1. Dearne Valley College
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Nursing, Health and Social Care)
Health Assignment
Essay on
Concepts of Health
By Susan Deakin
DV Number – 3003836

2. Susan Deakin
Word Count – 1,563
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity (World Health Organisation, 2013)’.
There are however different ways of looking at health as the word health can mean
different things to different people, for example:
Physical health refers to the state of a person’s body and its compositions,
development, functions and maintenance. To ensure physical health there are a
few ways this can be achieved by eating nutritious food to keep the body and mind
energised, never over eat or skip meals. Water is essential for cleansing the body
along with keeping fit through exercise which will increase immunity and endurance
levels of the body. At least 7-8 uninterrupted sleep is essential and regular checkups with the doctor to help catch an illness in its very early stages. The avoidance of
addictive substances, for example, drugs, alcohol and caffeine are essential to
physical health (World Health Organisation, 2013).
Mental Health refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the
mental well-being. It is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being,
and not merely the absence of disease. It is the promotion of well-being, the
prevention of mental disorders and the treatment and rehabilitation of people
affected by mental disorders (World Health Organisation, 2013).
Emotional Health is the ability to cope with own feelings and is defined as emotional
well-being. Emotions contribute to almost all aspects of life and even setting a
course of action. Symptoms of emotional problems such as hopelessness,
depression, anxiety and even suicide are not always easily detectable but can lead
to dire consequences and even death. An awareness and acceptance of strengths
and weaknesses are essential for emotional well-being. An ability to handle stress
and seek help is needed. A strong family and friend support is essential for
emotional well-being (World Health Organisation, 2013).
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3. Susan Deakin
Social health is to build and maintain satisfying relationships because human beings
are very social animals and it comes naturally. Social acceptance is also connected
to emotional well-being.
A person needs to enhance their interpersonal
communication skills and adopt a positive self-image to be socially accepted and
have social heath. There is a need for the acceptance in understanding diverse
cultural norms and networks need to be built amongst different kinds of people no
matter of their race or religion (World Health Organisation, 2013).
Spiritual health is the ability to develop ones spiritual nature to its fullest potential
using relaxation techniques, for example, yoga, pilates, tai chi and also religion plays
a big factor in spiritual health as it gives the sense of peace and belonging (World
Health Organisation, 2013).
Sexual Health is ensuring all aspects of the reproductive system are healthy. This
includes freedom from disease for example testicular and ovarian cancer as well as
sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) for example Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis
and Herpes (World Health Organisation, 2013).
Societal health is about the conditions in which a person is born, grow, live, work and
age including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the
distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The
societal determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequalities, the
unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries
(World Health Organisation, 2013).
Environmental Health is the ability to recognise the responsibility for the quality of air
and water and to make a positive impact on the quality of the environment, be it in
the home, community or planet (World Health Organisation, 2013).
The health triangle is an equilateral triangle balancing health and well-being equally
on three sides. Each side of the triangle represents a determinant of health, for
example, physical, mental and societal health all depend on each other, an example
being that people with poor social health often experiences feelings of isolation and
loneliness which can lead to depression. Studies show that if a person is lonely they
are likely to recover from illness slower than a physically fit person and face an
increased risk of high blood pressure and certain cardiac conditions. A physically fit
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person on the other hand typically has higher self-esteem which can enhance their
ability to have healthy relationships (EHow, 2013).
Maslow states that people are motivated by needs and most basic needs are inborn.
Maslows hierarchy of needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting
with the first which are about survival. When lower order needs of physical and
emotional well-being are satisfied on to the higher order needs of personal
development. If things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, higher
order needs are no longer a priority.
According to World Health Organisation, more than 450 million people suffer from
mental health disorders and that it is an integral part of health. It states that mental
health is determined by socio-economic, biological and environmental factors.
Persistent social pressures are recognised risks to mental health for individuals and
communities. The clearest evidence is associated with poverty and low levels of
education. Poor mental health is also associated with rapid social change, stressful
work conditions, gender discrimination, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyles, human
rights violation and physical ill-health (World Health Organisation, 2013).
According to WHO Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and is not just being absent from illness (World Health Organisation, 2013).
This is a very positive view on health; however, health can be defined negatively and
positively and means different things to different people. For example of a negative
approach on health would be the holistic concept of health as it considers the whole
person rather than just concentrating on the illness they may have. It recognises
that every aspect of health can impact on another, for example having a mental
illness can impact on a person’s physical health.
A more positive definition is where health can be described as the achievement and
maintenance of physical fitness and mental stability. When looking at class, The
health of a person living in a deprived area is far worse and life expectancy much
shorter as they are more likely to suffer long standing illnesses, have less money to
buy nutritious food and less likely to seek help. However a person in an area of high
social class can afford the best health care and have money to buy nutritious food
and therefore have a longer life expectancy. Need to add about how every person
view of health will vary dependent on their background and education.
When comparing health in other countries with the United Kingdom, there is a huge
difference in the care provided and mortality rates. For example, when looking at
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5. Susan Deakin
Tanzania in Africa, their prevailing health problems are communicable diseases and
obstetric complications, which amount to approximately 70% of hospital attendance.
Infectious bacterial diseases, such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, tuberculosis and
meningitis are the main causes of hospital attendance. This is because of the poor
sanitation and lack of clean water. HIV has also become a major threat to health in
Tanzania with the number of patients diagnosed with AIDS increasing annually.
10% of adults are HIV positive in some parts of the country. Malaria, which is a
parasitic disease, is the leading problem causing death in young children and adults.
Industrial and occupational health problems do not receive much attention and rules
for an employees protection either don’t exist or are not followed.
The traditional African system of health care is holistic and interwoven with religion,
which is a way of life, and daily living. But in the present-day Tanzania, traditional
medicine operates alongside the modern health care system which will in turn
provide the Tanzanian people with better health care, education and longer life
expectancy as in the present day mortality rates for a man in Tanzania is 49 years
and for a woman it is 51 years which is vastly poorer than in more developed
countries.
(Department of Nursing and Health Administration, 2013)
New Zealand, is a much more developed country than Tanzania. A woman’s life
expectancy in New Zealand is 82 and a man’s life expectancy is 78. This is because
New Zealand is a much more developed country with a good education, sanitation
and health care service. However, as with other developed countries, the main
cause of diseases are cancers, cardiovascular disease, strokes, diabetes and mental
health with can result in suicide. Having said that New Zealanders have a strong
cultural identity, which gives them a strong sense of well-being. They strive
themselves on recognising the importance of a shared national identity and a sense
of belonging. They value cultural, social and ethnic diversity and recognise New
Zealand as a multicultural society (The Social Report, New Zealand, 2010).
In the United Kingdom, the life expectancy for a man is 77 and a woman is 81. This
is slightly lower than Australia but substantially higher than Tanzania. As with New
Zealand the United Kingdoms biggest diseases and health issues are cancers,
cardiovascular disease, strokes, diabetes and mental health (NHS Choices, 2013).
There are also high levels of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and
the teenage pregnancy rates are the lowest they have been sine 1969 but are still
very high with 35,633 teenage pregnancy’s in 2010. The NHS provides a free service
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to the whole of the United Kingdom population which is not available anywhere else
in the world (BBC website, 2013).
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7. Susan Deakin
References
BBC
Website
(2013),
‘Health
–
Teenage
Pregnancy
[online]’,
Available
at:
<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17190185 > [Accessed 20th February 2013]
Department of Nursing and Health Administration (2013), ‘Tanzanian Health Care System
[online]’, Available at: <http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514264312/html/x325.html> [Accessed –
20th February 2013]
EHow (2013), ‘Describe the Three Elements of the Health Triangle [online]’, Available at
<http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8198822_describe-three-elements-health-triangle.html>
[Accessed - 18th February 2013]
NHS
Choices
(2013),
‘Health
News
[online]’
Available
at:
<
http://www.nhs.uk/News/Pages/NewsIndex.aspx > [Accessed 20th February 2012]
The Social Report, New Zealand (2010), ‘Life Expectancy [on-line]’ Available at <
http://socialreport.msd.govt.nz/health/life-expectancy.html> [Accessed 20th February 2013]
World Health Organisation (2013), Environmental Health Definition [online]’, Available at:
<http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en/> [Accessed – 18th February 2013]
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8. Susan Deakin
World
Health
Organisation
(2013),
‘Key
Concepts
[online]’,
Available
<http://www.who.int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/key_concepts/en/
at:
>
[Accessed – 18th February 2013]
World Health Organisation (2013), ‘Mental Health Definition [online]’, Available at:
<http://www.who.int/topics/mental_health/en/> [Accessed – 18th February 2013]
World Health Organisation (2013), ‘Sexual Health Definition [online]’, Available at:
<http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/sexual_health/sh_definitions/en/>
[Accessed
– 18th February 2013]
World
Health
Organisation
(2013),
‘Social
Health
Definition
[online]’
<http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/> [Accessed – 18th February 2013]
World
Health
Organisation
(2013),
‘Spiritual
Health
Definition
[online]’
<http://www.who.int/hia/examples/overview/whohia203/en/> [Accessed – 18th February
2013]
World Health Organisation (2013), ‘WHO Definition of Health [online]’ Available at:
<www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html> [Accessed - 18th February 2013]
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9. Susan Deakin
Bibliography
Oxford Journals (2013) ‘Physical, Mental and Social Health [online]’ Available at:
<www.ije.oxfordjournals..org/content/1/4/347.short> [Accessed - 18th February
2013)
Statistics, New Zeland (2013), ‘How long will I live [online], Available at: <
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/health/life_expectancy/how-long-will-Ilive.aspx > [Accessed – 20th February 2013]
Tanzania
National
Website
(2003)
‘Health
[online]’
Available
at:
<
http://www.tanzania.go.tz/health.html> [Accessed – 20th February 2013]
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10. Susan Deakin
Bibliography
Oxford Journals (2013) ‘Physical, Mental and Social Health [online]’ Available at:
<www.ije.oxfordjournals..org/content/1/4/347.short> [Accessed - 18th February
2013)
Statistics, New Zeland (2013), ‘How long will I live [online], Available at: <
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/health/life_expectancy/how-long-will-Ilive.aspx > [Accessed – 20th February 2013]
Tanzania
National
Website
(2003)
‘Health
[online]’
Available
at:
<
http://www.tanzania.go.tz/health.html> [Accessed – 20th February 2013]
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