Unit 12 Social factors that affect good health
Key unit competence: Evaluate social factors that affect good health.
Key ideas
- Good health has three linked parts: physical health (the body works well, enough energy, free from illness and injury), mental health (thinking clearly, managing stress and feelings, coping with daily life) and social health (good relationships, communication and support from family, friends and community).
- Public health services prevent disease, prolong life and promote health in a whole community: safe water, sanitation, food inspection, vaccination, disease surveillance and outbreak response (cholera, flu pandemics), health education and safe workplaces. In Rwanda this includes community health workers, health centres, hospitals and health insurance (Mutuelle de Santé).
- Social factors that affect health: good housing (ventilated, dry, not overcrowded, with drainage: less TB, asthma, malaria and accidents); food inspection (meat inspected by veterinary officers, checking expiry dates, never eating animals that died of disease); clean water (protected sources, boiling or treating water); hygiene (hand washing with soap, clean latrines, waste disposal).
- A drug is a substance that changes the way the body works. Medicinal drugs (antibiotics, painkillers, antiseptics) are used to treat disease when prescribed. Drug abuse is using a drug in a harmful way or without medical need; addiction is when a person cannot stop using it.
- Antibiotics kill bacteria or stop them multiplying (for example penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming, made by the fungus Penicillium). They do not work on viruses (colds, flu, COVID-19), which have no cell walls or bacterial processes to attack.
- Antibiotic resistance: when antibiotics are overused or a course is not completed, the few bacteria that happen to survive multiply and form a population the antibiotic cannot kill. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a "superbug" resistant to many antibiotics. Reduce resistance: use antibiotics only when prescribed for bacterial infections, take the full course at the right doses, never share or keep them, and practise hygiene.
- Alcohol is absorbed into the blood and broken down (detoxified) in the liver, which also removes other toxins. Excessive drinking causes fatty liver and cirrhosis (scarred liver), stomach ulcers, heart disease, brain damage, accidents, violence, poverty and family problems.
- Tobacco smoke contains nicotine (addictive), tar (causes lung cancer, bronchitis and destroys cilia) and carbon monoxide (reduces oxygen carried by blood). Smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and mouth cancer, and second-hand smoke harms non-smokers.
- Marijuana (cannabis) affects memory, concentration and motivation, can trigger anxiety, depression and psychosis, harms the lungs if smoked and harms the developing teenage brain; it is illegal in Rwanda. Social media can spread health information but too much use can cause poor sleep, cyberbullying, stress and less exercise.
Common misconceptions
- "Antibiotics cure colds and flu." No: colds and flu are caused by viruses; antibiotics only act on bacteria.
- "Stop taking antibiotics as soon as you feel better." No: complete the full course; stopping early leaves the toughest bacteria alive to multiply and become resistant.
- "Smoking only harms the smoker." No: second-hand smoke harms children and others nearby.
- "Alcohol is a stimulant that makes you think faster." No: alcohol is a depressant: it slows reactions and judgement.
Worked examples
Example 1. Rwego stopped his TB medicine when he felt better. Months later he was very ill and needed several drugs. Explain what happened.
Solution
Stopping the course early left some TB bacteria alive, and the most resistant ones survived and multiplied. The new infection was resistant to the first drugs (drug-resistant TB), so stronger combinations of drugs were needed.
Example 2. Explain how good housing protects a family's health.
Solution
Ventilation and dry walls reduce respiratory infections and mould (asthma); enough space prevents overcrowding and spread of TB; screens, drainage and no stagnant water reduce mosquitoes and malaria; safe kitchens and wiring prevent burns, fires and accidents.
Practice questions
Distinguish between physical, mental and social health.
Show answer
Physical: the body works well and is free from illness and injury. Mental: clear thinking, managing stress and emotions. Social: healthy relationships and support from others.
Common mistake: Treating health as only physical.
Explain four social factors that affect good health.
Show answer
Good housing (ventilation, space, drainage); food inspection (safe food); clean water (prevents waterborne disease); hygiene and sanitation (hand washing, latrines, waste disposal).
Common mistake: Listing factors without explaining their effect on health.
Explain how antibiotic resistance develops and give three ways to reduce it.
Show answer
Overuse or incomplete courses kill sensitive bacteria but leave resistant ones, which multiply. Reduce it: use antibiotics only when prescribed for bacterial infections; complete the full course; never share or keep leftovers; good hygiene to prevent infections.
Common mistake: Saying the person becomes resistant to antibiotics.
Describe the effects of excessive alcohol on the liver and on social life.
Show answer
Liver: fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver failure. Social: violence, accidents, poor school or work performance, poverty and family conflict.
Common mistake: Saying alcohol is broken down by the kidneys.
Name three harmful substances in cigarette smoke and the effect of each.
Show answer
Nicotine: addiction, raises heart rate. Tar: lung cancer, damages cilia, bronchitis. Carbon monoxide: reduces oxygen carried by haemoglobin.
Common mistake: Mixing up nicotine and tar.
Why are antibiotics not used to treat colds and flu?
Show answer
Colds and flu are caused by viruses; antibiotics act only on bacteria, so they do not help and their misuse causes resistance.
Common mistake: Saying antibiotics are too weak for viruses.
State three functions of public health services in Rwanda.
Show answer
Vaccination campaigns; provision of safe water and sanitation; food inspection; responding to outbreaks; health education by community health workers.
Common mistake: Mentioning only hospital treatment.
Suggest four ways a school can prevent drug abuse among learners.
Show answer
Anti-drug clubs and peer education; guidance and counselling; talks by health workers and police; involving parents; sports and clubs as healthy activities.
Common mistake: Suggesting only punishment.
Matching and drag-and-drop
Matching
Match each item in column A with the correct answer in column B. Write the letter next to each number.
Column A Column B 1. Bacteria that are no longer killed by an antibiotic are described as: a. Alexander Fleming 2. Carbon monoxide in smoke is harmful because it: b. Poor sleep and less physical activity 3. Which is a negative effect of too much social media use? c. reduces the oxygen carried by the blood 4. The first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by: d. resistant Show answer
1 → d (resistant) · 2 → c (reduces the oxygen carried by the blood) · 3 → b (Poor sleep and less physical activity) · 4 → a (Alexander Fleming)
- Resistance develops with misuse of antibiotics.
- Smokers' blood carries less oxygen.
- Set time limits and stay active.
- It is made by the fungus Penicillium.
Drag and drop
Choose the correct word or phrase from the box for each gap. One word in the box is not needed.
good relationships with other people · an antibiotic-resistant bacterium · cirrhosis · strength of the body and muscles- Scarring of the liver due to heavy drinking is called .
- Social health mainly involves .
- MRSA is an example of .
Show answer
1: cirrhosis · 2: good relationships with other people · 3: an antibiotic-resistant bacterium
- It is often fatal if drinking continues.
- It is about connection and support.
- It is called a superbug.
Matching
Match each item in column A with the correct answer in column B. Write the letter next to each number.
Column A Column B 1. Drug abuse means: a. food inspectors 2. Meat is checked before sale by: b. tar 3. The substance in cigarette smoke that causes lung cancer is mainly: c. Completing the full course of antibiotics as prescribed 4. Which practice reduces antibiotic resistance? d. using a drug in a harmful way Show answer
1 → d (using a drug in a harmful way) · 2 → a (food inspectors) · 3 → b (tar) · 4 → c (Completing the full course of antibiotics as prescribed)
- It can lead to addiction.
- Inspection prevents food-borne diseases.
- Tar contains cancer-causing chemicals.
- Correct use kills all the bacteria.
Drag and drop
Choose the correct word or phrase from the box for each gap. One word in the box is not needed.
liver · kidney · tuberculosis and other airborne diseases · refuse confidently and choose better friends- A learner is pressured by friends to try alcohol. The healthiest response is to .
- The organ that breaks down alcohol and other toxins is the .
- Overcrowded, poorly ventilated houses increase the spread of .
Show answer
1: refuse confidently and choose better friends · 2: liver · 3: tuberculosis and other airborne diseases
- Peer pressure can be resisted; trusted adults can help.
- Heavy drinking damages the liver.
- Droplets build up in still air.