Lifestyle

Rationale & Instructions

 

In today's fast-paced world, where modern conveniences and technological advancements have reshaped our lives, the role of lifestyle in shaping individual health has gained unprecedented prominence. While genetics undoubtedly plays a crucial role in determining one's health, it is becoming increasingly clear that lifestyle choices1,2 wield significant influence over overall well-being. This section delves into the intricate interplay between lifestyle and health3, highlighting five areas in which our daily choices can either foster vitality or lead to debilitating consequences: physical, mental, social activities, stress level and sleep habits. The level of physical activities featured is based on CDC recommendations4 of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes if high intensity for adults. The requirement for children is 60 minutes per day of combined high and moderate intensity aerobic exercise. Using the corresponding downloaded Excel spreadsheet, the user only needs to enter minutes per week under the appropriate boxes and the % requirement will be automatically calculated for scoring purposes. The Word or PDF documents will require manual input and calculations with the formula provided. Please consult the relevant web links for discussions on mental and social activity requirements, as well as the importance of stress and sleep patterns.

 

1 Tello, M. (2020) Healthy lifestyle: 5 keys to a longer life - Harvard Health

2 Healthy Lifestyle | American Heart Association

3 Effects of Lifestyle on Health Status | Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)

4 How much physical activity do adults need? | Physical Activity | CDC

Lifestyle factors

 

 

 

Physical activity level based on CDC recommendations

Minutes per week

% requirement

Score

Adults (age 18 and above)

[Enter the time (minutes) spent per week on moderate and vigorous physical activities to obtain the respective % and total % requirement. Score 1 if total percent requirement is <100, otherwise 0.]

 

 

 

Moderate aerobic (% = [(minutes per week)/150]*100)

 

 

 

Vigorous aerobic (% = [(minutes per week)/75]*100)

 

 

 

Total (Total % = (% Moderate) + (% Vigorous))

 

 

 

Children & adolescents (age 6-17)

[Enter the time (minutes) spent per week on moderate and vigorous physical activities combined, to obtain the total percent requirement. Score 1 if total percent requirement is <100, otherwise 0.]

 

 

 

Moderate and vigorous aerobic combined (% = [(minutes per week)/420]*100)

 

 

 

Mental activity level

[Score 0 if you answer affirmatively to 2 out of 3 or all items below, otherwise 1]

 

 

 

Professionally active

 

 

 

Engaged in educational activities (self-learning or formal classroom)

 

 

 

Have daily reading habit

 

 

 

Social activity level

[Score 0 if you answer affirmatively to 2 out of 3 or all items below, otherwise 1]

 

 

 

Engaged with Family & Friends

 

 

 

Engaged in Community Services & Volunteering

 

 

 

Engaged in Hobbies & Clubs

 

 

 

Daily stress level

[For each item below, score 1 if affirmative, otherwise 0]

 

 

 

High stress from work environment

 

 

 

High stress from home environment

 

 

 

Sleep pattern

[Select age group, score 0 if within range, otherwise 1]

Normal range (hours)

 

 

Newborns (0-3 months)

16-18

 

 

Infants (4-11 months)

12-16

 

 

Toddlers (1-2 years)

11-14

 

 

Pre-schoolers (3-5 years)

11-13

 

 

School-aged children (6-13 years)

9-11

 

 

Teenagers (14-17 years)

8-10

 

 

Adults (18 years and older)

7-9

 

 

Overall score

 

 

 

 

Reminder: Accumulated score of zero requires no further action. The user is encouraged to discuss with a healthcare provider any line items scored as 1 and proceed with remedial actions as appropriate. Save or print the table. All forms will reset to blank state once the user exits the website.

 

"Prevention is better than cure" Desiderius Erasmus