Behavior is the primary determinant of health. What we do on a daily basis and how we respond to health-related situations shapes our health now and into the future. This behavior, expressed by millions of adults throughout the US and beyond, is shaped and controlled by the Health Patterns. Based on research with tens of thousands of adults in the US and abroad over the past 30 years, this book introduces you to the Health Patterns. It takes you on a journey to learn about what they are, how and why they form, the traits and characteristics that define them, and how they shape the health of individuals and populations. You learn how the Health Patterns interact with our physical characteristics like sex, education, income, life-stage, race, and ethnic differences. Yes, you will see how the Health Patterns not only shape our health, but our societal success as well. You learn how the Health Patterns identify those adults with super high health status and super low health status. The Health Patterns show us who has the greatest risks for suffering from multiple chronic health conditions, diagnosed diseases, and which adults are relatively free from them. You see how the Health Patterns shape longevity and identify those adults with the longest and shortest active life expectancies. You see the kinds of health promotion activities they engage in that both raise and lower perceived health, demand for medical care, and how they shape millions of dollars in medical expenditures. The book closes with a discussion of how the Health Patterns interact with health behavior change, critical dimensions of health mindset, health self-efficacy, motivations, and how individuals, health care professionals, and health coaches can use knowledge of the Health Patterns to improve health, tailor patient and health coaching engagement for improved sustained behavior change.
