Concepts and Determinations of Health

Concepts and determinants of health

What is health? In this assignment I will be exploring some of the available research surrounding health and what is meant by this term. To do this I will be looking at different concepts and factors and relating these to our everyday lives and the different views people have towards health. To do this I will use a case study, which I shall refer to only as Miss A.

Miss A is a young, white, British, female, and mother to a seven month old baby. She is currently living on welfare and in social housing in an area notorious for anti-social behaviour and crime.

So what is health? Health can mean various things to different people, dependant on age, gender, religion, background etc. Health is usually defined as, a negative, positive or a 'lay' perspective. A negative definition of health could be seen as the absence of disease or illness, while a positive definition could be seen as being fit and in a state of well-being. However, a lay perspective could be seen as 'common sense' view of health, which is usually passed down through generations as part of a common cultural heritage (Naidoo, Wills 2009). These concepts differ, dependant on the different groups within society they belong to for example: Christians, Buddhists, Jews and all of which have different views on what they interpret health to be.

According to the Worlds Health Organisation (WHO) "Health is a complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO 1946). In a similar way a lay perspective of defining health is: not being ill- an absence of symptoms or medical input, being physically fit- having energy and strength, being socially accepted, and being able to cope with the stresses of everyday life- state of mind (BAXTER 1990). Both the positive and the lay perspectives focuses on the individual being physically, socially, mentally, sexually, emotionally, and spiritually fit. However, a negative/medical perspective of health can be defined as "The absence of disease. An individual is healthy when his level of function does not impede or threaten to impede the performance of an acceptable social role (SMITH 1977). An example of this is the Western medical model. This view is based on nothing wrong with your health. No disease, no illness. When comparing all three views, the common factors that they all share is the concept of being free from illness and while the positive and the lay concepts are very similar as in they share the same approach and both focus in a holistic way- focussing on the individual and not specifically on the illness, where as the negative/medical concept focuses on the illness and not the individual as a whole.

Another way of looking at health is through a holistic approach. This incorporates the person as a whole, taking into account the physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and sexual factors rather than just the illness. Holistic health also focuses on the alternative therapies as well as the medical and places great emphasis on taking charge and being responsible for our own lives.

When asked what the term 'health' meant to my case study her reply was: "Being healthy means eating your 5 a-day, taking regular exercise, being happy inside and out, and being free from disease and illness."She admits this is not a lifestyle which she encompasses and feels there are changes within her health to be made. Miss A demonstrates the views of a positive person, with some negative and lay concepts- having a mixture of each definition. This is very typical for the family she was raised and grew up in and the people that she socialises with on a regular basis. If looking at my study case through an holistic approach Miss A follows many of these concepts within her life: she is physically fit-although does admit to not exercising and eating the wrong kind of foods, mentally stable, emotionally stable- very loved by all her know her, socially accepted-has many friends, spiritual- has morals and beliefs, and very comfortable with her sexuality and the way she looks and feels towards herself. Miss A firmly believes that she and only she alone can change the way her future looks.

There are many factors that influence health, these are known as determinants and it is these determinants that influence the way we live/see/act within society today. Over the years much research has been carried out on the causes of ill health and the de-terminating factors associated. Some of these factors include: lifestyle issues, socio-economic factors, gender, culture, social and community networks.

The lifestyle choices that we make affect the way in which we live and the importance it plays on our health. Within the UK, the major cause of death is cancer and it accounts for one in every four dying from the disease. With improvements in treatment and better survival rates more people are now living longer with the disease and more people than ever before have been cured. In most cases cancer is multifactoral-more than one cause, but with the choices that we make when living our lives can make this process more likely to happen (Accsess Health handouts 2011). Having a healthy lifestyle is the interaction of two factors; chance-things that we cannot change such as, your genetic make-up and choice- things that we can change and take more control of such as smoking, drinking alcohol, better nutrition and taking regular exercise. When applying this concept to my case study, Miss A openly admits to drinking to excess socially about twice a month and drinking well above the recommended daily allowance of 2-3 units for her gender (drinkaware.co.uk) and smoking up-to15 cigarettes a day. Miss A also admits to eating an unbalanced diet made up of many processed foods such as: crisps, chocolate, sweets, fried foods and lots of sugary drinks such as: cola and energy drinks and not participating in any form of exercise. There are many chances that Miss A is taking with her life and by making a few simple changes she could reduce her chances of developing cancer or other health related diseases. Eating a more balanced diet, consisting of: fruit, vegetables, fish, carbohydrates, protein and plenty of water and reducing the amount of saturated fat, sugar and salt consumed as suggested by The Foods Standard Agency, while quitting or reducing the amount of cigarettes and alcohol consumed and by taking regular exercise will not only increase her chances of leading a healthier longer life but will also show her daughter a healthy lifestyle.

There are many socio-economic factors within society that may affect a person's health. According to the report published by the Department of Health and Social Security (Townsend & Davidson 1982)