Three Perspectives on Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of all humans.
People may differ as to the causes of their health, and many will point to some personal choices—what they eat, how much they exercise, whether they smoke or not, how stress-prone they are—as determining factors in their health. Some, however, argue that a person’s ability to survive in the face of the constant challenges of life requires more than luck or genetics; it demands a supportive and flexible environment that provides a balance of internal and external resources for adaptation to personal health threats.
This third perspective on health is rooted in an understanding of the complex factors that influence individuals’ and communities’ ability to adapt. These determinants are known as the “social determinants of health” and they encompass a broad range of societal influences, such as housing, education, income, employment, transportation, and social supports. The emphasis on the social determinants of health calls into question assumptions and biases that have long shaped the ways we define health, evaluate it, and provide care for it.
It also draws attention to the need for research and interventions that reflect the full range of influences on health that occur outside the clinical setting. For example, a person’s capacity to thrive in the face of chronic illness is highly dependent on the community’s support network; yet, these critical social structures are often overlooked when defining health. In light of these and other social determinants, the current definition of health emphasizes the need for society to generate policies and programs that facilitate successful adaptation across all dimensions of health throughout the lifespan.
As such, the 2021 commentary promotes a new vision of health that is fluid and dynamic in nature, with adaptation to life circumstances at its core. A competitive swimmer with Down syndrome and a high school teacher with bipolar disorder both experience good health when their sense of balance is unconstrained by limitations in their abilities. However, these healthy individuals can still be disrupted by life events such as public swimming pools closing during a COVID-19 pandemic or by changes in medications prescribed by their healthcare providers.
These types of disruptions are a direct result of the lack of an inclusive, holistic view on what makes up a person’s sense of health and wellbeing. For this reason, the 2021 commentary argues that the traditional medical model of health needs to be replaced by a wellness and health promotion paradigm. For more information on this topic, see: Health (disambiguation), Healthy lifestyle (disambiguation) and Healing (disambiguation). This article was produced as part of a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Function and Health funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research of the US Department of Health and Human Services through The Ohio State University Nisonger Center.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of all humans. People may differ as to the causes of their health, and many will point to some personal choices—what they eat, how much they exercise, whether they smoke or not, how stress-prone they are—as determining factors in their health. Some, however, argue that a person’s ability to survive in the face of the constant challenges of life requires more than luck or genetics; it demands a supportive and flexible environment that provides a balance of internal and external resources for adaptation to personal health threats. This third perspective on health is rooted in an understanding of the complex factors that influence individuals’ and communities’ ability to adapt. These determinants are known as the “social determinants of health” and they encompass a broad range of societal influences, such as housing, education, income, employment, transportation, and social supports. The emphasis on the social determinants of health calls into question assumptions and biases that have long shaped the ways we define health, evaluate it, and provide care for it. It also draws attention to the need for research and interventions that reflect the full range of influences on health that occur outside the clinical setting. For example, a person’s capacity to thrive in the face of chronic illness is highly dependent on the community’s support network; yet, these critical social structures are often overlooked when defining health. In light of these and other social determinants, the current definition of health emphasizes the need for society to generate policies and programs that facilitate successful adaptation across all dimensions of health throughout the lifespan. As such, the 2021 commentary promotes a new vision of health that is fluid and dynamic in nature, with adaptation to life circumstances at its core. A competitive swimmer with Down syndrome and a high school teacher with bipolar disorder both experience good health when their sense of balance is unconstrained by limitations in their abilities. However, these healthy individuals can still be disrupted by life events such as public swimming pools closing during a COVID-19 pandemic or by changes in medications prescribed by their healthcare providers. These types of disruptions are a direct result of the lack of an inclusive, holistic view on what makes up a person’s sense of health and wellbeing. For this reason, the 2021 commentary argues that the traditional medical model of health needs to be replaced by a wellness and health promotion paradigm. For more information on this topic, see: Health (disambiguation), Healthy lifestyle (disambiguation) and Healing (disambiguation). This article was produced as part of a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Function and Health funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research of the US Department of Health and Human Services through The Ohio State University Nisonger Center.