The World Health Organization
(WHO) defines health as:
"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity."
The widespread use of this definition indicates how the perception of health has
shifted beyond the medical model that was prevalent for most of this century. It has
evolved from "health as absence of disease" to a much broader concept.
The WHO definition suggests that health is:
Multidimensional : it is related to physical, mental and social
well-being. Multi-determined : it is affected by many factors, including:
- spiritual beliefs and practices
- social support
- relationships
- peace
- justice
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- the economy
- income
- the environment
- policies
- citizen participation in decision making.
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Dynamic : it shifts freely and frequently. Subjective : each person's experiences of health can differ widely,
even when the "dimensions" appear to be similar.
Although most health promotion (HP) practitioners agree that health is much more than
"not ill", it is easy to see why some have criticized the definition for its
lack of boundaries. Including mental and social well-being in the definition of health
gives HP practitioners almost limitless options for the prevention and treatment of
"poor health."
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