Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity of 1 or more people.

Last Updated on November 25, 2024 by Rihanna

Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time.

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Hlth can be promoted by encouraging hlthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress.

Some factors affecting hlth are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services.

Still, other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

History of Health

The meaning of hlth has evolved over time. In keeping with the biomedical perspective, early definitions of hlth focused on the theme of the body’s ability to function; health was seen as a state of normal function that could be disrupted from time to time by disease.

An example of such a definition of hlth is: “a state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity; ability to perform personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to deal with physical, biological, psychological, and social stress“. Then, in 1948, in a radical departure from previous definitions, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a definition that aimed higher, linking hlth to well-being, in terms of “physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”.Although this definition was welcomed by some as being innovative, it was also criticized for being vague and excessively broad and was not construed as measurable.

For a long time, it was set aside as an impractical ideal, with most discussions of hlth returning to the practicality of the biomedical model.

Determinants

In general, the context in which an individual lives is of great importance for both his hlth status and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized that hlth is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society

According to the World Health Organization, the main determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and the person’s individual characteristics and behaviors.

The concept of the “health field,” as distinct from medical care, emerged from the Lalonde report from Canada. The report identified three interdependent fields as key determinants of an individual’s hlth. These are:

Biomedical: all aspects of hlth, physical and mental, developed within the human body as influenced by genetic make-up.

Environmental: all matters related to hlth external to the human body and over which the individual has little or no control.

Lifestyle: the aggregation of personal decisions (i.e., over which the individual has control) that can be said to contribute to, or cause, illness or death;

Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
Family history of mental health problems
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse

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Maintaining

Diet: An important way to maintain one’s personal hlth is to have a hlthy diet. A hlthy diet includes a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods that provide nutrients to the body. Such nutrients provide the body with energy and keep it running. Nutrients help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes (i.e., blood pressure). Water is essential for growth, reproduction and good hlth.

Exercise: Physical exercise enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It strengthens one’s bones and muscles and improves the cardiovascular system. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are four types of exercise: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance.^[46] The CDC states that physical exercise can reduce the risks of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and anxiety

Sleep: Sleep is an essential component to maintaining health. In children, sleep is also vital for growth and development. Ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk for some chronic health problems. In addition, sleep deprivation has been shown to correlate with both increased susceptibility to illness and slower recovery times from illness. In one study, people with chronic insufficient sleep, set as six hours of sleep a night or less, were found to be four times more likely to catch a cold compared to those who reported sleeping for seven hours or more a night.

Age and condition	Sleep needs
Newborns (0–3 months)	14 to 17 hours
Infants (4–11 months)	12 to 15 hours
Toddlers (1–2 years)	11 to 14 hours
Preschoolers (3–5 years)	10 to 13 hours
School-age children (6–13 years)	9 to 11 hours
Teenagers (14–17 years)	8 to 10 hours
Adults (18–64 years)	7 to 9 hours
Older Adults (65 years and over)	7 to 8 hours