Meanings of Health

Learning Intentions Today you will learn about the different definitions of health. You will also learn some challenging words and their definitions. Success Criteria You will be successful if you can: Construct your own definition of health relating to the information. List 5 new words and their definitions.

What is your definition of Health? Is it similar to other definitions? Does it apply to individuals and the community?

Early meanings of health In the past, the term ‘health’ was closely associated with how a person’s body functioned physically, and in particular with their capacity to perform physical activity.

Prior to world war II, health was viewed as the opposite of illness. If there was no evidence of disease or physical illness, we were considered healthy. The view suggested that if you were ill, medicine, drugs or a doctor were able to return you to a healthy state.

This definition was considered: Too narrow One dimensional It failed to take into account an individuals mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. This meant the definition had server limitations.

For Example A person may not be suffering from a physical illness but may be experiencing depression. Without appropriate support and treatment this could develop into distress that significantly impacts on the person’s everyday life and their overall health levels.

World Health Organisation’s Definition of ‘Health’ “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not mere the absence of disease or infirmity.” This was developed by WHO in 1946 and is still accepted today.

This definition gave a more holistic concept of health by recognising the whole person and focusing on more then one aspect.

This definition also has its limitations. It suggests that you can not be considered truly healthy unless they have COMPLETE physical, mental or social wellbeing. Under this definition a person with a physical impairment, a mental health diagnoses or is socially isolated can not be considered healthy. The fact that we all experience times when we are sick, sad or lonely means that according to this definition optimal health is virtually unachievable. However