7 ENSURE HEALTHY LIVES AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING FOR ALL AT ALL AGES
We all deserve to be healthy and able to achieve what we need in our lives. However, to ensure the health of everyone, we also need to address gaps in services, treatment and coverage for vulnerable populations too. We can do this by developing strategies to positively impact the mortality rates of mothers, children, substance users, the extremely poor and other minority groups who have difficulty addressing their health needs. Additionally, this goal seeks to improve access to universal health care, access to affordable medicines and sexual and reproductive health care services for everyone. Through improved access to health care around the world, strong research, health finance and early warning systems, we can address and reduce epidemics such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, mental health and cancer. We can measure how we’re doing by looking at population mortality rates to see if the number of new cases or the number of people dying changes through intervention programs.
Learning Objectives
- Learners will understand the concepts of health, hygiene and well-being while critically reflecting on the importance of gender in health and well-being.
- Learners will understand the socio-political and economic dimensions of health and well-being as well as strategies to promote good health.
- Learners will understand the importance of mental health and strategies to foster positive physical and mental health and well-being, including reproductive and sexual health.
- Learners will be able to communicate issues of health, including sexual and reproductive health, and preventative strategies.
- Learners will be able to include health promoting behaviors in their daily routines and perceive avenues of support when others or themselves need help
Essential Questions
Media (Identification of Value/Biases):
Handout “Media Analysis” Guides to see the Visual Truth
https://sk.sagepub.com/books/visual-persuasion/n4.xml (Book to purchase)
How are different health issues reported? How are local stories covered versus international?
Environment
How is our health connected to the health of our environment?
Poverty, wealth and power
How are poverty and health linked? What are strategies to intervene?
Indigenous Peoples
What are some opportunities for holistic healing in the health and well-being of Indigenous communities?
Oppression and genocide
How are oppression and discrimination related to health and well-being?
Health and biotechnology
What trends are emerging in technological innovation and health?
Gender politics
How is health related to gender inequality?
Social justice and human rights
What do the experiences of people who are discriminated against within the health care system say about the system in general?
Peace and Conflict
How do you rebuild a healthcare system in a post-conflict environment?
Overview of The Goal
Everyone deserves the right to health.
Nutritious food and exercise to keep your body strong, checkups with a doctor to stay well, medicine when you’re sick and emergency room visits when you need attention right away.
But millions of people all over the world will never see a nurse or a doctor in their lifetimes. Millions more lack access to life-saving vaccines or critical information to help them prevent illness. Illnesses know no borders; diseases can spread through communities and even cross oceans. Because of this, the health and well-being of one community impacts the health and well-being of communities all over the world.
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Currently, the world is facing a global health crisis unlike any other — COVID-19 is spreading human suffering, destabilizing the global economy and upending the lives of billions of people around the globe.
Before the pandemic, major progress was made in improving the health of millions of people. Significant strides were made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. But more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues. By focusing on providing more efficient funding of health systems, improved sanitation and hygiene, and increased access to physicians, significant progress can be made in helping to save the lives of millions.
Health emergencies such as COVID-19 pose a global risk and have shown the critical need for preparedness. The United Nations Development Program highlighted huge disparities in countries’ abilities to cope with and recover from the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic provides a watershed moment for health emergency preparedness and for investment in critical 21st century public services
Website: Overview and Targets for this Goal
https://www.globalgoals.org/3-good-health-and-well-being
Learning Activities
Book: The Nordic Theory of Everything (Anu Partanen) excerpts pgs. 15-56
https://www.nurnberg.com.cn/upload/201702/06/201702062120597066.pdf
Venn diagram: US and Finland societal comparison/happiness scale
From: https://app.participate.com/pages/goal-3-good-health-and-well-being
Activity: Introducing the Plate Pioneer
This is a .pdf of a great lesson on how to introduce students to this SDG.
Activity: Epidemics: Grade 9-12 Biology with ELD modifications
During this high school biology unit, students will investigate the effect of epidemics on populations and the ways in which epidemic models can clarify the spread of disease for the general public. Students will research a specific epidemic and then suggest a model for demonstrating the spread of the disease.
Activity: Epidemics: HIV/AIDS and Other Diseases Grade 9-12 Science
Students will begin this high school science unit by building background knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other epidemic diseases. They will then conduct their own research projects, investigating an epidemic of their choice. Finally, they will view examples of and create their own Public Service Announcement, warning the public about the dangers associated with their chosen disease.
Activity: Maternal Health: The Role of the US Government in Maternal Health Grade 12 AP Government
Students will begin this grade 12 government/AP government unit by building background knowledge in the government’s role in healthcare in the United States, specifically as it pertains to pregnant women. Students will conduct research efforts to learn more about global efforts to improve maternal health policies. Finally, they will become advocates themselves and will write letters to local officials. In these letters, they will outline issues they see with maternal healthcare and recommend action steps to counteract these issues.
Activity: The World Health Organization.
There aren’t necessarily lesson plans on this page. However, students can read articles about various global health topics. WHO began when our Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day. We are now more than 7000 people from more than 150 countries working in 150 country offices, in 6 regional offices and at our headquarters in Geneva. Of course, the website includes various articles and resources for Covid-19 information.
Videos
Ted Talk on Wellbeing
Why Governments Should Prioritize Well Being by Nicola Sturgeon
In 2018, Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand established the network of Wellbeing Economy Governments to challenge the acceptance of GDP as the ultimate measure of a country’s success. In this visionary talk, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon explains the far-reaching implications of a “well-being economy” — which places factors like equal pay, childcare, mental health and access to green space at its heart — and shows how this new focus could help build resolve to confront global challenges.
https://www.ted.com/talks/nicola_sturgeon_why_governments_should_prioritize_well_being
Video from the UN Chief on World Health Day 2020
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/
Further Research and Activities
Assessment and Reflection:
Handout: People will always have something to say
https://me.me/i/people-will-always-have-something-to-say-truth-inside-of-20953483
Reflection Journal
Get students to write 2 – 3 sentences (either in their journal or on a separate sheet of paper) about how they plan to stay healthy and what they want to do as a class to help global health problems. Perhaps display these around the classroom.
- Describe the learning activities (articles, videos, etc.) and your experience – What did you do/hear/see?
- Interpret and evaluate the events from your perspective – What do I think about it now? How does it relate to other things that I know?
- Explain your experience; reveal your new insights, connections with other learning, your hypotheses, and your conclusions.
- Reflect on how this information will be useful to you – What questions do I have? Have I changed how I think about the situation? Where do I go from here?
- What did you particularly value and why?
- Is there anything you would do in the next unit? What have you learned? What will you do with these lessons?
Renewable Assignment Options
Try walking the talk. Healthy living starts with you. Learn what healthy living is all about, what kinds of food you need to eat, what kinds of fun things you can do to exercise and get your community involved. Start a local sports day. Challenge your friends to make the healthiest lunch they can. Have a “Jumping Jacks for Charity” day. The sky is the limit!
Get involved in a community garden. Get your green thumbs growing and join a community garden to grow some food to support yourself and your community. Learn what grows best in your area and how you can incorporate sustainable agriculture into local farming practices.
Run around and give back. Join a charity run and give back while you get healthy. Find a cause that speaks to you, or start your own for “Healthy Living Mad Dash” and support a local health charity.
Get informed. Infectious diseases can spread quickly, but misinformation can spread even faster. When reports of outbreaks happen, make sure you check your sources and get savvy on what the facts are and how you can protect yourself and help inform others.
Assess your school’s nutrition. Students and teachers can work together to assess the nutrition levels of food available in their school using this tool.
Start a school garden! This will help improve nutrition, food security, good health, sustainability, and teach students new skills. You can find all the information you need to get started here.
Start a fundraising campaign. Support good health in your community or a community overseas. Show your students their actions matter and can make a difference around the world!
Support local and international organizations working to promote good health and well-being around the world.
