The 7 Primary Influences on Your Health
As taught in many health education curricula, seven key factors interweave to influence an individual’s health throughout their lifetime. These extend beyond personal choices to include biological factors and external forces that shape our opportunities and predispositions.
Heredity
This refers to all the traits and predispositions passed down biologically from parents to their children through genes. While you cannot change your genes, understanding your hereditary risks is a powerful tool for proactive health management. For example, knowing that heart disease or certain types of cancer run in your family can prompt earlier screening and more vigilant preventative care. Genetics sets a baseline for your health, influencing everything from your metabolism and body type to your susceptibility to certain illnesses like some forms of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. However, your genetic predisposition is not your destiny; lifestyle and environmental factors play a significant role in determining whether a gene is expressed.
Physical Environment
The physical places where you live, work, and spend your time have a direct impact on your health. This includes both your immediate surroundings and broader environmental factors. Aspects of the physical environment that influence health include:
- Air and Water Quality: Exposure to pollutants can lead to respiratory illnesses, neurological problems, and other chronic conditions.
- Built Environment: Urban design, such as access to parks, sidewalks, and healthy food options, influences physical activity levels and dietary habits.
- Housing: A safe and sanitary home free from hazards like lead paint or mold is fundamental to good health.
- Climate Change: A changing global climate impacts health through factors like heat-related illnesses and the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Social Environment
The people who make up your world—including your family, friends, and community—form your social environment and significantly influence your health. Positive social support networks have been shown to reduce stress and boost immunity, while negative peer pressure can encourage risky behaviors. Family dynamics, peer relationships, and broader social connections contribute to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. For example, adolescents often model the health behaviors of their peers, while strong family support can help individuals cope with stress and pursue healthier lifestyles.
Culture
This encompasses the collective beliefs, customs, and behaviors passed from generation to generation within a group. Culture profoundly shapes health behaviors and perceptions of wellness. It influences dietary patterns, traditional healing practices, and attitudes toward modern medicine. In diverse societies, culturally competent public health initiatives are necessary to effectively address health disparities and build trust within different communities. Health decisions are not made in a vacuum but are filtered through a cultural lens that impacts everything from food choices to preferences for different types of care.
Attitude
Your attitude is the way you view situations, and it can have a profound impact on your health. Research suggests that individuals with a positive, optimistic outlook tend to experience lower stress and a reduced risk of chronic diseases. A proactive mindset can lead to healthier coping mechanisms and greater resilience when faced with life's challenges. Conversely, a pessimistic or anxious attitude can exacerbate health issues by increasing stress levels and promoting unhealthy behaviors. Your mental state is deeply connected to your physical well-being.
Behavior
Of all the factors, personal behavior is the one over which you have the most direct control. These are the habits and choices you make every day that accumulate to influence your health over time. Examples of health behaviors include:
- Dietary habits
- Physical activity levels
- Smoking or alcohol use
- Sleep patterns
- Stress management techniques
- Adherence to medical advice While your heredity and environment set the stage, your behavior is the actor that performs upon it, making decisions that can either promote health or increase risk of disease.
Media and Technology
The various forms of communication that provide news, entertainment, and information are a powerful and pervasive modern influence on health. Media can have both positive and negative effects. Health information campaigns on social media can rapidly spread awareness about diseases, while advertising for junk food or tobacco can promote unhealthy habits. With the rise of digital technology, it is increasingly important to critically evaluate health messages and seek information from credible, authoritative sources. Excessive screen time and exposure to unrealistic beauty standards on social media can also impact mental health and body image.
Comparison of Internal vs. External Influences on Health
It is useful to categorize the seven influences as either internal or external to better understand their dynamics. Internal influences originate within an individual, while external influences are shaped by outside forces. A balance of both is needed for holistic health.
| Feature | Internal Influences | External Influences |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Heredity, Attitude, Behavior | Physical Environment, Social Environment, Culture, Media/Technology |
| Nature of Influence | Predispositions, mindset, and daily actions | Conditions, interactions, and information |
| Control Level | High degree of personal control (e.g., choosing healthy behaviors) | Limited personal control, requires adaptation and advocacy (e.g., environmental laws) |
| Focus | Individual-level decisions and psychological state | Population-level factors and societal systems |
| Key Action | Promoting self-awareness and positive habits | Advocating for policy changes, improving community resources |
Putting Health Influences into Practice
Understanding these influences is the first step toward taking charge of your well-being. It empowers you to move beyond simply reacting to health problems and instead proactively manage your health. For example, if you know your family history includes a predisposition for heart disease (heredity), you can mitigate this risk by focusing on regular exercise and a healthy diet (behavior), which can also improve your attitude and mental health. Simultaneously, advocating for better access to healthy foods in your community (physical environment) can make your healthy choices easier and more sustainable. All these factors are interconnected and influence one another in a complex web.
A List of Health-Promoting Actions:
- Prioritize Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support tissue repair, brain function, and immune health.
- Eat a Balanced Diet: Focus on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein while limiting processed foods and sugar.
- Stay Physically Active: Engage in regular exercise, aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
- Manage Stress Effectively: Incorporate stress-reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, or spending time in nature.
- Cultivate Strong Social Connections: Maintain relationships with friends and family and engage with community groups.
- Be a Critical Media Consumer: Be aware of how media messages influence your health perceptions and seek information from reliable sources, like the CDC.
Conclusion
Your health is the product of a dynamic interplay between your biology and your environment. By understanding the 7 influences on your health as discussed in class—heredity, physical environment, social environment, culture, attitude, behavior, and media/technology—you can make more informed choices and build resilience. While some factors are outside your direct control, such as your genes, you have agency in shaping your behavior and attitude, and you can advocate for improvements in your physical and social surroundings. This holistic approach, combining personal responsibility with a broader understanding of external forces, is the key to achieving and maintaining long-term well-being.
