Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is a state of full mental, physical and social well being and not just the absence of illness and infirmity. Over time many different definitions have been utilized for such purposes. A major part of defining what health is has been the work of the health gurus. The dictionary definition of health is: “the quality of life that includes satisfaction of bodily wants; sound health with respect to age, sex, mind, body, and social relationships.” It goes on to say that the state of health varies between individuals, and that good health is determined through self-awareness and respect for one’s own body.
In order to attain a comprehensive understanding of how to improve one’s health, we must first understand what is meant by wellness and health. Wellness refers to the capacity to achieve, maintain and adapt to a particular situation. Health on the other hand refers to the completeness of the body’s normal processes in maintaining health, function, and performance. A well balanced and healthy body means good health but it also requires a certain amount of risk factors for us to attain it.
Good health or well-being is important because it contributes to effective management of diseases and its complications. It also contributes to improved productivity, higher income, improved social conditions and maintenance of peace. These are just some of the benefits that come with having a good body. For the purpose of this discussion we will be focusing more on the aspects of medical care and wellness.
The most direct application of health promotion is through prevention. People can prevent a lot of diseases from occurring by practicing good hygiene and keeping themselves fit. Proper nutrition is also important in the management of common as well as complex diseases. Proper training in the use of medical devices, foods and nutrition products is also essential.
Health promotion is not just about the application of preventative measures though. There are also some indirect determinants that have direct application to the control and prevention of a disease. These are the outcome of the well-being of the community as a whole and are therefore crucial for effective management of health. Some of these are physical activities, behavior modification, public education and information dissemination.
We have looked at three main determinants of health promotion. There are of course many more but for our purposes here, the most relevant ones are mortality, morbidity and equity. The planning phase of health promotion involves analyzing current trends and gaps in knowledge. Current preventive and health promotion programs should be evaluated in terms of their relative success in reducing current and future disparities in health.