The concept of health is complex and ever-changing, including numerous facets of well-
being as described in various models and perspectives. Since its introduction in 1948, the
World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health has been influential, describing it as
"a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity" (Frank, 2002). Although this holistic approach emphasizes the
interdependence of physical, mental, and social aspects in determining health, its practical
implementation within healthcare systems poses challenges (Frank, 2002).
Distinguishing wellness from health and well-being is important for clarity. The notion that
wellness transcends the absence of disease and is not synonymous with well-being or
quality of life reflects an evolving and positive process that goes beyond mere health status.
Wellness also accounts for the physical, mental, and social domains implied in health, and
thus health is dependent on sufficient wellness (Bart et al., 2018).
Personally, I believe that a comprehensive understanding of health should consider the
interplay of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors, acknowledging the
uniqueness of individual experiences. The challenge lies in developing comprehensive
approaches that address individual and societal well-being while recognizing the
interconnected nature of health determinants.
Reference
Bart, R., Ishak, W. W., Ganjian, S., Jaffer, K. Y., Abdelmesseh, M., Hanna, S., Gohar, Y.,
Azar, G., Vanle, B., Dang, J., & Danovitch, I. (2018). The Assessment and Measurement of
Wellness in the Clinical Medical Setting:
A Systematic Review. Innovations in clinical
neuroscience, 15(9-10)
, 14–23.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6292717/
Frank, G. (2002). The Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 80(1),
pp 981 -984.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/268691/PMC2567708.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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