focused Free Writing activity by writing a reflection on personal wellness; place this in your portfolio.
The following questions can be used to stimulate thinking in this area:
§ What is wellness?
§ What is my current level of wellness or health?
§ What things do people do to promote wellness?
§ What other things could I do to improve my own health?
§ How do my personal choices relate to my own health, affect others around me (e.g. family, community)?
1. Once Upon a Time – Microtheme
Remember back to when you broke your leg sliding into home plate or how itchy you were that summer vacation when you broke out in chicken pox. What illnesses or injuries have you experienced? Choose an incident from your own experience to write about. Imagine that you are now a grandparent invited to your grandson’s kindergarten class to talk about that illness or injury. Write down what you would tell them. Be sure to include what happened, how you were diagnosed and treated, if you visited the hospital, etc. Your account can be dramatic but must also be factual. Option: if you suffer from a chronic disease you may choose to write about that.
2. Vital Signs
Vital signs are very important in an emergency. They tell the nurse or doctor if you are within the normal range for human health. If your vitals are different then the normal average, it may indicate a problem with one of your body systems. Throughout this course we will be performing a number a labs in which we will determine your vital signs. Some of the vital signs will need to be done at home.
Task: Fill in the chart below.
· Height (feet & inches)
· Weight - (pounds) Optional
· Resting Heart Rate* Ave=
· Resting Respiration Rate* Ave=
*These are best done on your own time, late in the evening or just after you wake up. Take these four times (one month apart) during the year and record your average.
· Blood Pressure / / / / Ave /
· Vital Lung Capacity (spirometer lab) cm3
· Average calories consumed per day (from input/output chart)
· Average calories expended per day (from input/output chart)
· BMI (class activity)
3. Family History
When you visit a doctor s/he will ask you if any medical conditions persist in your family. You must be able to answer questions such as these. The answers to these and other questions will help your doctor make a more accurate diagnosis of any conditions you may be facing as well as prescribe lifestyle alternatives that may prevent some conditions in your families’ history from becoming a factor in your life.
· How long did your longest surviving relative live for?
· Do any conditions persist in your family (e.g. hypertension)?
· When were your parents and grandparents born?
· Did they experience any medical conditions during their lifetime (e.g. diabetes)?
· If they have died, when did that occur? Did any known conditions cause this?
· Do you have any medical conditions?
· Have you had any hospital visits? What for?
· Do you have any allergies? Do these run in your family?
Task – Conduct two family interviews.
· Ask the above questions of two parents/grandparents, digging back as far as you can in your family history. These questions are just a starting point for what should be an informative discussion about your families’ medical history.
· Make notes of these interviews and include these in your Wellness Portfolio. Be sure to include at least two interviews – one from each side of the family.
Task – Make a Family Tree/Pedigree Chart.
Summarize the information from your interviews on a medical family tree. Note each person, how they are related and relevant information about them. This should include date of birth, date of death, medical conditions, cause of death, stressors that may have affected health, etc.
For purposes of genetic history, what you are creating is a medical tool called a pedigree. You are doing a basic pedigree with notes added in. All information will be considered private.
Assessment:
This assignment is intended to give you as complete a picture as you can have. You will be graded on inclusion of interview notes and completeness of family tree. There is no prize for having the family with the most disorders!
Family History Assessment