What is Health?

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 or infirmity” (Huber, 2011). As time passed and the health outcomes of populations started to change, this definition began to encounter a lot of criticism and concern. The WHO’s definition of health focuses on “complete” wellness, and as such an individual would be considered “unhealthy” if even a minor disease or infirmity was present. This criticism also expresses concern for over-medicalization, as individuals begin to seek out unnecessary health interventions for conditions not initially seen as health problems. Furthermore, nowadays not only are people able to live longer with chronic disease but they are also able to manage their symptoms well enough to live fulfilling lives. The WHO definition does not account for this change and in turn underestimates the importance of human capacity to successfully cope with physical, emotional, and social challenges (2011).

According to Card (2017), “health is the experience of physical and psychological well-being” (p.131). Unlike the WHO’s definition, Card (2017) views health as a spectrum that can vary along a continuum due to external factors, and takes into account the individuality of health and the experiential state of one's health status. Though this newer definition was proposed in 2017, I do believe it is helpful and relevant today when discussing what health means. There are countless factors that contribute to an individual's health aside from their physical and psychological state at face value. Capacity to cope, presence of family and friends, emotional and spiritual support all affect an individual's well-being. Today healthcare providers aim to tailor their care to the needs of the individual or populations they serve. Having a definition of health that is more focused on the individual experience allows an individual to still classify as “healthy” along a continuum of well-being without completely being disqualified due to a disease or infirmity that is well-managed (Card, 2017).

References

Card, A. J. (2017). Moving beyond the who definition of health: A new perspective for an aging world

and the emerging era of value-based care. World Medical & Health Policy, 9(1), 127–137.

https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.221

Huber, M. (2011). Health: How should we define it? British Medical Journal, 343,(7817), 235-237.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d4163 (link http://www.jstor.org/stable/23051314)