Internal Influences: It's All in Your Head (Literally)
Who Let the Influences In?
The Health Triangle: No Side Can Carry the Group Project
Choose Your Consequence Adventure
Source? Trust Me, Bro.
100
You have a big game and a test tomorrow, but your friends want to stay up gaming until 2 a.m. You choose to log off early because improving your performance is important to you, and you know sleep will help. Which internal influence is driving your choice?
What are goals?
100
Jordan begins preparing balanced meals after observing an older sibling consistently choosing nutritious foods. The sibling’s behavior is an external influence on Jordan’s lifestyle factors.
What is family influence?
100
Adequate sleep, nutritious food, physical activity, and avoidance of tobacco and other drugs primarily support this dimension of health.
What is physical health?
100
Before selecting a response to a health-related situation, a student must clarify the issue, identify the risk, and determine what requires a decision. This first step is called this.
What is identifying the problem?
100
The ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, and apply health information when making decisions is called this.
What is health literacy?
200
Last year, you watched a friend miss practices, fall behind in class, and lose trust at home after misusing alcohol. When someone offers you a drink now, that memory makes you decide not to participate. Which internal influence is affecting your choice?
What is personal experience?
200
Several classmates invite Maya to skip practice and use a vape. The invitation illustrates how this external influence can shape perceived norms and health decisions.
What are peers?
200
The condition of a person’s physical, mental and emotional, and social well-being is broader than simply not having a disease or injury. This overall condition is called this.
What is health?
200
A student comparing whether to attend a party where alcohol may be present considers effects on safety, relationships, academics, and future opportunities. These possible results are called this.
What are consequences?
200
A physician, nurse, school counselor, prevention specialist, or trained trusted adult can provide this kind of assistance when a student is evaluating a health concern.
What is reliable support?
300
Your group chat dares you to drink at a weekend hangout, but you care about staying independent, protecting your future, and being ready for school Monday. You turn down the dare because those principles matter to you. Which internal influence is shaping your decision?
What are values?
300
Your family celebrates important events with traditional foods, and those traditions influence what you choose to eat and how you think about healthy meals. Which internal influence is shaping your health behavior?
What is culture?
300
Recognizing emotional triggers, managing stress, evaluating risk, and seeking assistance are components of this dimension of health.
What is mental and emotional health?
300
A student examines a post claiming that an energy product prevents the effects of alcohol, identifies its persuasive techniques, and compares the claim with scientific evidence. This process demonstrates this skill.
What is evaluating a health message?
300
Checking an author’s credentials, reviewing evidence, examining the publication date, identifying funding or advertising, and comparing claims with other reputable information are strategies for determining this.
What are reliable health sources?
400
A student learns that certain inherited traits can influence susceptibility to nicotine dependence, but family history does not determine the outcome. The student uses this information to make informed, substance-free choices. Which internal influence can affect this health risk?
What are genetics?
400
Your school opens a new recreation center with free after-school activities, but a social media feed keeps promoting products that promise quick energy and encourages students to skip sleep. How do these outside forces illustrate that external influences can shape health choices in more than one direction?
What are positive or negative influences?
400
Communicating assertively, maintaining respectful relationships, establishing boundaries, and resisting harmful peer pressure support this dimension.
What is social health?
400
When pressured to use an ATOD, a student states a clear refusal, gives a concise reason, proposes a substance-free alternative, and leaves the situation. These strategies demonstrate this skill.
What are refusal skills: stating a choice, giving a reason, suggesting an alternative, and leaving?
400
A TikTok post claims that one supplement can eliminate stress and prevent substance misuse. A student analyzes the language, purpose, evidence, and intended audience before accepting the claim. This is an example of this skill.
What is media literacy?
500
You are already anxious about fitting in at a new school when classmates pressure you to vape. Because you feel nervous and frustrated, the offer seems harder to refuse. Which internal influence is affecting how you interpret the situation and respond?
What are emotions?
500
The platform Instagram repeatedly presents posts suggesting that vaping is common and harmless, while a health app encourages sleep and physical activity. This external influence can shape perceived norms, attitudes, and behavior.
What is media and technology?
500
A student develops a substance-free stress-management plan, participates in supportive relationships, exercises regularly, and seeks counseling when necessary. This ongoing process reflects intentional choices that promote a healthy life.
What is wellness?
500
Before deciding whether to attend a party where alcohol may be present, you identify the problem, consider your options, evaluate short- and long-term consequences, make a choice aligned with your personal boundaries, and reflect afterward on the results.
What is the decision-making process?
500
A viral message claims that “everyone” at school vapes. Before accepting the statement as fact, a student questions whether the post represents actual behavior or merely creates a misleading impression. The student is evaluating this concept.
What are perceived norms?