BJC Health Science key terms

An active, ongoing process of making choices that improve physical, mental, emotional, and social health, rather than simply being free of illness at one point in time.

Any action a person takes that affects their own health, such as exercising regularly, eating balanced meals, getting enough sleep, or avoiding tobacco and excess alcohol.

A characteristic, condition, or habit that increases a person's chance of developing a disease or injury, such as smoking, poor diet, inactivity, or a family history of illness.

Services and habits aimed at stopping disease before it starts or finding it early, including vaccinations, screenings, regular checkups, and healthy daily routines.

A test or check performed on people who feel well to detect a disease, such as high blood pressure or cancer, at an early stage when treatment works best.

Finding a health problem as soon as possible, often through screening or noticing warning signs, so that treatment can begin before the condition becomes severe.

The process of making a person immune to a disease, usually by vaccination, which trains the body's defenses to recognize and fight a specific germ.

A preparation given to stimulate the body's immune system to build protection against a specific infectious disease without causing the full illness.

Indirect protection that occurs when a large share of a population is immune to a disease, making it hard for the germ to spread to those who are not immune.

Any organism or agent that causes disease, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Knowing how pathogens spread helps people choose effective ways to prevent infection.

A model describing the steps needed for an infection to spread: a germ, a place to live, a way out, a route of transmission, a way in, and a susceptible person.

Cleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based rub to remove germs. It is the single most effective routine action for preventing the spread of many infections.

Infection-control practices applied to every patient at all times, such as hand hygiene, gloves, and safe handling of sharps, because any person may carry an infection.

Barriers worn to protect the worker from contact with germs or hazardous materials, including gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection, and sometimes respirators.

The smallest living unit of the body. Cells carry out basic functions, take in nutrients, and multiply, and groups of similar cells form tissues.

A group of similar cells working together to perform a shared job, such as muscle tissue that contracts or epithelial tissue that covers and protects body surfaces.

A set of organs that cooperate to carry out a major body function, such as the digestive system breaking down food or the circulatory system moving blood.

The body's ability to keep internal conditions such as temperature, blood sugar, and fluid balance within a stable range despite changes in the outside environment.

A control process in which the body senses a change and responds in the opposite direction to bring conditions back toward normal, as when sweating cools an overheated body.

The heart, blood vessels, and blood working together to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues and carry away waste products such as carbon dioxide.

The lungs and airways that bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide, exchanging gases with the blood in tiny air sacs called alveoli.

The force exerted by circulating blood against artery walls, reported as two numbers: the higher systolic pressure when the heart contracts and the lower diastolic pressure when it relaxes.

Persistently high blood pressure. It often causes no symptoms but raises the risk of stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage, so it must be measured and treated.

The organs that break food into nutrients the body can absorb, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas.

The movement of digested nutrients from the intestine into the bloodstream so cells can use them for energy, growth, and repair.

A nutrient needed in large amounts for energy or body structure: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each supplies calories and has distinct roles in the body.

A vitamin or mineral needed in small amounts for normal body functions, such as vitamin C for tissue repair or iron for carrying oxygen in blood.

A unit used to measure the energy supplied by food and the energy the body uses. Eating more calories than are burned over time leads to weight gain.

An eating pattern that provides appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber from a variety of foods.

Any bodily movement that uses energy, from everyday tasks to structured exercise. Regular activity strengthens the heart, muscles, and bones and supports mental health.

A screening measure calculated from a person's height and weight to estimate whether weight is in a healthy range. It does not directly measure body fat.

A person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how they think, feel, handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Negative beliefs or unfair treatment attached to a condition such as mental illness, which can discourage people from seeking help and worsen their outcomes.

A healthy method a person uses to manage stress or difficult emotions, such as deep breathing, exercise, talking with someone, or planning ahead.

The body's response to demands or threats, which can be helpful in short bursts but harmful to health when it is intense or lasts a long time.

An observable clue that a health problem may be present, such as chest pain, sudden weakness on one side, or thoughts of self-harm, which calls for prompt action.

The immediate actions taken when someone is seriously ill or injured, including checking the scene for safety, calling emergency services, and giving first aid.

Immediate, temporary care given to an injured or ill person before professional help arrives, aimed at preserving life, preventing worsening, and promoting recovery.

A lifesaving technique combining chest compressions, and often rescue breaths, to keep blood and oxygen moving when a person's heart has stopped beating.

The ethical and legal duty of health workers to keep a patient's personal health information private and share it only with those authorized to receive it.

A patient's voluntary agreement to a treatment or procedure after receiving and understanding information about its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives.

The range of duties and procedures a health worker is legally and professionally permitted to perform, based on their training, license, and role.