Health and Well-Being
Health, also known as well-being or a healthy lifestyle, is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more positive, fulfilling life. It includes both physical and mental wellness.
A common view of health is that it is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO 1946). However, such a positive concept of health fails to take into account that few people have completely healthy lives all the time and may experience many episodes of illness in their lifetimes.
An alternative view is that a person’s health is determined by a complex interplay of individual and environmental factors. These factors are grouped into a set of broad categories that can be collectively referred to as the social determinants of health. They include the socioeconomic context in which a person lives, such as their level of income, education, employment, housing, and social connections and support, as well as the environment in which they live and interact with their community and society at large. They are often described as risk and protective factors for illness.
There is also a relationship between an individual’s health and their ability to realize their aspirations and satisfy their needs, as well as the capacity of individuals to adapt to changes in their environments and their own life circumstances. This is referred to as the ‘capability approach’ to health.
In order to maintain optimum health, it is important to choose foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. This includes eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, especially those that are dark green, such as broccoli, peppers, brussel sprouts, and leafy greens like kale and spinach. It is also important to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water daily and to consume good amounts of fibre, which helps with digestive functions. This can be achieved by consuming whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, oats and barley, or by including beans or lentils in your diet.
A key element in maintaining optimal health is preventive medicine. This involves the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, with the main aims being to reduce the risk of developing ill health through the avoidance of harmful behaviours and the reduction of risks in society. This is often contrasted with reactive medicine, which involves seeking treatment after a person has become ill. It is generally agreed that the former is a more effective way of improving health. This can be achieved through primary prevention, which focuses on actions that aim to change the impact of risk factors at an individual and community level, alongside clinical preventive services such as immunization, screening programmes for disease, and treatment. It can also be achieved through secondary prevention, which aims to detect diseases at an early stage and treat them before they manifest themselves as symptoms. This is commonly seen in screening programmes for cancer and other common diseases.
Health, also known as well-being or a healthy lifestyle, is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more positive, fulfilling life. It includes both physical and mental wellness. A common view of health is that it is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO 1946). However, such a positive concept of health fails to take into account that few people have completely healthy lives all the time and may experience many episodes of illness in their lifetimes. An alternative view is that a person’s health is determined by a complex interplay of individual and environmental factors. These factors are grouped into a set of broad categories that can be collectively referred to as the social determinants of health. They include the socioeconomic context in which a person lives, such as their level of income, education, employment, housing, and social connections and support, as well as the environment in which they live and interact with their community and society at large. They are often described as risk and protective factors for illness. There is also a relationship between an individual’s health and their ability to realize their aspirations and satisfy their needs, as well as the capacity of individuals to adapt to changes in their environments and their own life circumstances. This is referred to as the ‘capability approach’ to health. In order to maintain optimum health, it is important to choose foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. This includes eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, especially those that are dark green, such as broccoli, peppers, brussel sprouts, and leafy greens like kale and spinach. It is also important to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water daily and to consume good amounts of fibre, which helps with digestive functions. This can be achieved by consuming whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, oats and barley, or by including beans or lentils in your diet. A key element in maintaining optimal health is preventive medicine. This involves the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, with the main aims being to reduce the risk of developing ill health through the avoidance of harmful behaviours and the reduction of risks in society. This is often contrasted with reactive medicine, which involves seeking treatment after a person has become ill. It is generally agreed that the former is a more effective way of improving health. This can be achieved through primary prevention, which focuses on actions that aim to change the impact of risk factors at an individual and community level, alongside clinical preventive services such as immunization, screening programmes for disease, and treatment. It can also be achieved through secondary prevention, which aims to detect diseases at an early stage and treat them before they manifest themselves as symptoms. This is commonly seen in screening programmes for cancer and other common diseases.