What is Health?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in 1948 as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Today, the WHO’s definition of health remains the official definition used by the organization. However, there have been debates about the relevance of this definition today. The definition has been criticized for having an unattainable goal of ‘complete health.’ More and more, the need for a more inclusive and functional definition of health is recognized. As our population lives longer, more people live with multiple chronic conditions. One in three Canadian adults lives with at least one of the following chronic diseases: cancer, diabetes, mood and anxiety disorders (Branchard, et al., 2018). The WHO’s definition of “complete health” sets unrealistic expectations, especially for older adults, excluding them from being considered healthy. This definition would classify people as unhealthy for mild or well-managed chronic illnesses or minor disabilities (Bircher & Kuruvilla, 2014). Having disease and feeling healthy are no longer mutually exclusive. Managing disease, maximizing function and prioritizing different health outcomes are some areas that should be included in the definition of health (Kiernan & Karlawish, 2019). Instead of achieving complete health, physically and psychologically oriented health care should ideally seek to restore patients to ‘normal’ function, which the individual should define in their context. Card (2015) proposes the following new definition of health: 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 good health. This definition describes health as a continuum, which avoids the most criticized aspect of the WHO definition (Card, 2015). It allows for realistic health goals for our current population. This definition also implies subjectivity and the need for person-centred assessment. As it is impossible to achieve perfect well-being for everyone at all times, the WHO’s definition of health is the subject of ongoing debates and evolution in health care. The definition of health presented by Card (2015) focuses on an achievable goal: improving and preserving the health status of patients, as defined and experienced by those patients. Bircher, Johannes, and Shyama Kuruvilla. 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): 363–86. Branchard, B., Deb-Rinker, P., Dubois, A., Lapointe, P., O'Donnell, S., Pelletier, L., & Williams, G. (2018). At-a-glance - How Healthy are Canadians? A brief update. Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can., 38(10), 385–387. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.38.10.05 Card, A. (2017). Moving beyond the WHO definition of health: a new perspective for an again world and the emerging era of value-based care. WMHP. https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.221 Kiernan, C. & Karlawish, J. (July 17, 2019). It’s time to change the definition of ‘health’. STAT. Retrieved from https://www.statnews.com/2019/07/17/change-definition-health/ Tarantola, D. (2019). Is the WHO Definition of health aging well? Frameworks for “health” after three score and ten. APJH. 109(8). doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2019.305177 World Health Organization. (n.d.). Constitution of the World Health Organization. Retrieved October 11, 2023 from https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution Permalink | Reply | Email Reply | Print Post | Print Topic