Importance Of World Health Organization and Definitions (Essay Sample)

Definition of Health
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Task 2: Definition of Health
The term health is continuously changing depending on cultural practices and continuous improvement in technology and scientific knowledge. Due to such fluctuating conditions, an attempt to explain this meaning of health has led to scholars debating on what is the right standardized definition of health. In this essay, factors that influence health perception will be analyzed and the usefulness of World Health Organization (WHO) will be determined.
According to ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"gMs9XLfK","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bircher 2005)","plainCitation":"(Bircher 2005)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1963,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/NUUVWP9B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/NUUVWP9B"],"itemData":{"id":1963,"type":"article-journal","title":"Towards a dynamic definition of health and disease","container-title":"Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy","page":"335–341","volume":"8","issue":"3","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Bircher","given":"Johannes"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} Bircher (2005) being healthy means being in a state of optimal physical, mental and social functioning. Others define it’s as a state of optimal interaction between the internal and the external setting ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"KX3NXKSe","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bircher 2005)","plainCitation":"(Bircher 2005)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1963,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/NUUVWP9B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/NUUVWP9B"],"itemData":{"id":1963,"type":"article-journal","title":"Towards a dynamic definition of health and disease","container-title":"Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy","page":"335–341","volume":"8","issue":"3","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Bircher","given":"Johannes"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bircher 2005). Health being a human condition or a state, there are several factors that influence it including race, gender, finance, cultural beliefs and technology ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"GTUDyQc8","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Williams et al. 1997)","plainCitation":"(Williams et al. 1997)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1969,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/BWA4WG63"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/BWA4WG63"],"itemData":{"id":1969,"type":"article-journal","title":"Racial differences in physical and mental health: Socio-economic status, stress and discrimination","container-title":"Journal of health psychology","page":"335–351","volume":"2","issue":"3","source":"Google Scholar","shortTitle":"Racial differences in physical and mental health","author":[{"family":"Williams","given":"David R."},{"family":"Yu","given":"Yan"},{"family":"Jackson","given":"James S."},{"family":"Anderson","given":"Norman B."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1997"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Williams et al. 1997). For instance, those of high living standards access better world class health care services than those that are not. Such facts create disparities in opinion about health between the high class and the lower class persons. According to Marmot et al (2008), the rich cares more about their body wellbeing and could go for more expensive and better services while the poor feels there are better things to worry about than good health ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"JLfdEAD1","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Marmot et al. 2008)","plainCitation":"(Marmot et al. 2008)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1958,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/ER5MXTNW"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/ER5MXTNW"],"itemData":{"id":1958,"type":"article-journal","title":"Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health","container-title":"The Lancet","page":"1661–1669","volume":"372","issue":"9650","source":"Google Scholar","shortTitle":"Closing the gap in a generation","author":[{"family":"Marmot","given":"Michael"},{"family":"Friel","given":"Sharon"},{"family":"Bell","given":"Ruth"},{"family":"Houweling","given":"Tanja AJ"},{"family":"Taylor","given":"Sebastian"},{"family":"Health","given":"Commission on Social Determinants","dropping-particle":"of"},{"literal":"others"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2008"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Marmot et al. 2008).
There are two aspects of health. The physical health which involves keeping the physical body in good condition through activities such as exercises and good nutritional practices. Another aspect of health is the mental or psychological which involves conceptual and emotional wellbeing ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"jw4wiSLs","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)","plainCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1955,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"itemData":{"id":1955,"type":"article-journal","title":"What is health? The ability to adapt","container-title":"The Lancet","page":"781","volume":"373","issue":"9666","source":"CrossRef","DOI":"10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60456-6","ISSN":"01406736","shortTitle":"What is health?","language":"en","author":[{"literal":"The Lancet"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2009",3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (The Lancet 2009). Psychological aspects of health are said to be subjective since the status of mental wellbeing varies from persons to persons ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"N1lSHWbj","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)","plainCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1955,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"itemData":{"id":1955,"type":"article-journal","title":"What is health? The ability to adapt","container-title":"The Lancet","page":"781","volume":"373","issue":"9666","source":"CrossRef","DOI":"10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60456-6","ISSN":"01406736","shortTitle":"What is health?","language":"en","author":[{"literal":"The Lancet"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2009",3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (The Lancet 2009). Research as established that mental illness is a condition obtained through poor mental strength which can eventually lead to poor physical condition. In fact, studies show that a perception in the mind can be manifested in the physical body ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ow3YmFD6","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Citrome and Yeomans 2005)","plainCitation":"(Citrome and Yeomans 2005)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1961,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/5C7SRUGZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/5C7SRUGZ"],"itemData":{"id":1961,"type":"article-journal","title":"Do guidelines for severe mental illness promote physical health and well-being?","container-title":"Journal of psychopharmacology","page":"102–109","volume":"19","issue":"6_suppl","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Citrome","given":"Leslie"},{"family":"Yeomans","given":"David"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Citrome and Yeomans 2005).
World health Organization defines health as more than just absence of disease but as a parson’s social, physical and mental wellbeing ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"isYZaDFZ","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Callahan 1973)","plainCitation":"(Callahan 1973)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1956,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/4Z8PQR6B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/4Z8PQR6B"],"itemData":{"id":1956,"type":"article-journal","title":"The WHO definition of'health'","container-title":"Hastings Center Studies","page":"77–87","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Callahan","given":"Daniel"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1973"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Callahan 1973). According to Lancelet, the definition is too absolute especially for the era where there is a better understanding of infectious diseases at molecular and societal points ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"1FRjr6Ej","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)","plainCitation":"(The Lancet 2009)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1955,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/50azr2up/items/KWAWRGTN"],"itemData":{"id":1955,"type":"article-journal","title":"What is health? The ability to adapt","container-title":"The Lancet","page":"781","volume":"373","issue":"9666","source":"CrossRef","DOI":"10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60456-6","ISSN":"01406736","shortTitle":"What is health?","language":"en","author":[{"literal":"The Lancet"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2009",3]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (The Lancet 2009). The WHO definition is also highly criticized because it doesn’t include those with mental or physical disease or condition. However, it favors those who considers themselves as ‘healthy’ because of their good physical wellbeing. This definition assumes that even those ...