NCEA L1 Health Studies key terms

A state in which a person can cope with normal stresses, work productively, and feel connected to others, shaped by physical, mental, social, and spiritual factors together rather than by illness alone.

The Māori concept of health as total wellbeing, covering physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. Health is understood as balance across all four, not simply the absence of disease.

A Māori health model that compares wellbeing to a house with four walls: taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau, and taha wairua. If one wall is weakened, the whole house is affected.

The physical dimension of wellbeing in Te Whare Tapa Whā, covering how the body functions, moves, grows, and is cared for through nutrition, activity, rest, and safety.

The mental and emotional dimension of wellbeing, covering how a person thinks, feels, expresses emotion, manages stress, and makes sense of their experiences.

The social dimension of wellbeing, describing a person's sense of belonging, connection, and responsibility within family and community, and the support those relationships provide.

The spiritual dimension of wellbeing, covering a person's sense of meaning, purpose, values, identity, and connection to something larger than themselves, such as culture, land, or faith.

The Māori concept of extended family, including relatives and close kin who share responsibility for one another. Whānau wellbeing is treated as linked to, not separate from, individual wellbeing.

A group of people connected by shared place, identity, culture, or interest, whose health is influenced by the resources, relationships, and environments they share.

The condition of the body and how well its systems function, influenced by factors such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep, illness, injury, and access to health care.

A person's emotional and psychological state, including their ability to manage everyday stress, maintain relationships, and function in daily life. It exists on a continuum from good to poor.

The degree to which a person feels part of a group and has supportive relationships they can rely on, which protects wellbeing and reduces isolation and loneliness.

Practical, emotional, or informational help available from family, friends, and services. Strong support buffers stress and helps people cope with illness or hardship.

The capacity to adapt and recover when faced with stress, adversity, or change. It is built through supportive relationships, skills, and experience rather than being a fixed trait.

A deliberate action a person uses to manage stress or a difficult situation, such as seeking help, planning, exercising, resting, or talking with someone they trust.

A person's sense of belonging to a culture, including shared language, values, history, and practices. A secure cultural identity is associated with stronger wellbeing and self-esteem.

The conditions of everyday life that shape health, including income, housing, education, employment, food security, and social inclusion. These are largely outside an individual's direct control.

A person's or family's relative position based on income, education, and occupation. Lower status is linked to greater exposure to health risks and less access to health care.

Differences in health outcomes between groups that are avoidable, unfair, and caused by systems and conditions rather than by individual choice. Reducing inequity is a health priority in Aotearoa New Zealand.

A measurable difference in health status or outcomes between population groups, which may or may not be unfair in origin. Analysis of disparities helps identify where inequity exists.

How safe, warm, dry, and uncrowded a home is. Poor housing increases respiratory illness, injury, and stress, and is a major modifiable influence on family health.

Reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food to support an active, healthy life. Its absence, food insecurity, is linked to poor diet, stress, and chronic disease.

The process of obtaining and using food for energy, growth, and health. Diet quality affects weight, energy, immunity, and long-term risk of conditions such as diabetes.

A behaviour or habit that influences health, such as physical activity, diet, sleep, smoking, alcohol use, or screen time. These interact with social and environmental conditions.

A characteristic, behaviour, or condition that raises the chance of a negative health outcome occurring, such as smoking, poor housing, or limited access to health services.

A characteristic or condition that reduces the chance of harm or supports good health, such as strong family support, stable income, education, and access to health care.

How easily a person can obtain appropriate health services, affected by cost, distance, waiting times, transport, cultural fit, and awareness of what is available.

The skills needed to find, understand, and use health information to make decisions. Low health literacy can lead to poorer self-management and delayed help-seeking.

Practice in which health services recognise and respect a person's culture and power differences, so the person feels safe and is not disadvantaged by cultural misunderstanding.

An organised provider of care or health support, such as a general practice, hospital, pharmacy, school health service, or community organisation, each with different roles and access rules.

Action taken at population level to prevent disease and promote health, such as immunisation, health promotion campaigns, screening programmes, and regulation of harmful products.

Planned activity that helps people and communities improve and protect their health, for example through education, policy change, and creating supportive environments.

A structured process of asking a health question, gathering and evaluating relevant evidence, and drawing conclusions to inform action or recommendations.

Material that is accurate, current, and produced by a credible body such as a government health agency, peer-reviewed journal, or recognised health organisation.

Information used to support or challenge a claim. Strong evidence comes from reliable, relevant sources and is considered alongside its limits and context.

A systematic slant in how information is collected, selected, or presented, which can distort conclusions. Examples include advertising spin, small samples, and leading survey questions.

The effect of news, social media, advertising, and entertainment on what people believe about health and on the choices they make, including through unverified or misleading claims.

A choice about health behaviour or care, such as seeking help, changing a habit, or choosing a treatment, shaped by knowledge, values, cost, culture, and advice from others.

A result that follows from a decision or condition, which may be short-term or long-term, intended or unintended, and may affect the individual, their whānau, or the wider community.

A proposed course of action based on inquiry findings, which should be specific, realistic, and justified by the evidence gathered and the needs of those affected.

The study of how often and why health conditions occur in populations, used to identify patterns, risk factors, and groups most affected so action can be targeted.