GCE O/L Health & Physical Education cheat sheet

Health-related components: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition.

Skill-related components: speed, agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time.

BMI = mass (kg) divided by height squared (m²); adult healthy range is commonly 18.5–24.9.

Target heart rate zone for moderate aerobic work = 50–70% of maximum heart rate; vigorous = 70–85%.

Estimated maximum heart rate = 220 − age in years (population average, not individual measurement).

FITT principle: Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type - every training prescription must state all four.

Progressive overload: load must rise gradually as the body adapts; overload beyond tolerance causes injury.

Specificity: training adaptations occur only in the systems and muscles actually loaded by the activity.

Flexibility is joint-specific; a sit-and-reach score reflects hamstring and lower-back extensibility, not whole-body flexibility.

Energy yield: carbohydrate 4 kcal/g, protein 4 kcal/g, fat 9 kcal/g, alcohol 7 kcal/g.

Macronutrient energy shares are calculated as (kcal from nutrient ÷ total kcal) × 100.

Essential amino acids (9 in adults) cannot be synthesised and must come from diet; a protein is complete when all are present in adequate amounts.

Fibre recommendation for adults is roughly 25–30 g per day; fibre lowers risk of constipation and diverticular disease.

Free-sugar intake should stay below 10% of total energy, with a further reduction below 5% for dental health.

Fat intake should be about 20–35% of energy, with saturated fat below 10% and trans fat as low as possible.

Iron from animal sources (haem) is absorbed far better than non-haem plant iron; vitamin C eaten with plant iron increases absorption.

Water needs rise with heat, humidity and exercise; thirst is a late indicator of dehydration in children and athletes.

Food labels list ingredients by descending weight, so a sugar or fat listed first means it is the main ingredient.

Hand hygiene: wet, lather with soap, scrub at least 20 seconds including between fingers and under nails, rinse, dry.

Hands must be washed before food handling and after toilet use, coughing, sneezing or contact with animals.

Dental caries prevention: fluoride toothpaste twice daily plus limiting frequency of sugary snacks matters more than total sugar amount.

Puberty raises sweat and sebum production; daily washing of skin and hair prevents body odour and folliculitis.

Menstrual hygiene: sanitary products should be changed every 4–6 hours; retained tampons carry toxic shock syndrome risk.

Shared razors, nail clippers and towels can transmit blood-borne viruses and fungal skin infections.

Food-safety rule: keep hot food above 60 °C and cold food below 5 °C; the 5–60 °C band is the danger zone.

Nails should be kept short and clean because subungual dirt harbours pathogens that survive ordinary rinsing.

Levels of prevention: primary (before disease), secondary (early detection, e.g. screening), tertiary (limiting disability).

Communicable diseases spread by contact, droplet, airborne, vector, vehicle and vertical (mother-to-child) routes.

Herd immunity protects unvaccinated people only when a high proportion of the population is immune.

Non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, chronic lung disease) share modifiable risk factors: tobacco, poor diet, inactivity, harmful alcohol use.

Dengue and malaria control targets standing water and mosquito breeding sites, not infected people alone.

Health-belief and stages-of-change models explain behaviour change; both assume relapse is possible and expected.

Screening detects disease earlier in asymptomatic people; it differs from diagnosis, which confirms disease in symptomatic people.

Sanitation and safe water are the highest-impact single interventions against diarrhoeal disease.

DRSABCD: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation.

Adult CPR: compressions at least 100–120 per minute, depth about 5–6 cm, full recoil, ratio 30 compressions to 2 breaths.

An AED is safe to use on any unresponsive non-breathing casualty; do not delay compressions to fetch it alone.

Severe bleeding: apply direct pressure with a clean dressing; do not remove a soaked dressing - add another on top.

Burns: cool with running water for at least 20 minutes; never apply ice, butter or toothpaste, and do not burst blisters.

Choking in a conscious adult: up to 5 back blows then up to 5 abdominal thrusts, alternating, until the obstruction clears.

Recovery position is for an unresponsive casualty who is breathing normally; it keeps the airway open and clear.

Suspected spinal injury: keep the casualty still, support the head in line with the spine, and move only if there is immediate danger.

Anaphylaxis: use the casualty's adrenaline auto-injector without delay, then call emergency services even if symptoms improve.

RICE for soft-tissue injury: Rest, Ice (about 15–20 minutes, never directly on skin), Compression, Elevation.

Avoid heat and massage for 48–72 hours after acute injury because they increase bleeding and swelling.

Warm-up raises muscle temperature and prepares the nervous system; cool-down aids gradual return of heart rate and reduces stiffness.

Concussion: any loss of consciousness, confusion, vomiting or memory gap means removal from play and medical assessment - no same-day return.

Protective equipment must fit correctly; a helmet worn too loose or too far back fails to protect the skull and brain.

Heat exhaustion signs: heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, headache; move to shade, cool actively and give fluids if fully conscious.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency: hot dry skin, confusion, temperature above 40 °C - cool immediately and call emergency services.

Overuse injuries result from rapid increases in training load; the weekly increase rule of roughly 10% limits risk.

Growth is measurable increase in body size; development is increase in functional capacity and skill.

Puberty in girls typically begins around 8–13 years (breast budding, then menarche about 2 years later).

Puberty in boys typically begins around 9–14 years (testicular enlargement is the first sign, then voice change and facial hair).

Adolescent growth spurt peaks later in boys than girls; boys on average gain more final height and muscle mass.

Menstrual cycle averages about 28 days; ovulation occurs near day 14 in a 28-day cycle and is variable between individuals.

Fertilisation normally occurs in the fallopian tube; the fertilised egg implants in the uterine lining.

Contraceptive methods differ in failure rate: barrier methods also reduce sexually transmitted infection risk, hormonal methods do not.

Sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia are often asymptomatic, so testing - not symptoms - determines diagnosis.

Adolescent health risks include early unprotected sex, substance use and poor nutrition, all shaped by peer and family influence.

Stress response: alarm, resistance, exhaustion - prolonged exposure to the exhaustion stage harms physical and mental health.

Eustress is short-term, motivating stress; distress is prolonged and impairs function.

Coping styles split into problem-focused (changing the stressor) and emotion-focused (managing the reaction).

Mental health is not merely the absence of disorder; it includes coping capacity, productivity and positive relationships.

Warning signs of depression include persistent low mood, loss of interest, sleep and appetite change lasting two weeks or more.

Social support buffers stress; isolation is an independent risk factor for poor mental and physical outcomes.

Bullying - physical, verbal, social or cyber - raises risk of anxiety, depression and school avoidance in both victim and perpetrator.

Sleep need in adolescents is about 8–10 hours; chronic short sleep worsens mood, attention and injury risk.

Tobacco smoke contains nicotine (addictive), tar (carcinogenic) and carbon monoxide (reduces oxygen carriage).

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant; it impairs judgement and reaction time before the drinker feels drunk.

Alcohol is metabolised mainly in the liver; there is no food or drink that speeds sobering - only time does.

Cannabis impairs short-term memory, coordination and reaction time, raising road and sports injury risk.

Inhalants (solvents, glues) cause sudden cardiac death even on first use - a known 'sudden sniffing death'.

Risk and protective factors model: availability, peer norms and family modelling raise risk; skills, supervision and connectedness lower it.

Tolerance and withdrawal are hallmarks of dependence; withdrawal from alcohol can be life-threatening and needs medical care.

Gateway pattern describes progression from legal substances to others; correlation exists but causation is debated.

Second-hand smoke causes asthma and respiratory infection in children who never smoked.

Fundamental movement skills: locomotor (run, jump, skip), non-locomotor (balance, twist, bend) and manipulative (throw, catch, strike).

Motor skill classification: gross versus fine, open (unpredictable environment) versus closed (stable environment), discrete, serial, continuous.

Skill learning stages: cognitive (thinking through it), associative (refining), autonomous (automatic).

Feedback types: intrinsic (from the performer) and extrinsic (from coach or equipment); knowledge of results versus knowledge of performance.

Levers: first class (neck), second class (calf raise), third class (biceps curl, most common in the body).

Force = mass × acceleration; a larger force or longer time of application produces greater change in momentum.

Projectile motion: once released, only gravity and air resistance act; the optimal release angle for maximum range in a vacuum is 45°.

Centre of gravity must fall within the base of support for stability; a wider base and lower centre increase stability.

Newton's third law explains propulsion in running and swimming: the body pushes back on the ground or water and is pushed forward.

Football (soccer): 11 players per side, 90 minutes plus stoppage, offside applies in the opponents' half beyond the second-last defender.

Basketball: 5 players per side, 24-second shot clock, 3 points beyond the arc, 2 inside, 1 per free throw.

Volleyball: 6 players per side, maximum 3 touches before returning the ball, rally point scoring to 25 (15 in the decider).

Netball: 7 players per side, 3 seconds to pass, no running with the ball, goal shooters alone may score.

Cricket: 11 players per side; an over is 6 legal deliveries; a batter is out bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped and other dismissals.

Badminton and tennis: a game is won on points; in badminton a match is best of three games to 21 with a two-point margin.

Tactics split into attack (creating space, penetration) and defence (marking, covering, delaying).

Principles of play: width, depth, mobility, penetration in attack; pressure, cover, balance, delay in defence.

Technique cues are observable: for example, in a chest pass the elbows start behind the ball and thumbs finish pointing outward.

Track events are measured in time; field events (jumps, throws) are measured in distance or height.

Sprint start commands: 'on your marks', 'set', then the gun; a start before the gun is a false start.

Relay changeover: the baton must be exchanged inside the 20 m changeover zone; dropping it means the runner who dropped it retrieves it.

Long jump phases: approach, take-off, flight, landing; the jump is measured from the take-off board to the nearest mark in the sand.

Shot put is thrown from inside a circle and must land within a 34.92° sector; the athlete must leave the circle from the rear half.

Gymnastics safety: a spotter is required for inverted skills, and landings should be absorbed with bent knees on a matted surface.

Gymnastic shapes: tuck, pike, straddle, layout, arch; the shape determines difficulty and body tension required.

Recreational activity benefits include cardiovascular fitness, social connection and stress reduction, not only competition.

Fouls in athletics include stepping outside the lane in sprints and touching the ground beyond the take-off line in jumps.