Understanding Your Health

Understanding Your Health offers an exciting and practical approach to the teaching of the traditional content areas of personal health. Its two key themes - the six dimensions of health and the five developmental tasks - help students apply the text's content to their own lives, by improving their decision-making skills.

The strength of the Understanding Your Health narrative includes its appeal to both traditional and non-traditional students, particularly the special attention it pays to students over age 25 who have returned to college.

In addition, among its many health assessment activities, Understanding Your Health includes one of the most comprehensive health assessments found in any personal health textbook - a great tool for establishing a health baseline for students.

The companion Online Learning Center (website) offers a wealth of pedagogical and assessment features, including quizzes, Internet activities, downloadable MP3s, and more.

Wayne A. Payne was a professor in the Department of Physiology and Health Science at Ball State University for 32 years. He became an emeritus member of the faculty in 2003. Payne earned his Ed.D. in community health education from The University of Tennessee, and his MS in health education and his BS in biology from Ball State University. Payne also holds an R.T. certification in radiographic technology. He also completed preclinical medical education course in gross anatomy, physiology, histology, and biochemistry at Indiana University School of Medicine. During his teaching career at Ball State University, Payne taught a variety of health-related courses, including personal health courses. Central to his teaching was a deep interest in the role of health as it relates to growth and development during young and middle adulthood. Dr. Payne also taught in England and for the Department of Defense in Germany.

As an emeritus professor, Payne remains involved in the study of many health-related topics and their impact on the adult life experiences, he also enjoys opportunities for family interaction, exercise, travel, recreational reading, and volunteering in the cardiology department of his local hospital.

Dale B. Hahn has been a faculty member at Ball State University for 30 years. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus of Health Science in the Department of Physiology and Health Science. Hahn earned his Ph.D. in health education at Ohio State University, his M.Ed. in sports administration at Ohio University, and his B.A. in psychology from Allegheny College. He has published in a variety of health-related professional journals and has been an active member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, the American School Health Association, and the American College Health Association. Hahn has led college students on educational trips to China, Korea, Japan, England and Australia. Ball State awarded Hahn university-wide teaching awards in 1998 and 2009. In 2002, Hahn was a Visiting Scholar at Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford in England. He continues to enjoy many outdoor fitness activities, including hiking and running.

Ellen B. Lucas (formerly Mauer) has been on staff at the Counseling Center at Ball State University for the past 13 years. She is currently the Associate Director at the Counseling Center and coordinates the center's outreach and consultation programs. Her area of expertise is with eating disorders and she has been in private practice treating a wide range of psychological disorders for the past 13 years. Mauer earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, her Masters of Arts in Counseling with a specialization in College Student Personnel at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Davis. She is a licensed psychologist and is co-president of the Eating Disorders Task force of Indiana. She has made numerous presentations in the areas of psychological issues such as stress management, self-esteem, eating disorders and depression and suicide at local and state wide conferences. She has published articles on career related topics in a variety of journals. She is a member of the American Psychological Association as well as the Academy for Eating Disorders. She enjoys traveling and has lived in Australia and traveled extensively. She also enjoys fitness activities and was an aerobic instructor.