Define Health And How Should It Be Defined

What is health and how should it be defined?

This essay will evaluate the definition of health as published by the World Health Organisation (“WHO”) in 1948 which states that, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organisation, 19 June 1946 - 22 July 1946). At that time, this was a groundbreaking holistic idea which viewed the person as a whole and overcame the negative model of health which defined health as being an absence of disease (Huber, et al., 2011). However, this WHO definition has not been amended since 1948, and so it must be determined whether it is still relevant today, particularly when considering the current increase in life expectancy as a result of improved medical developments and a rise in chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Health has been defined by theorists in many ways, and Mildred Blaxter (1990) stated that a definition of health not only varies between individuals,

There are many more criticisms of the definition as the term “complete” renders the ability to achieve and maintain this level of health as unattainable and would leave the majority of people being classed as unhealthy (Smith, 2008). People with a disability or a chronic illness would be regarded as being unhealthy according to the WHO, regardless of how well the disability or illness is managed. Type 1 diabetes, for instance is a lifelong illness, but there is no reason why a person cannot live a full and happy life if they manage the condition properly. A paralympian athlete would not consider themselves unhealthy because they had a disability because they have worked hard to achieve their goals of competing at a high