MODULE 1: COSUMER HEALTH

MODULE 1
CONSUMER HEALTH

Learning competency:
1. Explains the guidelines and criteria in the selection and evaluation of health information, products, and services.
2. Discusses various forms of health service provider and healthcare plans.

Competency Code: H10CH-Ia-b-20 - H10CH-Ia-b-20

What this module all about……..

Where did you last spend your money?

What item did you buy?
What kind of service did you last avail?
Who recently shared with you a new health information?

These are only a few of the things that concern you as adolescents. Decision making is an important skill that
you must learn in order to live a healthy and normal life. This module will help you understand the basics of consumer
health.

Consumer health aims to develop a person’s ability to evaluate and utilize health information, products, and
services wisely and effectively.

All of us are consumers. We acquire health information, purchased health products, and avail of health services
to appraise, improve, and maintain our health. Health information is any idea that we hear from people around us, read
from books and other printed materials, or from the media that influence our health. Health products are items that we
consume to improve our well-being, like medicine, food, clothes, furniture, electronics, etc. Health services are
programs we avail from various providers such as physicians, nurses, therapist, health workers, hospitals, clinics, and the
government. Some examples of these health services are insurance, treatment and cure, complementary and alternative
medicine.

In this light, we must all be educated consumers who make wise selection of information, products, and services
that are scientifically proven and legally approved. It is our duty to evaluate and examine the reliability of the sources.

Let us find out how we can be educated in consumer health.

Part I: WHAT TO KNOW

In the WHAT TO KNOW phase, you will answer activity which will assess your
prior knowledge. At the end of the phase, you will be assessed again to check
your knowledge about the concepts and information learned.

Activity 1: SURVEY SAYS

1. Read the questions.

2. Record the responses below.

a. What should I do when my head and body ache?

__________________________________________________
b. How many times should I take vitamin and mineral supplements?
__________________________________________________
c. What is the best way to make my skin smooth?
__________________________________________________
d. When is the best time to trim my fingernails?
__________________________________________________
e. What is the most effective way to lose weight?
__________________________________________________

LESSON 1: CONSUMERS HEALTH

Consumer health has three components: health information, health products, and health services.

Health information plays a big role in the life of individuals. ”It

is information that people require to make wise choices and decisions
about their health or the health of (other people)” (Galvez Tan, et al.,
2009).

Health information is any concept, step, or advice that various

sources give to aid the health status of an individual. The type of
information varies depending on “diseases, sexual health, weight
loss/gain, drugs and alcohol, depression/mental illness, violence,
smoking, eating disorder, acne/skin care, local clinics, and sexual
assault”

The information is critical as it may alter the health conditions of a person. Another important characteristic of health
information is that it is continuously and rapidly changing. Thus, it “should be timely, relevant, culturally appropriate,
accessible, and delivered in a relevant format” (Galvez Tan, et al., 2009). There is a great need to update oneself
regarding current research and evidence available in the field.
Activity 2: STOP OR GO

Read the health information below. Draw a cross on the GO column if it is scientifically true or proven, and draw
a cross on the STOP column if it is not.
GO STOP
Warts are contagious
Chocolates cause acne and pimples
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis
Healthy people who eat a balanced diet do not need supplements
Sleeping with wet hair causes mental disorders
Jumping from the third step of the stairs on the first day of
menstruation reduces the number of bleeding days
Circumcision is done for hygienic purposes only
Touching hands of people with HIV may infect you with such
Putting toothpaste on burns causes irritation
Sleep need varies depending on the individual

Health products are food, drugs, cosmetics, devices, biologicals,

vaccines, in-vitro diagnostic reagents, and household/urban hazardous
substances and/or a combination of and/or a derivative thereof (FDA
Act. 2009). These products may be purchased from various places like
supermarkets, pharmacies, and hospitals

Activity 3: MY SHOPPING LIST

1. List five examples of health products that people buy and consume.

HEALTH
PRODUCTS

How do these products affect the overall well-being of an individual?

Activity 4: LET’S GO BACK

1. Read the following information.

2. Identify reliable and unreliable sources of health information and products.
3. Complete the table below.

Sources of Health Information and Products

Reliable Unreliable

People acquire health information and products from various sources like people, media, and technology. It is
important to identify the reliability of these sources.

Reliable sources of health information and products are licensed professionals who took up specialized and
intensive studies in the field. They are the ones who have the qualified educational background and can give scientific
explanation to validate information. We can also find reliable health information from health books, and accredited
online sources. On the other hand, unreliable sources of information and products are those from people who are not
experts in the field.

Aside from health information and products, people also avail of various health services from different
providers.

Health Services are often connected to healthcare. These

programs aims to appraise the health conditions of individuals through
screening and examinations, cure and treat disorders, prevent and
control the spread of diseases, provide safety, emergency care, and first
aid, and ensure a follow-up program for individuals who have
undergone treatments.

Health services are usually offered by healthcare providers. “A

healthcare provider is a trained professional who provides people with
healthcare” (Meek, et al., 2011). These are the different types of
healthcare providers such as:

I. Health Professionals
Individuals who are licensed to practice medicine and other allied health programs. An example of
health professional is a physician. A physician records the medical history of individuals, provides diagnoses,
performs medical examinations, and prescribes medications. There are different types of physicians based on their
area of specialization.
Activity 5: DOCTOR WHO?

What are the different types of physicians?

Match the type of the physician with the area of specialization below.

Cardiologist Orthopedist
Dermatologist Ophthalmologist
Gastroenterologist Pediatrician
Geriatrician Pulmonologist
Gynecologist Urologist
Neurologist

1 6

2 7

3 8

4 9

5 10

What are the other medical specializations that you know? List them and their areas of expertise below.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 II. Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare facilities are places or institutions that offer healthcare services. There are different types of
healthcare facilities (Meek, et al., 2011)

a. Hospital
It is an institution where people undergo medical diagnosis, care and treatment. A hospital offers
different type of medical care like inpatient and outpatient care.