Lesson 1.5: Noncommunicable Diseases

Overview

This lesson focuses on noncommunicable diseases and explains how using a behavior contract can help students practice healthy behaviors.

Learning Targets

  • Define what a noncommunicable disease is and give four examples.
  • Explain what a chronic disease is.
  • Identify five behaviors that can contribute to a person’s risk of noncommunicable diseases.
  • Identify the signs of a heart attack.
  • Explain what a behavior contract is and why it would be used.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 1.5 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 1.5 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 1.5 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Creating a Behavior Contract.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: What do you know about heart disease, cancer, or diabetes? Do you know anyone with any of these diseases? Make a list of things you know about each of these diseases.
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the 1.5 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 1.5 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 1.5 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 1.5 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content. Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Creating a Behavior Contract

  1. Have students work individually on the Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Creating a Behavior Contract.
  2. Partner students up, and remind them to be respectful of each other. Ask students to share what they wrote on their behavior contract. Have the partners witness each other’s contracts and then work together to answer the questions on the bottom of the worksheet.
  3. After sufficient time has passed, ask for a few volunteers to share their contracts with the class.
  4. Review the questions at the bottom of the worksheet with the whole class.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Sometimes cities, counties, or states add an additional sales tax to foods that are considered unhealthy. These taxes are designed to discourage people from buying foods or beverages that are bad for them. For example, some states charge more sales tax on a can of soda than they do on a bottle of water. Other states charge an additional tax on bags of chips or candy. Do you think these types of public health policies can actually change people’s behaviors? Why or why not?

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Define what a noncommunicable disease is and give four examples?

    Noncommunicable diseases are diseases that cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Examples include cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and osteoporosis.

  • Explain what a chronic disease is?

    A chronic disease is a disease that lasts three months or longer.

  • Identify five behaviors that can contribute to a person’s risk of noncommunicable diseases?

    Your risk for developing a noncommunicable disease goes up if you don’t participate in regular physical activity, eat an unhealthy diet, use tobacco, abuse alcohol, or are under a lot of stress.

  • Develop a behavior contract and explain why it might be used?

    A behavior contract is an agreement you make with yourself or another person to change a specific health behavior. Contracts usually include your goals, a date when you will complete your goals, a plan or strategy to help you meet your goals, and a reward you will give yourself or will be given when you reach your goal (see Lesson Focus for student examples).

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 1.5 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 1.5 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy.
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 1.5 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Creating a Behavior Contract, and evaluate the behavior selection for appropriateness.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Interview a parent or guardian to find out whether anyone in your family has a chronic disease. Learn what you can about that person’s lifestyle and how they manage their disease.