Course Description

The NHASA health class is a full year class that will cover the content areas of community health, consumer health, environmental health, family education, growth and development, personal health, nutrition, disease prevention, safety and substance abuse. The online course is based on the "Differentiated Health and Sexuality Education Activities Booklet" by Leslie Pettigrew and will use various types of activities such as group discussions, cooperative activities, role-play, videos, guest speakers and research projects to meet state mandates for health requirements. There will be a teacher advisor present during all class times to assist students in completing assignments. Students will meet two days a week to complete activities online and in small groups. Students will learn to access valid health information, products and services, advocate for personal, family and community health, analyze media messages, use communication skills, use decision-making skills, set goals, acquire conflict resolution skills, refusal skills, learn to manage stress and develop an appreciation for the diversity of our student body.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Cardiovascular Health

What behaviors can help mantain cardiovascular health?  What is cardiovascular health? 
There are a few conditions that occur from unhealthy habits.  Those are artherosclerosis and  hypertension, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.  Look up these terms so that you are familiar with these conditions, as well as what health behaviors can lead to them.

Today you have a lab called "Blocking the Flow".  I would like you to use this activity to find out how fatty deposits affect the flow of blood through an artery.

Procedure:
1.  Put a funnel in the mouth of a jar.  The funnel will represent an artery.
2. To model blood flowing through the artery, slowly pour 100 ml of water into the funnel.  Have your partner time how many seconds it takes for all the water to flow through the funnel.  Discard the water
3.  Use a plastic knife to spread a small amount of peanut butter along the bottom of the funnel's neck.  Then, with a toothpick, carve out a hole in the peanut butter or modeling clay so that the funnel is partly clogged, but not completely.
4.  Repeat steps 1 and 2

If the funnels were arteries, which one would do a better job of supplying blood to tissues?  Explain.


Modeling increase in Blood Pressure
1.  Blow gently through a regular drinking straw.  Hold one hand a few centimeters below the end of the straw to feel the pressure of the air.
2.  Repeat this with the thinner straw, blowing with the same amount  of pressure. 

Compare the pressre felt through the two straws.  What did you discover?  How does this relate to high blood pressure?

For next class:
Consider this:  What does this have to do with your life?  Do you know anyone with heart disease?  Does anyone in your family have heart disease or have died from heart disease?  Does heart disease only affect older people?
Do a little research at home, asking family members about heart disease in your family.  Check out the statistics on heart disease and ages affected.  Let me know what you discover. 


Find out about the following people and what they discovered or did for the advanecment of cardiovascular health knowledge in the 21st century:
Helen Taussig
Karl Landsteiner
Charles Drew
Christiaan Barnard
Robert Jarvik and William DeVries

Happy Investigating!
Margot
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