Four Basic Concepts of Defined Health

Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is “the state of full physical, emotional and social well being and not just the absence of sickness and disease”. Over time various definitions for health have been given. Some experts define it as being the state that you are in when you are not feeling ill but mentally or emotionally healthy and this definition is widely used by most of the population.

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The second and third definition of health are respectively “exceedingly good health” and “good but not perfect health”. In the second definition health would be considered as being so good that nothing harmful would happen to you and in the third, “perfect health” would mean being in good physical condition with no conditions that could lead to disease. Using these definitions in different studies have shown that people who have good health tend to live longer than those who have bad health. It also seems that people who have good health live longer even if they do not have much medical conditions compared with those who are unhealthy.

Healthy people have low risks of getting many diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV and many other diseases. They do not get sick very often and their immune system is able to fight against most diseases. Poor nutrition and lack of exercise also reduces the immunity of the person. As the age increases, more people are becoming aware of their health, which is a good thing because the public health system is very efficient nowadays.

According to the third definition of health, “good health” would be maintained through a healthy diet and physical activity. Being physically active can help you to prevent many diseases including obesity, which is the main cause of the increasing rate of obesity in the world. It also prevents other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Although the consumption of sugar has become less in the past years, there is still a big amount of sugar consumed by many people.

The consumption of sugar can affect the level of blood sugar which can result to different types of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. Having a healthy diet is the basic step in order to prevent obesity because obesity can cause many other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. Therefore, a healthy diet is necessary for the public health. People should be informed about the importance of having a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, whole grains, and seeds.

The fourth and last definition of “Defined Health” is mental health. Having a good and healthy mental health is very important for the people to enjoy their life. People who have mental disorders or diseases such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder usually have problems with their physical well-being. Therefore, having a healthy lifestyle and mental health is very important for people to have a better quality of life and physical well-being.