Principles and Practices of Health

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge, and best practice. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, inform course content.

• There are many competing definitions of health, well-being and wellness; through a critical examination of health concepts from different perspectives, we can appreciate the many factors that influence health and health behaviour.

• The relationship between human health, health behaviours and environment is a complex, developing field. Understanding the relationship between health outcomes and personal and social determinants of health fosters interventions that promote resilience and social change.

• Social position(s) and social circumstances contribute to people’s health and overall well-being. Applying a social determinants of health lens allows for exploration of why and how social advantages and disadvantages influence health of marginalized populations.

• Attention to social factors plays an important role in enabling access to health promoting interventions. Understanding the purpose of health systems, community health, and health promotion supports making informed personal health decisions.

• Social and behavioural theories of health behaviour help to identify and assess personal and social factors that influence health. Understanding the connection between health promotion theory and research, policy and community practice builds critical knowledge for improving health literacy and designing effective health promoting leisure and recreation programs and interventions.