Abstract
Personal health is the general condition of your body and mind. The body needs healthy foods, healthy mind and regular exercise to keep fit. Good hygiene is also necessary in maintaining a good health status and that is why we strive to maintain physical, mental and spiritual health. The intention of this paper is to describe how community and personal health affect us individually. Some of the communities I belong to include the church, my home neighborhood and learning institution. The church I attend is a local one and is very comforting because all who attend have the same spiritual ideologies thus one does not feel isolated. Both the church and my neighborhood are of great importance when it comes to matters of personal health and you cannot separate them. This is because the community contributes to personal health through beliefs and value system while the church contributes to spiritual health and also ensures a harmony living environment within the community which is part of health. Also the physical environment around us influences our personal health because these are the places we interact with others or visit therefore contributing to our overall good health. The paper is based on the neighborhood community I belong to.
Community and health
A community is any social group of people who live in particular place, share a common interest in what happens there, and often have the same cultural and historical heritage. The physical environment such as such a well built environment and good climate contribute to the general health of the community. Areas that are prone air pollution (smoking zones) are health hazards to the community. Good food hygiene such as washing food well cooked food and properly stored food helps prevent contamination which mainly occurs from excreta on people’s fingers, flies, or chemicals used such as insecticides.
Steps such as immunization can be used to prevent the occurrence of certain diseases in the community. In the case whereby a disease is diagnosed early treatment is highly recommended in order to prevent it spreading and becoming an epidemic. Community members should go to hospitals for screening or contact tracing which is usually followed by prompt and effective treatment. Chemoprophylaxis, which is a method of preventing a disease by using chemical agents, drugs or food nutrients, could be used to prevent contracting certain diseases. Having good food nutrition also plays a major role in the health of individuals in the community because it promotes good immunity and prevents malnutrition. Members of the community should take energy, bodybuilding and protective foods in order to keep their bodies healthy. Also the presence of safe water supplies to the community is essential because water is essential to life. However, water that is not clean may carry water-borne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and eye diseases (including trachoma) and amoebiasis. The community should also ensure that there are proper excreta and refuse disposal. Diseases such as all intestinal worms, infective hepatitis A are spread by faeces. Thus it is essential that the community disposes off their excreta properly. The social and cultural environment also determines how people live and which diseases they surfer from. For example there are some communities which have taboos again taking certain foods which are nutritious to the body and this is not healthy. Therefore community influences our health.
Personal example
My neighborhood community plays a major role in my health by ensuring there is clean supply of treated water in the house thus preventing water-borne diseases. Through community projects there is good infrastructure which leads to easy transport and communication. There is also a good market making it easy for me to access cheap and fresh foods which contributes to my good physical health. It has also set up clinic and a pharmacy therefore there health services acquired quickly. Also in learning institutions we are taught of the ways in which we can stay healthy thus contributing to my well being. Such recreation places such as parks and beaches create a suitable environment for resting or doing exercise or jogging. Interacting with other people is also possible through this. This physical and social service have impacted greatly at how I look after my health what choices I make and also my behavior.
Conclusion
In conclusion the community plays a major role in ensuring in personal health of individual’s is well. Also how he/she takes care of their health is essential in how their body, mind and spirit develop. On the other hand, the environment both internal and external also affects our health in one way or another. Therefore we conclude that personal health and community are both contributing factors to the general health.
References
Barnes, A., & Jackson, S. M. (1987). Personal and community health (3rd ed.). London ; Philadelphia: Baillière Tindall.
Turner, C. E. (1967). Personal and community health (13th ed.). Saint Louis: Mosby.
