Health Promotion and the Determinants of Health
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a dynamic process of individual and collective adaptation to the environment, encompassing all aspects of a person’s life.
The goal of health promotion is to enable people to realize their potentials and to cope with the challenges they face in a constantly changing world. The concept of health has been broadened from a view that focuses on sickness and disease to one that also includes the concepts of resiliency, wellbeing, quality of life and sustainable development.
As we move beyond the biomedical approach that defines health as the absence of disease, we are entering an era in which new understandings of health are emerging at the molecular, individual, and societal levels. These new understandings require that our views of health be transformed.
Some of the factors that affect health are within the control of individuals, such as choosing to engage in or not engaging in risky behaviors. But some are not, and these include the genetic predisposition to certain illnesses as well as factors in a community’s environment, such as air pollution or access to medical care.
Moreover, many of these factors are interconnected. Taking a wider perspective on health enables us to identify how the various influences work together and to understand the complex ways they can impact health. A key challenge is how to integrate these insights into our understanding of the determinants of health and into health improvement efforts that are focused on the broader societal contexts in which people live.
This challenge is rooted in the nature of health and its definition. It requires a holistic and integrative framework involving the disciplines of public health, medicine, psychology, statistics and epidemiology, economics, sociology and education.
A broad conceptual model of the determinants of health can provide valuable guidance to communities embarking on health improvement initiatives. It can help them understand how different processes can contribute to the health of a community and the individuals who live in it.
It can also help them to recognize that a change in health requires a change in values. Values are shaped throughout the lives of individuals, influenced by the beliefs and practices of family members, teachers, friends, the media, laws and their own personal experiences and learning.
It is important to recognize that the determinants of health are often outside of the control of the individuals or groups involved in a particular initiative. It is essential for those working on health improvement efforts to understand this so they can design and implement effective interventions. This is especially true when they are attempting to address issues such as poverty, poor diet, smoking and drug use. In these cases, interventions should focus on addressing the underlying causes of these problems rather than simply trying to persuade people to behave differently. This will be a more efficient and effective approach.
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a dynamic process of individual and collective adaptation to the environment, encompassing all aspects of a person’s life. The goal of health promotion is to enable people to realize their potentials and to cope with the challenges they face in a constantly changing world. The concept of health has been broadened from a view that focuses on sickness and disease to one that also includes the concepts of resiliency, wellbeing, quality of life and sustainable development. As we move beyond the biomedical approach that defines health as the absence of disease, we are entering an era in which new understandings of health are emerging at the molecular, individual, and societal levels. These new understandings require that our views of health be transformed. Some of the factors that affect health are within the control of individuals, such as choosing to engage in or not engaging in risky behaviors. But some are not, and these include the genetic predisposition to certain illnesses as well as factors in a community’s environment, such as air pollution or access to medical care. Moreover, many of these factors are interconnected. Taking a wider perspective on health enables us to identify how the various influences work together and to understand the complex ways they can impact health. A key challenge is how to integrate these insights into our understanding of the determinants of health and into health improvement efforts that are focused on the broader societal contexts in which people live. This challenge is rooted in the nature of health and its definition. It requires a holistic and integrative framework involving the disciplines of public health, medicine, psychology, statistics and epidemiology, economics, sociology and education. A broad conceptual model of the determinants of health can provide valuable guidance to communities embarking on health improvement initiatives. It can help them understand how different processes can contribute to the health of a community and the individuals who live in it. It can also help them to recognize that a change in health requires a change in values. Values are shaped throughout the lives of individuals, influenced by the beliefs and practices of family members, teachers, friends, the media, laws and their own personal experiences and learning. It is important to recognize that the determinants of health are often outside of the control of the individuals or groups involved in a particular initiative. It is essential for those working on health improvement efforts to understand this so they can design and implement effective interventions. This is especially true when they are attempting to address issues such as poverty, poor diet, smoking and drug use. In these cases, interventions should focus on addressing the underlying causes of these problems rather than simply trying to persuade people to behave differently. This will be a more efficient and effective approach.