“Health” is currently defined by the World Organization of Health (WHO) as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition has not changed since 1948. Health can be very complex with many determinants outside of physical, mental and social factors, such as spiritual and biological health. A more current definition of health I found was "A state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual's potential. This is a life-long process of moving towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental well-being" (Felman, 2017). I believe this definition of health is more relevant today as we are more aware of how to maintain health through our day to day lifestyle. Since 1948, we have advancements in nutrition, physical exercise, health screening tools, stress management, environmental studies and many more. More recently, many advocated for “spiritual health” to be a fourth dimension in the the definition set out by WHO. Spiritual heath is generally having a self-awareness and a set of values which can contribute to your daily actions in helping others and contributing to self-fulfillment and success (Svalastog, Donev, Jahren Kristoffersen, & Gajović, 2017). Spiritual wellness allows individuals to better manage life challenges.
While researching for a more current definition of health, there were many criticisms of WHO’s definition of health. Ageing with chronic diseases in 1948 usually led to death earlier, but with many advancements in health, coping and living with chronic diseases are not unheard of and have become the norm in today’s society. The WHO definition categorizes those with chronic diseases as ultimately ill. “It minimizes the role of the human capacity to cope autonomously with life’s ever changing physical, emotional, and social challenges and to function with fulfilment and a feeling of wellbeing with a chronic disease or disability” (Huber, et al., 2011). It does not consider the advancements in health care allowing those with chronic diseases to live overall “healthy” lives while coping and adapting to the illness they have. Another issue with WHO’s definition of health is the use of the word “complete” is “impracticable, because ‘complete’ is neither operational nor measurable” (Jadad & Ogrady, 2008).
Although there are considerable flaws with WHO’s definition of “health”, it is understandable as to why it has not been officially changed. Health is something that is so complex and is viewed differently by every individual. It is almost impossible to have the most accurate definition of health.
References:
Felman, A. (2017, July 31). Health: What does good health really mean? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150999.php#preserving_health
Huber, M., Knottnerus, J. A., Green, L., Horst, H. V. D., Jadad, A. R., Kromhout, D., … Smid, H. (2011). How should we define health? Bmj, 343(jul26 2), d4163–d4163. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d4163
Jadad, A. R., & Ogrady, L. (2008). How should health be defined? Bmj, 337(dec10 1). doi: 10.1136/bmj.a2900
Svalastog, A. L., Donev, D., Jahren Kristoffersen, N., & Gajović, S. (2017, December 31). Concepts and definitions of health and health-related values in the knowledge landscapes of the digital society. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5778676/