Each chapter-opening spread shows students the organization of the chapter using a chapter overview and a list of the special boxed features. It also lists activities in the companion workbook (Applying Concepts for Healthy Living) and topics explored on the companion Web site.

Healthy Living Practices

Unique to this text, these short lists of bulleted statements throughout the chapters summarize key points and concisely state concrete yet simple actions students can take to improve their own health.

Managing Your Health

These features contain short essays or lists of tips that focus on ways to live a healthier life.

Consumer Health

These commentaries and tips provide practical information and suggestions to help students become more careful consumers of health-related goods and services. In addition to being highlighted in this feature, consumer topics are integrated throughout the book and are the subject of scrutiny in the “Analyzing Health-Related Information” activities.

Diversity in Health Essays

These features cultivate an interest in and an appreciation for the health status and practices of various ethnic, cultural, and racial groups in the United States, as well as people around the world. Although the diversity essays focus specifically on multiculturalism, additional multicultural information is woven throughout the book.

Analyzing Health-Related Information

This innovative feature teaches students the critical-thinking skill of analysis. Students use this skill and the model provided to determine the reliability of health-related information in articles, advertisements, Web sites, and other sources. Learning such a skill and practicing it helps students become knowledgeable consumers of health-related information and products.

Applying What You Have Learned

This unique end-of-chapter feature is a series of questions and activities that require critical-thinking—application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Each question is labeled as to what type of critical-thinking is required, and a key provides a brief explanation of the process students need to follow to complete the question or activity.

Reflecting on Your Health

This end-of-chapter journal-writing activity stimulates students to consider what they have learned and to understand how their thoughts and feelings about health might have changed as a result of their new knowledge. Compiling these activities and reviewing them from time to time, especially at the end of the semester, will offer tangible evidence of changes and psychological and intellectual growth.