Health is a complex concept that encompasses many different aspects of human life. Good health is essential to a happy, fulfilling life. It is also central to handling stress and preventing disease. Good health is also an important part of maintaining a relationship with one’s family and friends. It is vital to a person’s ability to work and maintain a household. People who are healthy are generally able to live longer lives.
A common perspective of health is the biomedical model, which equates health with the absence of disease and the ability to function. This view was developed with the rise of well-baby clinics and hospital construction in the 1930s and 1940s, and it has been strengthened by advances in medicine and the establishment of categorical funding for research and clinical practice (USDHHS, 1991).
This approach focuses on individual behaviors that can be controlled by medical and other interventions. The problem is that these interventions often miss the mark. It has been found that an individual’s response to illness, his or her perception of the disease, and the degree to which he or she is able to function, both now and in the future, are not influenced by clinical treatment alone (Rodgers, 1990).
A more comprehensive understanding of health is being promoted, including the social and environmental components of a person’s well-being. These include education, employment, housing, community services, the physical environment, economic conditions, and personal relationships. It is also important to note that a person’s sense of well-being is affected by his or her beliefs about health, happiness and spirituality.
These social and environmental factors, known as the determinants of health, influence the ability of individuals to function effectively in society and their sense of well-being. The determinants may differ in their effects on an individual’s health by the time they occur, since certain determinants, such as genetic predisposition, are necessary antecedents for others.
The determinants of health also vary between groups and across the life cycle. Early childhood is a critical period for the development of mental, emotional and physical health. It is during this time that crucial neurologic, cognitive and psychosocial patterns are established for the rest of an individual’s life.
Changing the definition of health to reflect an individual’s ability to function in his or her community is central to the development of effective public policy. It is also a necessary step toward eliminating unequal development between countries by ensuring that all have access to the same resources for improving their level of functioning and quality of life. A broad definition of health can also help to address issues of equity, which arise when some people are able to access medical care more readily than others. This is a more just and reasonable way to allocate limited resources for health promotion efforts. A healthy and well-functioning population is of great value to the world as a whole. It is important to recognize this and work toward it, especially in a world where poverty and war are all too common.