To define health, is such an ambiguous term. It compare to wealth in some ways, all very relative. Millionaires keep working for more money, and a person who lives below the poverty line would say a good day is if the family is fed, bills are paid. How is Health that much different ? A person who lives with chronic illness who happens to have a good day, will quickly say they are healthy, however ask another person with no chronic disease who has picked up a nasty cold virus if they are healthy and they would quickly say no.
The WHO definition of health 1948 "State of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.". In looking to re-evaluate this definition we look to research. One of the first articles I read that resonated
with me was Rural definition of health: a systematic literature review. Gessert tells us that living in a rural area this article shows the reader that the definition of health in a rural population was grounded in their spiritual connections, job, connections with others and socioeconomic status. If you were ask a city folk about health status of a remote community, the thought may go to the lack of resources in rural settings so the assumptions could be made that they must be not as healthy in rural?
Kent, refers to the possibility that a contemporary definition of health can recognize that disease and disability can and often do co-exist with health. Contemporary definitions of health can be inclusive of a life that has a chronic disease. This article asks the question to the readers, are you healthy? The modern day answer is a snap shot in time. If you refer to the first article, if this question was asked to a rural person, the answer could be reflected in their sense of community, and maybe less about their physical self.
So to define health, will be a great challenge, if we are looking for a text book definition. A new definition of Health will have parameters that we measure against, the determinants of health, but also our life view on the day we are asked. And thinking back to 1948, the world has seen so many advancements in disease management, prevention, innovation and inventions, maybe its time to bring the definition of health up to date as well.
Resouces
Gessert, C., Waring, S., Bailey-Davis, L., Conway, P., Roberts, M., & VanWormer, J. (2015). Rural definition of health: a systematic literature review. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 1–14.
Kent L Bradley, Thomas Goetz, Sheila Viswanathan; Toward a Contemporary Definition of Health, Military Medicine, Volume 183, Issue suppl_3, 1 November 2018, Pages 204–207,
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