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
Major impacts of climate change expected on mental health
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
15 hours ago |
3.4 / 5 (5) |
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Leading mental health researchers are warning that some of the most important health consequences of climate change will be on mental health, yet this issue is unlikely to be given much attention at the UN climate change ...
Study reveals people’s thoughts on living longer
Nov 30, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If people were given a pill to make them live longer what would they do with that extra time? According to a new study by University of Queensland researchers, they would spend it with their family.
Cellphone powers back pain chip in Taiwan
Nov 27, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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Taiwanese researchers have developed a chip to treat backpain that is powered by mobile phone, a member of the team said Friday.
Heavy metal paradox could point toward new therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 30, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way ...
Ethnic pride key to black teen mental health
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 01, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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Ethnic pride may be as important as self-esteem to the mental health of young African-American adolescents, according to a new study in the Nov/Dec issue of the journal Child Development.
Understanding the pros and cons of health overhaul
Nov 28, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(AP) -- Maybe you've been reading the health care bill in your spare time. Then perhaps you can answer this question:
Low-income women 4 times more likely to report fair or poor health
Nov 30, 2009 |
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Low-income women are four times more likely than higher-income women to report fair or poor health and nearly twice as likely to report a health condition that limits their basic physical activities, according to a new policy ...
'Outbreaks Near Me' app now available for Android mobile phones
Dec 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- "Outbreaks Near Me," an up-to-the-minute disease-tracking system released as an iPhone application in September, is now available for use on Android mobile phones, greatly increasing the number of people ...
Toxic chemicals found in a third of children's toys: study
Dec 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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A third of the most popular children's toys in the United States this year contain harmful chemicals including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, a US consumer group said Wednesday.
Binge drinking youths find getting old a drag
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 01, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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Young men who believe that happiness declines with age are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors such as binge drinking. Their misguided negative view of the aging process may act as a disincentive to behave 'sensibly' ...
Alcohol companies target youths with magazine ads, new study shows
Dec 02, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
1
Alcoholic beverages popular among youths are more likely to be advertised in magazines with high youth readership than alcoholic drinks consumed mainly by adults, resulting in disproportionately high youth exposure to such ...
Transplant infectious disease experts provide pandemic guidance
15 hours ago |
1 / 5 (1) |
1
Surgeons and other healthcare professionals specialising in solid organ transplants have been issued with expert advice to guide them through the complex clinical issues posed by the global H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.
Diabetes cases to double and costs to triple by 2034
Nov 27, 2009 |
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In the next 25 years, the number of Americans living with diabetes will nearly double, increasing from 23.7 million in 2009 to 44.1 million in 2034. Over the same period, spending on diabetes will almost triple, rising from ...
Research highlights need for national HIV strategy
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Nov 30, 2009 |
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that well over one million people in the United States are infected with HIV/AIDS. New research from North Carolina State University shows that many of those infected ...
Investigators identify successful weight control strategies for adolescents
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Adolescent obesity is a major public health problem that impacts one out of every three children, resulting in 4-5 million overweight youth in the United States. In a study published in the December 2009 issue of the Journal of ...
