What is Health?

October 8, 2019

As a healthcare professional I would assume that my definition of health would be on par with that of the rest of the medical community. After some deep diving through numerous resources it was evident to me that the concept health is non-definitive and highly up for interpretation. Rather than one single definition, there are many different concepts of health, implications of health, and determinants of health. This is somewhat in line with the World Health Organization’s definition of health from 1948 which states “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease” (World Health Organization, 1948). Although I agree with the broad definition of health from WHO, I also believe that there is more to it. As a nurse who has focused on the delivery of holistic care, it’s important for me to discuss the implications of determinants of health, health promotion and care of the whole person.

Health promotion is a recognizable topic and can be understood as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health (WHO, 2019). In essence, it’s a matter of allowing patients to advocate and participate in their own health practices and choices. WHO (2019) also goes on to explain health is seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. This would indicate that health is more than just the absence of disease but rather a series of choices that people can make that have an impact on their overall wellbeing. WHO (2019) further explains that there are fundamental resources required for health including: peace; shelter; food; income; and sustainable resources. This is similar to the Government of Canada’s (2019) explanation of the Social determinants of health which can be understood as a range societal and environmental factors that determine health of a population. The main social determinants of health are: income and social status; employment and working conditions; education and literacy; childhood experiences; physical environments; social supports and coping skills; healthy behaviours; access to health services; biology; gender; culture; and race (Government of Canada, 2019).

My views on health are more in line with the concept of social determinants of health as well as promotion of holistic health. Holistic health can be understood as as an approach to life that doesn’t focus on illness or specific parts of the body rather, it considers the whole person and they interact with his or her environment (Ivy College on Health and Wellbeing, 2015). Muacevic and Adler (2017) explain that in order to achieve the most desirable health outcomes, physicians should focus on all aspects of one’s state including mental, physical and social domains. As a mental health nurse I have seen firsthand how detrimental the social determinants of health can be. In my experience, clients who do not have adequate housing, limited or no income, poor literacy and unsupportive home environments have been more likely to fall through system gaps and not receive the adequate level of healthcare they require. These clients have ended up homeless with poor access to primary care and have resulted in heavy system use through emergency department visits or legal involvement.

In my opinion, health is a constantly changing status regardless of one’s absence of illness. I believe that emphasis should be focused on health promotion and the prophylactic avoidance of illness rather than constantly battling disease as it emerges. I recognize that this is a challenging way to view health of a population but I also see the value in changing our perspective to promoting wellness rather than avoiding illness.

References:

Government of Canada. (2019, June 28). Social determinants of health and health inequalities. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from Canada.ca: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html

Ivy College on Health and Wellbeing. (2015, November 13). Holistic Health. Retrieved October 2019, 8, from Ivy College on Health and Wellbeing: https://www.ivy.edu.au/blog/health-wellbeing/holistic-health-can-achieve/

Muacevic, A. & Adler, J. (2017). Redefining Health: Implication for Value-Based Healthcare Reform. Cureus, 1-2.

World Health Organization. (1948). Constitution of the World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.searo.who.int/about/about_searo_const.pdf?ua=1

World Health Organization. (2019). Health Promotion. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/

Additional resources in relation to health:

Brook, H. (2017). Should the definition of health include a measure of tolerance? American Medical Association, 1.

Crouch, A. &. (2015). Concepts of health, illness and holism. In A. &. Crouch, Vital Notes for Nurses: Health Assessment (pp. 78-80). John Wiley & Sons, Incoporated.

Government of Canada. (2008, September 12). What is the Population Health Approach? Retrieved October 6, 2019, from Canada.ca: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/population-health-approach/what-is-health.html

Government of Canada. (2019, June 28). Social determinants of health and health inequalities. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from Canada.ca: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html

Oregan Health and Science University. (2014, January 24). What is Health? Retrieved October 6, 2019, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI1OXWIQf3k

https://youtu.be/bI1OXWIQf3k?t=4