CONCEPT OF HEALTH & WELLNESS / COMPONENTS OF HEALTH

 

Health

Traditionally health has been defined in the term of the Presence or absence of disease.

According to the Nightingale – "Health is a state of being well and using every power of the individual processes to the fullest extent.

According to the WHO "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease"

 

There are four aspects or dimensions emerge –

 (a) Physical (b) Mental (c) Social and spiritual.

• Physical well-being means having the physical strength, endurance and energy to work towards your goals.
•  Mental well-being is ability to cope with the world in a way that brings you satisfaction;
•  Social well-being means development of relationships with others – both with people in your immediate surroundings and with the larger community through cultural, spiritual and political activities.

Concept of health is mainly of four types:

 Biomedical Concept

•        Traditionally health has been viewed as "absence of disease" if one person is free from disease, s/he is considered as healthy. This concept is known as "Biomedical Concept", it has basis is germ theory of disease.

•        The medical profession viewed the human body as a machine, disease because of the breakdown of the machine and one of the Doctor's tasks as repair of machine. Thus, health in a narrow view became ultimate goal of medicine.

•        The limitation of this concept is that, it has minimized the role of environmental, social, psychological and cultural determinants of health.

Ecological Concept.

•        History argues that improvement in human adaptation to natural environment can lead to longer life expectancies and a better quality of life.

•        The concept supports the need for clean air, safe water, ozonic layer in the atmosphere, etc. to protect us from exposure to unhealthy factors.

Psycho social Concept

·       Health is not only a biomedical phenomenon, but also one, which is in the need by social psychological, cultural, economic and political factors of the people concerned. Health is both a biological and social phenomenon

Holistic Concept

·       Holism means viewing a person's health as a balance of body, mind, and spirit. Treating only the body will not necessarily restore optimal health. In addition to physical needs, nurses must also consider clients' psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual needs.

·       Holistic concept implies that, all sectors of society have an effect on health, in particular, agriculture, animal husbandry, food, industry, education, housing, public works, communications and health sectors the emphasis is on promotion and protection of health.

 

COMPONENTS OF HEALTH

Physical, e.g.:

•        ability to carry out daily tasks

•        achieve fitness

•        maintain nutrition and proper body fat

•        avoid abusing drugs, alcohol, or using tobacco products

•        generally to practice positive life-style habits

Social, e.g.:

•        ability to interact successfully with people and within the environment of which each person is a part

•        develop and maintain intimacy with significant others

•        develop respect and tolerance for those with different opinions and beliefs

Emotional, e.g.:

•        ability to manage stress and express emotions appropriately

•        ability to recognize, accept, and express feelings

•        ability to accept one's limitations

Intellectual, e.g.:

•        ability to learn and use information effectively for personal, family, and career development

•        striving for continued growth and learning to deal with new challenges effectively

Spiritual, e.g.:

•        belief in some force (nature, science, religion, or a "higher power") that serves to unite human beings and provide meaning and purpose to life

•        includes a person's morals, values, and ethics

Occupational

•        ability to achieve a balance between work and leisure time

•        beliefs about education, employment and home influence personal satisfaction and relationships with others

Environmental

•        ability to promote health measures that promote the standard of living and quality of life in the community

•        influences include:

•        food

•        water

•        air

REFERANCE:

1. Sharon Mantik Lewis, Heitkemper MM, Shannon Ruff Dirksen. Medical surgical nursing. St. Louis, Mo. ; London: Mosby; 2004.

2. Hinkle JL, Cheever KH. Brunner & Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. 14th ed. Philadelphia Wolters Kluwer Health, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2018.