Related topics: health care
Health
hideAt the time of the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 1948, Health was defined as being "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
This definition invited nations to expand the conceptual framework of their health systems beyond issues related to the physical condition of individuals and their diseases, and it motivated us to focus our attention on what we now call social determinants of health. Consequently, WHO challenged political, academic, community, and professional organisations devoted to improving or preserving health to make the scope of their work explicit, including their rationale for allocating resources. This opened the door for public accountability [3].
Only a handful of publications have focused specifically on the definition of health and its evolution in the first 6 decades. Some of them highlight its lack of operational value and the problem created by use of the word "complete." Others declare the definition, which has not been modified since 1948, "simply a bad one." [4]. More recently, Smith suggested that it is "a ludicrous definition that would leave most of us unhealthy most of the time." [5].
In 1986, the WHO, in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, said that health is "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." Classification systems such as the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC), which is composed of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) also define health.
Overall health is achieved through a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being, which, together is commonly referred to as the Health Triangle.
For more information about Health, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with health
Health care loophole would allow coverage limits
6 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- A loophole in the Senate health care bill would let insurers place annual dollar limits on medical care for people struggling with costly illnesses such as cancer, prompting a rebuke from patient ...
Search results for health
More mental health care called for in wake of Ft. Hood shootings
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
The recent shootings at the Ft. Hood, Texas army base, allegedly by an army psychiatrist, have placed much-needed focus on mental health care in the army. In an article published in the December issue of the journal CNS Sp ...
Studies: Bone drugs may help prevent breast cancer
23 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- New results from a large women's health study suggest that bone-building drugs such as Fosamax and Actonel might help prevent breast cancer.
Chinese health officials step up flu prevention
7 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- China's Health Ministry warned Friday that the swine flu outbreak in the country could peak over the next several months, especially as hundreds of millions of people return home for the traditional Chinese New Year.
Italy's poor go to the hospital more
6 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findin ...
Chinese-American and Korean-American women at highest risk for diabetes in pregnancy
3 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
More than 10 percent of women of Chinese and Korean heritage may be at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 16,000 women in Hawaii that appears in the December issue of ...
Moderate weight loss in obese people improves heart function
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Obese patients who lost a moderate amount of weight by eating less and exercising more improved their cardiovascular health, says a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
MRI detects breast cancer at earlier stage
20 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coupled with mammography detects almost all cancers at an early stage, thereby reducing the incidence of advanced stage breast cancer in high-risk women.
More 20 mph zones in London would prevent 100 killed or seriously injured casualties each year
6 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
20 mph traffic speed zones reduce casualties by 41.9% with the greatest reduction in child casualties, according to research published today in the British Medical Journal.
Landmark study confirms chemotherapy benefit in breast cancer patients
7 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Chemotherapy generally improves survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients, according to a landmark study led by Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Health System.
Doctors advised to curtail antibiotic dosages
Medicine & Health / Medications
6 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
It's a common scene: Mom brings aching child with some bug to the doctor's office, expecting the doctor to do, well, something.
List of search results for health
