When considering what a current definition of health should be, one quickly realizes that this a more challenging task than you realize, likely why the current definition is seventy years old. We first have to consider what the current definition established by the World Health Organization in 1948 says, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO). There have been many changes in the world, specifically factors related to health in the last seventy years. More people are living longer with disease due to advancement in early detection as well as treatment, meaning that there are more people living with illness than ever before (Cara & Karlawish, 2019; Bradley, Goetz and Viswanathan, 2018). This makes us wonder, do all these people living for years with chronic health conditions really consider themselves to be unwell or do we need to imagine a new understanding of what health and well-being looks like?
With the current definition, we exclude those successfully living with chronic health condition from having good health. This definition does not allow for many of us to have “health” for very long in our lives since many of us have challenges with either physical or mental stress issues on a weekly basis. It seems in our current state; most people are denied the ability to be “healthy”. Bradley, Goetz and Viswanathan also make a good point that many resources are allocated to eradicate the disease process, resulting in a feeling of “failure, both on a system and individual level” when the hoped for results are not reached, even though an acceptable management strategy might be in place (Bradley, Goetz and Viswanathan, 2018). While aspects of the WHO definition are still important, it might be time to reconsider what “health” in 2019 should look like.
Leonardi’s vision for a new definition of health seems like a good place to start. In his definition “The capacity to cope with and to manage one’s own malaise and well-being conditions. In more operative terms, health many be conceptualized as the capability to react to all kinds of environmental events having the desired emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses and avoiding those undesirable ones”, a consideration for individualism is made (Leonardi, 2018). This thinking takes into account other aspects of health that are important to each individual such as faith, community, personal beliefs and self-management. Charlier et al. (2017) also seem to support this feeling that spirituality, adaptability and individual beliefs, such as indigenous people’s connection to the environment and the belief that the connection is directly related to their own wellbeing, are important aspects when considering a definition that is reflection of larger populations.
A lot has changed in the world since 1948, we are living longer, we are generally healthier and sanitary conditions have improved. It is time we consider how to change the definition of health to reflect our modern world. All individuals should have the ability to consider themselves to have “health and well-being” and to completely have the absence of any mental or physical issues should not be the only consideration of what being healthy is.
References
Bradley, K. L., Goetz, T., Viswanathan, S. (2018). Toward a Contemporary Definition of Health. Military Medicine, Vol. 183, Issue suppl_3, November-December 2018, p. 204-207.
Charlier, P., Coppens, Y., Malaurie, J., Brun, L., Kepanga, M., Hoang-Opermann, V., Correa Calfin, J.A., Nuku, G., Ushiga, M., Schor, X.E., Deo, S., Hassin, J., Herve, C. (2017). A new definition of health? An open letter of autochthonous peoples and medical anthropologists to the WHO. European Journal of Internal Medicine Vol. 37, January 2017, p. 33-37. Retrieved from https://0-www-sciencedirect-com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/science/article/pii/S0953620516301960?via=ihub
Fallon, C., Karlawish, J. (2019). Is the WHO Definition of Health Aging Well? Frameworks for “Health” After Three Score and Ten. American Journal of Public Health, 00900036, August 2019, Vol. 109, Issue 8. Retrieved from http://0-eds.a.ebscohost.com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=2d5493d1-d53f-43c1-85e5-97eb5c8f505e%40sdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=137304729&db=rzh
Leonardi, F. (2018). The definition of health: Towards new perspectives. International journal of health services Vol. 48(4) p.735-748. Retrieve from https://0-journals-sagepub-com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/doi/pdf/10.1177/0020731418782653?
Preamble to the Constitution of WHO as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19 June-22 July 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of WHO, no. 2, p.100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948. Accessed October 5, 2019.
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