For some of you who are not actively involved in health-related research or a part of the healthcare system, it might come off as a shock that the current definition of health was formulated in 1948. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as a wide range of WHO partners, still endorse this definition. The definition describes health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (World Health Organization, n.d.). One might think this is a good definition. It sounds good while reading it now, but at the time, it was an ambitious definition as it included rare concepts of mental and social well-being along with the physical aspects. At least it made sense then. With the changing times and the involvement of a complex combination of factors associated with health and the advancement of healthcare technology, this definition doesn’t work anymore. The old disease-centric approach to health is out of date and it is time to redefine it.
As per the WHO definition of health, being healthy excludes having a heart disease. However, the rise of chronic diseases in current times has led to new disease management concepts. People suffering from chronic diseases fall into the category of disease, regardless of how well they manage their condition and whether they believe they are living a healthy life. The definition of health does not cater to the health of such individuals or groups of people. The rise of chronic diseases requires society to recognize and respond to the inadequacies of past sickness and health ideas regarding the expanding scope of the healthcare system. With this increased incidence of chronic diseases, the "disease is the new normal" concept is floated (Bradley, 2018). which helps people to understand the importance of health promotion, prevention, and early detection. As each person's experiences of health can differ widely and vary across their lifetime, having an ancient concept of health does not help.
The use of the term "not merely" in the definition also creates confusion, indicating that the absence of disease is still a part of it but not entirely (Bradley, 2018). Another concern associated with the WHO definition of health is the word "complete" as it unintentionally contributes to the medicalization of society (Huber, 2011). Nowadays, with the latest technology, abnormalities can be detected at a level that might never lead to disease. Interventions done at this stage lead to prevention, but it leaves little to no space for people suffering from chronic diseases. Regarding chronic diseases a better perspective of health states that, “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" (Alan, 2017).
Development of a contemporary definition is required to accommodate the evolving health concepts of current times. It should be based on achieving an optimal state of being based on the person's current conditions (Bradley, 2018). The definition of "health" should adapt to the ever-evolving needs over the life course and the management of diseases. By defining health in ways that work for everyone, or, perhaps even for more people in different life stages, a larger population will be able to relate to being healthy. Managing disease, rather than just excluding it, is the means to a long life, as should be accounted for in our definitions of health.
References:
Alan, J. (2017). Moving Beyond the WHO Definition of Health: A New Perspective for an Aging World and the Emerging Era of Value-Based Care. World Medical & Health Policy, 9(1), 127-137. https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.221
Bradley, K. L., Goetz, T., & Viswanathan, S. (2018). Toward a Contemporary Definition of Health. Military Medicine, 183(suppl_3), 204–207. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usy213
Huber, M., Knottnerus, J. A., Green, L., Horst, H. v. d., Jadad, A. R., Kromhout, D., Leonard, B., Lorig, K., Loureiro, M. I., Meer, J. W. M. v. d., Schnabel, P., Smith, R., Weel, C. v., & Smid, H. (2011). How should we define health? BMJ, 343(jul26 2), d4163–d4163. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d4163
World Health Organization. (n.d.). who.int/about/governance/constitution. Constitution. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution
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