2. Definition of health and disease
- Biomedical model = health is the freedom from disease
- Model focuses on physical processes of pathology, biochemistry, etc.
- Does not take into account social or individual factors
- Biopsychosocial model
- = Human functioning depends on biological, psychological, and social factors
- Health is not purely biological
- More modern
- Salutogenic model
- Model concerned with the relationship between health, stress and coping
- Instead of focusing on “what causes disease?”, the model focuses on “what causes health?”
- Health and disease is not a dichotomy but rather a continuum
- Many definitions of health
- WHO recent: “The extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.”
- Seedhouse: “Health is a state in which people are able to work towards attaining their realistic chosen and biologic potentials”
- WHO 1948: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
- Health is one of the basic human rights
- Mental health: “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community (WHO)”
- Wellness: A continuum of highest health potential <–> normal health <–> illness <–> death
- Involves environmental, social, occupational, intellectual, spiritual, physical and emotional factors
- Indicators of health on a population level
- Life expectancy
- Premature mortality (years of potential life lost, YPLLs)
- Age-specific death rates
- Cause-specific death rates
- Indications of health on an individual level
- Number of days in poor health
- Self-rated health status
- BMI
- Blood tests
- Etc.