How to Write an Article About Health

The word health gets thrown around in different ways, from the sense of well-being that comes with an exercise routine to the feeling of relief when a medical procedure cures a chronic illness. It can also refer to an individual’s financial stability, the quality of a nation’s infrastructure or the state of a species’ habitat.

In terms of writing an article about Health, the first thing to consider is the format. Whether you are writing a short news piece, an in-depth feature or a profile of an individual researcher, the way you shape your idea will impact how sharply it is focused.

Next, it’s important to understand who your audience is. This will help you identify what types of health information and messages are most relevant to them, and how best to communicate them. For example, if you are writing about a new fad diet trend, you may want to write for a women’s health website; if you’re describing the effect of pollution on human health, a science nerd or environmental site would be more appropriate.

A third definition of health emphasizes the capacity of individuals to realize their aspirations and meet their needs in a dynamic environment. This is a more holistic concept of health than either of the previous two definitions, but it is not as concrete and measurable as the objective definition of health. It requires assessing the value placed on health by individuals and societies, and measuring the level of risk factors that might cause ill-health in order to make policy decisions.

Until recently, the dominant view of health has been that it is defined by the absence of disease or infirmity. This perspective was based on the assumption that medical science can objectively determine whether an individual is healthy or sick; that medical care and public health interventions can be effective in eliminating illness. This view was reinforced by the success of efforts such as well-baby clinics, national investments in biomedical research and construction of hospitals.

However, this view of health was limited in its scope and effectiveness because it ignored many of the factors that influence an individual’s ability to avoid disease or cope with it effectively. It did not take into account that an individual’s responses to a disease can vary dramatically from one person to another; or that even a healthy-appearing individual could have a hidden, undetected, life-threatening illness.

More recent studies have begun to incorporate the concept of health in its broadest sense, including a person’s capacity to adapt to changes in his or her physical and social environments, genetic endowment and psychological functioning. These concepts are increasingly incorporated into a “field model” of health, which treats health as a dynamic process rather than simply a state. It is an approach that is in keeping with the current scientific understanding of how health is produced, not just consumed. It may be more useful in identifying strategies for improving the health of populations than the traditional, static, objective models that have preceded it.

The word health gets thrown around in different ways, from the sense of well-being that comes with an exercise routine to the feeling of relief when a medical procedure cures a chronic illness. It can also refer to an individual’s financial stability, the quality of a nation’s infrastructure or the state of a species’ habitat. In terms of writing an article about Health, the first thing to consider is the format. Whether you are writing a short news piece, an in-depth feature or a profile of an individual researcher, the way you shape your idea will impact how sharply it is focused. Next, it’s important to understand who your audience is. This will help you identify what types of health information and messages are most relevant to them, and how best to communicate them. For example, if you are writing about a new fad diet trend, you may want to write for a women’s health website; if you’re describing the effect of pollution on human health, a science nerd or environmental site would be more appropriate. A third definition of health emphasizes the capacity of individuals to realize their aspirations and meet their needs in a dynamic environment. This is a more holistic concept of health than either of the previous two definitions, but it is not as concrete and measurable as the objective definition of health. It requires assessing the value placed on health by individuals and societies, and measuring the level of risk factors that might cause ill-health in order to make policy decisions. Until recently, the dominant view of health has been that it is defined by the absence of disease or infirmity. This perspective was based on the assumption that medical science can objectively determine whether an individual is healthy or sick; that medical care and public health interventions can be effective in eliminating illness. This view was reinforced by the success of efforts such as well-baby clinics, national investments in biomedical research and construction of hospitals. However, this view of health was limited in its scope and effectiveness because it ignored many of the factors that influence an individual’s ability to avoid disease or cope with it effectively. It did not take into account that an individual’s responses to a disease can vary dramatically from one person to another; or that even a healthy-appearing individual could have a hidden, undetected, life-threatening illness. More recent studies have begun to incorporate the concept of health in its broadest sense, including a person’s capacity to adapt to changes in his or her physical and social environments, genetic endowment and psychological functioning. These concepts are increasingly incorporated into a “field model” of health, which treats health as a dynamic process rather than simply a state. It is an approach that is in keeping with the current scientific understanding of how health is produced, not just consumed. It may be more useful in identifying strategies for improving the health of populations than the traditional, static, objective models that have preceded it.