Unit 3 WHO vs Modern Definition of Health
The 1948 WHO definition of health describes health as "as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease" (World Health Organization, 2018). To try and understand the controversy with the definition, I started with a definition of the word "complete". The Merriam-Webster dictionary (n.d.) defines the word "complete" as "having all necessary parts, elements or steps", or "to make whole or perfect", or "total" or "absolute" (Complete, n.d.). How can anyone achieve a state of being "complete" in health?
What does complete physical health even look like? I applied it to a situation in my own life. At one point in my life I had to be treated for high blood pressure and was prescribed a low dose anti-hypertensive. Is high blood pressure a condition that cannot improve and only gets worse, no! According to the World Health Organization, I was not healthy, not complete. Did I feel healthy, yes! How does the WHO definition apply to people born with disabilities? Can a baby born with missing limbs or with a HIV infection for example be called "incomplete"? With the proper medical care and resources, these people can live long and productive lives. There are many aspects of health that the definition doesn't consider.
Chronic disease is a part of normal living, people are living longer and continue to be productive members of society, as measures to improve hygiene, nutrition, etc., continue (Huber, 2011).
People with chronic mental health disorders adapt, and develop coping mechanisms and strategies through treatment. If they feel healthy, what does the WHO definition say about them? The WHO definition does not make allowances for those people who have "the ability to manage their life with some degree independence despite a medical condition, and the ability to participate in social activities including work" (Huber, 2011). I agree with this comment. With the aging population and the "baby boomers" now retiring or retired, there are many people still active but managing some degree of chronic illness. Does this mean that they are not healthy? Huber (2011) stated, "The new definition of health should focus on the ability to adapt and to self-manage". Does it also mean that we need to take responsibility for our choices? How much of what people face as seniors with chronic disease, are due to personal choices as a younger person?
The WHO definition is no longer appropriate as it cannot measure "complete" health. Various modern definitions are emerging. "Health is the experience of physical and psychological well‐being. Good health and poor health do not occur as a dichotomy, but as a continuum. The absence of disease or disability is neither sufficient nor necessary to produce a state of good health" (Card, 2017). I feel that there will continue to be many discussions regarding the definition of health. "Redefining health is an ambitious and complex goal..." (Huber, 2011).
References
Brüssow, H. (2013). What is health?. Microbial Biotechnology, 6(4), 341-348. doi: 10.1111/17517915.12063
Card, A. J. (2017, March 16). Moving Beyond the WHO Definition of Health: A New Perspective for an Aging World and the Emerging Era of Value‐Based Care. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wmh3.221
Constitution of WHO: principles. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/about/mission/en
Huber, M. (2011). Health: How should we define it? BMJ: British Medical Journal, 343(7817), 235-237. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23051314
McKinley Health Center (2018). Wellness. Retrieved from https://mckinley.illinois.edu/health education/wellnUS National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Bircher, J., & Kuruvilla, S. (2014). Defining health by addressing individual, social, and environmental determinants: New opportunities for health care and public health. Journal of Public Health Policy, 35(3), 365-386. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119253/