What Is Health?
Health is a central element of a person’s quality of life, and it is the primary reason for which most people seek out healthcare services. While there are many definitions of health, one of the most common is that of a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This includes feeling good, having a sense of well-being and coping, getting enough sleep, having the ability to work and participate in society, and having energy.
Different definitions of health emphasize different aspects of the phenomenon. Some definitions emphasize the experiential elements of health (feelings like pain or low mood) but exclude the notion of a ‘complete’ state, others include this but place it in a broader context alongside more objective aspects such as functional capacity and wellbeing. A few definitions emphasise the role of social factors in defining health, but this tends to be limited to the notion that health is dependent on having a secure livelihood and access to healthcare services, and that there are varying levels of health among ranked groups within a society (also known as ‘health inequalities’).
In 1948, the World Health Organization adopted a statement that said: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This positive conception of health is still widely accepted. Nevertheless, as modern science makes progress in understanding how diseases develop and how they can be prevented, it is increasingly recognised that a completely disease-free existence is impossible.
Consequently, the concept of health must be continuously updated to incorporate new information about disease processes and prevention. This is important because it means that healthcare policies will need to be adjusted accordingly.
People can help to preserve their health by engaging in healthy behaviours, such as eating well and exercising regularly, and avoiding unhealthful activities and situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. However, there are also many things that influence health that are outside the individual’s control, such as the genetic makeup of their body or the environment in which they live.
As such, a person’s view of health can be very different from another’s. This is a consequence of the fact that a concept’s meaning and boundary are partly shaped by the social context in which it is elaborated, a process called conceptualization.
When writing about Health, it’s useful to keep in mind that different readers will have very different interests and goals. For example, a scientific journal will want to publish only the facts about a new discovery, while a newspaper might be interested in the impact of the discovery on people’s lives. It is therefore important to think about the audience of your article before starting to write.
Health is a central element of a person’s quality of life, and it is the primary reason for which most people seek out healthcare services. While there are many definitions of health, one of the most common is that of a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This includes feeling good, having a sense of well-being and coping, getting enough sleep, having the ability to work and participate in society, and having energy. Different definitions of health emphasize different aspects of the phenomenon. Some definitions emphasize the experiential elements of health (feelings like pain or low mood) but exclude the notion of a ‘complete’ state, others include this but place it in a broader context alongside more objective aspects such as functional capacity and wellbeing. A few definitions emphasise the role of social factors in defining health, but this tends to be limited to the notion that health is dependent on having a secure livelihood and access to healthcare services, and that there are varying levels of health among ranked groups within a society (also known as ‘health inequalities’). In 1948, the World Health Organization adopted a statement that said: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This positive conception of health is still widely accepted. Nevertheless, as modern science makes progress in understanding how diseases develop and how they can be prevented, it is increasingly recognised that a completely disease-free existence is impossible. Consequently, the concept of health must be continuously updated to incorporate new information about disease processes and prevention. This is important because it means that healthcare policies will need to be adjusted accordingly. People can help to preserve their health by engaging in healthy behaviours, such as eating well and exercising regularly, and avoiding unhealthful activities and situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. However, there are also many things that influence health that are outside the individual’s control, such as the genetic makeup of their body or the environment in which they live. As such, a person’s view of health can be very different from another’s. This is a consequence of the fact that a concept’s meaning and boundary are partly shaped by the social context in which it is elaborated, a process called conceptualization. When writing about Health, it’s useful to keep in mind that different readers will have very different interests and goals. For example, a scientific journal will want to publish only the facts about a new discovery, while a newspaper might be interested in the impact of the discovery on people’s lives. It is therefore important to think about the audience of your article before starting to write.