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- DictionaryHealth/helTH/
noun
- 1. the state of being free from illness or injury: "he was restored to health"
People also ask
What does health mean?
Why do we need a broad definition of Health?
What is human health?
May 1, 2024 · Recent News. health, in humans, the extent of an individual’s continuing physical, emotional, mental, and social ability to cope with his or her environment. This definition is just one of many that are possible. What constitutes “good” health in particular can vary widely. The rather fragile individual who stays “well” within the ...
- Overview
- What is health?
- Types
- Factors for good health
- Preserving health
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The word health refers to a state of complete emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Healthcare exists to help people stay well in these key areas of life.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthcare costs in the United States were $3.5 trillion in 2017.
However, despite this expenditure, people in the U.S. have a lower life expectancy than people in other developed countries. This is due to a variety of factors, including access to healthcare and lifestyle choices.
Good health is central to handling stress and living a longer, more active life. In this article, we explain the meaning of good health, the types of health a person needs to consider, and how to preserve good health.
In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health with a phrase that modern authorities still apply.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
In 1986, the WHO made further clarifications:
“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 means that health is a resource to support an individual’s function in wider society, rather than an end in itself. A healthful lifestyle provides the means to lead a full life with meaning and purpose.
In 2009, researchers publishing inThe Lancet defined health as the ability of a body to adapt to new threats and infirmities.
Mental and physical health are probably the two most frequently discussed types of health.
Spiritual, emotional, and financial health also contribute to overall health. Medical experts have linked these to lower stress levels and improved mental and physical well-being.
Genetic factors
A person is born with a variety of genes. In some people, an unusual genetic pattern or change can lead to a less-than-optimum level of health. People may inherit genes from their parents that increase their risk for certain health conditions.
Environmental factors
Environmental factors play a role in health. Sometimes, the environment alone is enough to impact health. Other times, an environmental trigger can cause illness in a person who has an increased genetic risk of a particular disease. Access to healthcare plays a role, but the WHO suggest that the following factors may have a more significant impact on health than this: •where a person lives •the state of the surrounding environment •genetics •their income •their level of education •employment status It is possible to categorize these as follows: •The social and economic environment: This may include the financial status of a family or community, as well as the social culture and quality of relationships. •The physical environment: This includes which germs exist in an area, as well as pollution levels. •A person’s characteristics and behaviors: A person’s genetic makeup and lifestyle choices can affect their overall health. According to some studies, the higher a person’s socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to enjoy good health, have a good education, get a well-paid job, and afford good healthcare in times of illness or injury. They also maintain that people with low socioeconomic status are more likely to experience stress due to daily living, such as financial difficulties, marital disruption, and unemployment. Social factors may also impact on the risk of poor health for people with lower SES, such as marginalization and discrimination. A low SES often means reduced access to healthcare. A 2018 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology indicated that people in developed countries with universal healthcare services have longer life expectancies than those in developed countries without universal healthcare. Cultural issues can affect health. The traditions and customs of a society and a family’s response to them can have a good or bad impact on health. According to the Seven Countries Study, researchers studied people in select European countries and found that those who ate a healthful diet had a lower 20-year death rate. The study indicated that people who ate a healthful diet are more likely to consume high levels of fruits, vegetables, and olives than people who regularly consume fast food. The study also found that people who followed the Mediterranean diet had a lower 10-year all-cause mortality rate. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, this diet can help protect a person’s heart and reduce the risk of several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, and diseases that cause the brain and nerves to break down. How a person manages stress will also affect their health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people who smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, or take illicit drugs to manage stressful situations are more likely to develop health problems than those who manage stress through a healthful diet, relaxation techniques, and exercise.
The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle rather than waiting until sickness or infirmity to address health problems. People use the name wellness to describe this continuous state of enhanced well-being.
The WHO define wellness as follows:
“Wellness is the optimal state of health of individuals and groups. There are two focal concerns: the realization of the fullest potential of an individual physically, psychologically, socially, spiritually, and economically, and the fulfillment of one’s roles and expectations in the family, community, place of worship, and other settings.”
Wellness promotes active awareness of and participating in measures that preserve health, both as an individual and in the community. Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily commitment.
Steps that can help people attain wellness include:
•eating a balanced, nutritious diet from as many natural sources as possible
Good health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, according to the WHO. Learn about the types of health, the factors that influence it, and how to preserve it.
How to use health in a sentence. the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially : freedom from physical disease or pain; the general condition of the body… See the full definition
Jul 27, 2023 · Introduction. ‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ ( World Health Organisation [WHO], 1948: 100). In this paper, I argue that this famous WHO definition of health is fully adequate.
Feb 15, 2023 · In 1948 the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (WHO, 2020, p. 1). Some criticized this definition as being excessively broad, vague, and unmeasurable, and in subsequent years health care focused more on a biomedical reductionist model than on achieving that more ...
- 2023/02/15
Health. This article is about the human condition. For other uses, see Health (disambiguation). World Health Organization 's definition. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Source: "Constitution". World Health Organization.
Committee definition of health: Health is a state of well-being and the capability to function in the face of changing circumstances. Health is, therefore, a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities. Improving health is a shared responsibility of health care providers, public health officials ...
