What constitutes good health is a matter of personal choice. It varies widely, depending on one’s lifestyle and environment. A sea-level dweller may develop shortness of breath and anemia from shovelling in the mountains. However, the definition of good health must accommodate change in environment. Hence, it is important to have a broad concept of health. In this article, we discuss how to determine the level of health in different environments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a definition of health, which states that “complete physical and mental well-being are the foundation of all human activity.” This definition recognizes the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of chronic diseases. The world is getting older, which implies that our definition of health needs to change as well. Health is not merely absence of disease. It includes prevention, early treatment, and management of disease. The definition of health has to work for all of us and for our nation.
According to the World Health Organization, health is a resource that supports a person’s society, allowing him/her to enjoy a full and meaningful life. Research published in The Lancet journal defined health as a person’s capacity to adapt to new challenges and infirmities, as well as to change. This definition focuses on the complex interplay between genetics, lifestyle, and environment. However, health cannot be measured with a single measurement. There are several factors that determine health, some of which are in our control and others are structural.
