Understanding the Concept of Health
Health is a complex concept, reflecting emotional and social well-being in addition to physical capabilities. The concept also emphasizes the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, rather than simply focusing on the absence of disease or disability. It involves many people, including health care providers, public health officials, and a wide range of community members who can contribute to the wellbeing of individuals and populations.
The definition of health used by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a good starting point: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition provides a framework for research and policy decisions as it recognizes that physical, mental and social dimensions are all important aspects of health.
As the field of health broadened, a new understanding of what constitutes health emerged in the 1990s, expanding beyond biomedical approaches to health. This understanding, referred to as a “contextual approach” to health, recognizes that individual health is related to the quality of life and the capacity to function in rapidly changing situations. It also considers the effects of adversity and risk, incorporating factors such as age, gender, poverty, and environmental conditions, as well as the pre-existing inequities that may lead to heightened vulnerability to illness or death.
A contextual approach to health demonstrates that the determinants of health are interconnected, and that healthy people are those who value their health. A high value placed on health encourages people to undertake whatever actions are necessary to enhance their health, including seeking preventive and treatment services and taking part in activities that support their well-being. It also influences the scales upon which individuals and communities place health higher than other considerations and values.
This new view of health also invites the use of a broader set of assessment tools. These tools include process and outcome measures. They assess the capacity to cope with adversity and the resilience to adapt, and they identify resources for this adaptation. They are useful in the clinical setting, as well as in research-based comparison studies, population monitoring, and surveys.
Writing about health requires a great deal of careful research to understand the complex issues involved. It is a huge responsibility to find the nuance in each topic, separate fact from myth, and sort legitimate findings and consensus views from questionable claims or outright misinformation. The integrity of science has never been under greater scrutiny, and health writers have a special responsibility to maintain its core values: honesty and integrity. Cheerleading for a flawed drug or questionable therapy, failing to mention side effects, citing a whacky “expert” without context – all can have serious consequences for readers’ health. The best health feature articles are ones that convey this sense of integrity and respect for the readers’ intelligence. Format also plays an important role in deciding how to frame the story. Will it be a short news piece, an in-depth look at a new treatment, or a profile of a researcher?
Health is a complex concept, reflecting emotional and social well-being in addition to physical capabilities. The concept also emphasizes the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, rather than simply focusing on the absence of disease or disability. It involves many people, including health care providers, public health officials, and a wide range of community members who can contribute to the wellbeing of individuals and populations. The definition of health used by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a good starting point: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition provides a framework for research and policy decisions as it recognizes that physical, mental and social dimensions are all important aspects of health. As the field of health broadened, a new understanding of what constitutes health emerged in the 1990s, expanding beyond biomedical approaches to health. This understanding, referred to as a “contextual approach” to health, recognizes that individual health is related to the quality of life and the capacity to function in rapidly changing situations. It also considers the effects of adversity and risk, incorporating factors such as age, gender, poverty, and environmental conditions, as well as the pre-existing inequities that may lead to heightened vulnerability to illness or death. A contextual approach to health demonstrates that the determinants of health are interconnected, and that healthy people are those who value their health. A high value placed on health encourages people to undertake whatever actions are necessary to enhance their health, including seeking preventive and treatment services and taking part in activities that support their well-being. It also influences the scales upon which individuals and communities place health higher than other considerations and values. This new view of health also invites the use of a broader set of assessment tools. These tools include process and outcome measures. They assess the capacity to cope with adversity and the resilience to adapt, and they identify resources for this adaptation. They are useful in the clinical setting, as well as in research-based comparison studies, population monitoring, and surveys. Writing about health requires a great deal of careful research to understand the complex issues involved. It is a huge responsibility to find the nuance in each topic, separate fact from myth, and sort legitimate findings and consensus views from questionable claims or outright misinformation. The integrity of science has never been under greater scrutiny, and health writers have a special responsibility to maintain its core values: honesty and integrity. Cheerleading for a flawed drug or questionable therapy, failing to mention side effects, citing a whacky “expert” without context – all can have serious consequences for readers’ health. The best health feature articles are ones that convey this sense of integrity and respect for the readers’ intelligence. Format also plays an important role in deciding how to frame the story. Will it be a short news piece, an in-depth look at a new treatment, or a profile of a researcher?