what is health

Naidoo and Wills(2001, p.47) “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ - WHO (1946).” This definition falls into a holistic way of defining health, which believes that there are more areas to look at when thinking of health than just simply the absence of a disease. It considers the cause of why someone is ill and not just simply about ’fixing it’.

In most cases, the word health is linked to mental health more than physical health but the two are related. Therefore, the meaning of health could be defined in relation to the individual since it depends on the condition of the situation. Thus Medilexicon’s Medical Dictionary (2004-2014) define health as the state of individual functioning in their best and most desirable way without suffering from any disease or abnormality in their body system. Otherwise, it is a state of being an active balance whereby individuals are able to cope with all the living circumstances such as caring for family, going to work, contributing to the community and so on, to their best level of life.

What does the word health mean? According to Reutter & Eastlick Kusher (2014), World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (p. 2). Depending on the situation, certain individual may have a different perception of the meaning of health. However, the definition of health by the WHO will best fit the purpose of this paper. There are a lot of factors that can influence a person’s health. These factors are also called Social Determinants of Health. Braveman & Gottlieb (2014) states that, “The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health has defined SDH as ‘the conditions in which people are born, grow,

“Don’t treat the disease, treat the patient” [9]. The concept of health has seemed to become complex in definition over the centuries as science improves. “Health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”-World Health Definition of Health (1948) [9]

One can define health negatively, as the absence of illness, or positively, as fitness and well-being. Health also implies good prospects for continued survival. The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"(Health, 2006). This writer defines health not only as the absence of illlness but also as being healthy as it relates to health promotion.

The complexity of sociological concept of health and illness is not easy to define and measure. As was summarised by Nettleton (2013) and according to Blaxter (2010) the definition of health can be both negative and positive. On the one hand there is a medical model of health, which tends to be negative and it is based on body’s ability to function and body’s chemistry. This biomedical perspective describes health as the absence of disease in measurable biological norm. On the other hand a positive definition, which is linked to well-being of individual, stated that “health is a complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”, was established by World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948. Being

Health is determined by some social conditions such as people’s work, area of birth, living and working environment. it also includes housing, education, built environment, financial security, and the health system. The world health organisation (WHO) stated that the above conditions are influenced by some very powerful forces which include social policies, economic policy, and political instances.

Good health is the most precious asset owned by the human beings on earth. Good health is an essential pre-requisite for the persistent and adequate functioning of an individual and a society. Health of an individual is an essential requirement for carrying out day to day activities. Physical non-wellbeing is a problem not only for an individual but also for a society. A sick person’s primary concern is to maintain physical wellbeing of his body. Other pursuits of life become secondary to him.

”Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (WHO, 1948) Wellness

Health was once a very basic word with simply one meaning. For many years health professionals defined health as “the absence of diagnosable disease”, and it was as simple as that (Murdaugh, Parsons & Pender, 2006, p. 6). If you didn’t have a disease then you were considered healthy. In today’s world, that is just one of the many meanings of the word “health”. The world is so diverse, composed of different social, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups whom all have different values and beliefs. These different opinions have allowed the medical field to grow which has ultimately helped shape a multitude of definitions for the word “health”. We now understand that there are different degrees as to how healthy someone is. Just because two people lack disease does not mean that they are equally as healthy (Murdaugh, Parsons & Pender, 2006, p. 6). There are many characteristics of a given person that allow them to fall on a spectrum of healthiness. The medical field no longer defines the word health in as basic of a form as “the absence of diagnosable disease”, but rather as a compositions many components; mental, physical, emotional, and social.

Health is an interesting concept. It is sometimes the grass on the other side of the fence, and other times how we compare ourselves to others. A comparison based on ever-changing norms. When people define healthy, they often take others’ health into consideration; this is often a mistake, as it establishes false beliefs as in how healthy we should expect to be at a particular age. It is clear that health and wellness have a strong hereditary nature, however environment, and lifestyle are just as important to health.

Health is declared as a basic human right by the universal declaration of human rights in 1948, stating that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one 's family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care." Endowment of health is a fundamental good and a moral issue because it provides opportunity to pursue life goals, reduces pain and suffering, prevents premature loss of life, and provides information needed to plan lives (Jacobson and Mathur, 2010). However, it is not later than three decades ago that health is placed high on international agenda. This international agenda has strongly passed on into almost all countries after the report of the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, that investing in health leads to economic development. This reports emphasized health as a resource for everyday life and as driver of economy of nation (WHO, 2001).

Health is declared as a basic human right by the universal declaration of human rights in 1948, stating that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself and one 's family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care." Endowment of health is a fundamental good and a moral issue because it provides opportunity to pursue life goals, reduces pain and suffering, prevents premature loss of life, and provides information needed to plan lives (Jacobson and Mathur, 2010). However, it is not later than three decades ago that health is placed high on international agenda. This international agenda has strongly passed on into almost all countries after the report of the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, that investing in health leads to economic development. This reports emphasized health as a resource for everyday life and as driver of economy of nation (WHO, 2001).

The term of “Health” means not just the physically absence of disease and it was also

It ensures not only survival but also the general satisfaction of the species. It’s, therefore, integral to health. The prerequisites and prospects for health cannot be guaranteed by the health sector alone. It requires an inter-sectorial approach as has been shown above. Each citizen, community, societies, nations and the world as a whole must play their part. Each person should bear the responsibility of their actions and consequences of such actions to health. The health sectors should mediate between these diverse sectors with differing interests to achieve health of every individual in the community