The effects of health and ill health on individuals and on those around them, the indicators and measures used to assess physical health, and how needs are identified across the physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions.

What this dot point is asking

CCEA wants you to explain the effects of health and ill health on individuals and the people around them, and to know the indicators and measurements used to assess physical health and identify needs across the physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions.

Effects of health and ill health

Because the dimensions interact (the holistic concept), the effects of ill health rarely stay in one box: a physical illness commonly drags down mood, relationships and concentration. CCEA expects you to trace these effects across the whole person and to recognise the impact on those around the individual, not just the individual alone.

Indicators and measurement of physical health

Common measurements and their typical adult reference values include: blood pressure around $120/80$ millimetres of mercury (raised blood pressure, hypertension, is generally $140/90$ or above); resting pulse about 60 to 100 beats per minute; body temperature about $37\,^{\circ}\text{C}$; and body mass index in the healthy range 18.5 to 24.9. Peak expiratory flow assesses how well the lungs are working and is used to monitor conditions such as asthma. Measuring these turns a vague sense of feeling unwell into specific, comparable data that identifies needs and tracks change over time.

Identifying needs

Indicators and the dimensions of wellbeing together help identify needs. A high BMI and raised blood pressure point to a physical need (and lifestyle support); reported low mood points to an emotional need; isolation points to a social need. CCEA links this to care planning: needs identified across the dimensions feed into a holistic plan that aims to improve or maintain wellbeing, which leads into the next dot point on promoting and supporting health improvement.

Try this

Q1. State three indicators used to assess physical health. [3 marks]

• Cue. Blood pressure, resting pulse rate, body mass index, peak flow, body temperature (any three).

Q2. A person has a mass of 64 kilograms and a height of 1.6 metres. Calculate their BMI. [2 marks]

• Cue. $64 / 1.6^2 = 64 / 2.56 = 25.0$ (the overweight threshold).

Q3. Explain one effect a long-term illness can have on a person's social wellbeing. [2 marks]

• Cue. Withdrawal from work, hobbies or relationships, leading to isolation and loss of social role.