Health is an important aspect of our well-being and, for most of us, our daily lives. Eating a healthy diet, controlling weight, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep are some of the best ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But there are so many other small things that contribute to our overall health. Doing these little things can help prevent disease, reduce the risk of injury and prolong life.
But defining what exactly constitutes good health is a tricky business, especially since a healthy lifestyle is incredibly complex and often requires commitment over a long period of time. For this reason, it is easy to see how different definitions of health can lead to very different approaches to the promotion of health.
A common definition of health is that it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition was first formulated by the World Health Organization in 1948 and expanded on earlier conceptualizations of health by incorporating mental and social dimensions.
While this definition may sound reasonable, there are some concerns that it oversimplifies and reduces the concept of health to a functional or mechanistic phenomenon. This could, in turn, undermine the experience and value of health for its own sake.
Another concern is that this definition may overlook the extent to which differences in health are systematic rather than random. As a result, it fails to capture the fact that the health inequalities observed between social groups are not purely due to chance and should therefore be addressed at a policy level.
In contrast, a second definition of health is based on the notion that health is defined in terms of an individual’s ability to function well within their context. This is a broad definition that could encompass many different aspects of health, including the capacity to meet the everyday challenges of life as well as the capacity to enjoy leisure activities.
This definition of health is more useful for policymakers because it is able to incorporate elements such as the need to manage a condition like diabetes or bipolar disorder, the importance of social networks and the need to live in a safe environment. However, this definition is also more likely to lead to different approaches to the promotion of health as some policies focus on the management of disease and others address the underlying determinants of health. This is why it is important that a health promotion policy includes both elements.