The Meaning of Health

The meaning of health varies slightly depending on who is defining. Interestingly WHO (World Health Organisation) defines health as “a state of complete, physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Medical definition is absence of disease, while the Oxford dictionary defines as free of illness or injury. We can clearly see that the lack of disease and illness has a strong common thread. Although WHO have broadened their outlook with a perspective that the wider general population have adopted. Other than just disease and illness. The state of a person’s mental and social wellbeing all contributes to someone’s overall health.

So, what is Health?

Let’s explain a little more. Some appear more obvious, as most would agree having a disease or illness is not healthy. But you could still be healthy? So therefore, not as obvious. Health means different things to different people and populations.

Not ill or diseased
This can fall into two categories. Either the total absence of illness or disease or having something like say arthritis but still feeling well.

Physical Fitness
Is based on physical attributes and or ability in strength and endurance. Their physical capabilities. Perspective of physical fitness also varies from Male to Female. Females may consider outward appearance healthy while males how strong they are.

A Health Reserve
This is a person’s ability to recover quickly should they fall ill. Does a cold or illness wipe them out or do they bounce back. Their ability to recover

Psycho-Social Wellbeing
Someone’s mental state and the happiness they feel. Relating to thoughts and behaviours towards social factors.

As a Function
Just the ability to function and go about your daily tasks uninhibited. This maybe as simple as walking to work, play sport or for others being able to dress themselves.

Social Relationships
The time and relationships you make with friends, family, and your community.

Energy and Vitality
Your enthusiasm throughout the day. How enthusiastic are you to get through your daily tasks?

Exploring all its dimensions

Dimensionally we can look at health as a multi-faceted approach, looking at the whole picture. Spiritually, Socially, Mentally, Emotionally, and of course physically. They are all intertwined within each other and can affect a person’s overall health. All these aspects can add or take from someone’s overall health.

Spiritual Not necessarily just relating to religion. But the ability to establish harmony and peace. Developing spiritual health includes a purposeful life. Spiritual health creates a balance between physical, psychological, and social aspects of human life.

Social Is a person’s interpersonal relationships with the people around them. Relationships and influences. From family, friends, teachers, colleagues, and social networks. Each relationship can have impacts on one’s health. From advice they receive, support in their endeavours. This can knock on to your own health in terms of how you feel. Negative or positive? Depressed or motivated

Mental Is defined as a state of wellbeing. Being able to cope with the normal stresses of life working successfully and contributing to the community. A decrease in mental health will have many negative dimensions. Whereas good mental health will have positive impacts on all other dimensions of health.

Emotional The ability of having confidence and positive feelings to cope with life. It can encompass self-esteem, confidence, expressions of feelings and reactions to events and the ability to control one’s emotions.

Physical Fitness Commonly perceived as what being healthy is. But physical fitness although having a positive influence on health is more about the physical aspects. How we appear, how strong we are. Lack of disease or illness.

Influences that have an impact!

There are determinants that can have an impact and shape an individual or populations health. Positively or negatively. These are environmental and circumstantial situations. Factors that can determine one’s overall health by how they influence your life and decisions.

Genetics
Different populations bare different physical characteristics. Pacific islanders are typically larger more muscular while Asian populations tend to be slenderer in build. Creating different approaches to health and nutrition,

Income
Wealth plays a big part in one’s health. More affluent populations have easier access to fitness and health facilities. Like gyms and medical facilities and professional help. A lower socio-economic region may not have easy access or ability to acquire nutrition rich foods whereas more affluent populations do.

Education
Knowledge is power. The better educated a person is the better decisions they can make towards their health goals. Lack of information or understanding through minimal knowledge can negatively affect one’s situation. Education and/or the lack of can also affect one’s income and lifestyle which in turn affects health in its relationship to wealth (refer income above)

Relationships
can be family, social, community, etc. How we interact and the influences form relationships can influence and impact our health.

Community Environment
Food access, Health services and the physical environment you are in all influence our health. Having areas saturated with fast food options and limited healthier choices effects people’s decisions on food. Access to health facilities and professionals can have a negative impact on health if not readily available. Physical environment can be as simple as safe drinking water and safe communities to someone living in an unsafe environment like an abusive partner or environmental toxins. So many aspects intertwined impacting on overall health.

Hopefully after reading this, you can see that Health encompasses so much more than eating a healthy salad or visiting the gym 3-4 times per week. It is very multi-faceted and has different meanings to different people. Not everyone has complete control of their health and as a community we should all be looking at improving all the aspects that Health encompasses to the benefit of our communities.