Understanding Health: Determinants and Promotion
Understanding Health: Determinants and Promotion
Definition of Health
- Old Definition: Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
- Current Definition (WHO): Health is “the ability to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment.”
Major Determinants of Health
- Social factors
- Economic factors (often outside individual and collective control)
- Environmental factors
Factors Describing Population Health Status
- Life expectancy:
- Example (Czech Republic): Men – 72 years; Women – 79 years
- Mortality data (standardized):
- 62% – Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD)
- 26% – Tumors
Five Dimensions of Health
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Physical: Refers to the state of the body (composition, development, functions, and maintenance).
- Keys: Nutrition, fluids, exercise, regular medical checkups, sleep, avoidance of addictive substances.
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Intellectual: Cognitive ability to develop skills and knowledge to enhance one’s life.
- Keys: Setting realistic goals, exploring opportunities with an open mind, awareness of demands and expectations, positive outlook.
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Emotional: Ability to accept and cope with one’s own and others’ feelings.
- Keys: Awareness and acceptance of strengths, ability to handle stress and seek help, building strong communication networks.
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Social: Ability to build and maintain satisfying relationships.
- Keys: Interacting with people and their ideas, accepting and understanding other cultures, building networks, positive self-image, enhancing communication skills.
- Spiritual: The search for meaning and purpose in life.
Health Promotion
Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. The aim is to empower individuals to have more control over aspects of their lives that affect their health, improving the health status of individuals and communities.
“Health Promotion” encompasses seven areas of activity:
- Healthy public policies
- Economic and regulatory activities
- Environmental health measures
- Organizational development
- Community-based work
- Health education programs
- Preventive health services
At the Individual Level:
- Personal social services
- Healthcare services
Methods to Promote Health
- Creating supportive environments: Establishing policies that support healthy physical, social, and economic environments.
- Health education: Providing knowledge and skills to make informed health choices.
- Health communication: Informing the public about health concerns.
- Self-help: Mobilizing resources for self-care activities.
- Organizational development: Improving performance and morale within organizations.
- Community development/action: Engaging communities in health initiatives.
- Healthy public policy: Creating policies that support health.
- Advocacy: Gaining political and social support for health initiatives.
- Research: Gathering evidence to inform health promotion strategies.
- Environmental health measures: Addressing environmental factors that impact health.
- Economic and regulatory activities: Using economic and regulatory tools to promote health.