Editing Health (section)

== History ==
{{Quote box
| title = [[World Health Organization]]'s definition
| quote = Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
| source = Source: {{Cite web |title=Constitution |url=https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=World Health Organization}}
| width = 30%
}}
The meaning of health has evolved over time. In keeping with the [[Biomedical model|biomedical]] perspective, early definitions of health focused on the theme of the body's ability to function; health was seen as a state of normal function that could be disrupted from time to time by [[disease]]. An example of such a definition of health is: "a state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity; ability to perform personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to deal with [[Human body|physical]], [[biological]], [[Psychology|psychological]], and [[social stress]]".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stokes|first1=J.|last2=Noren|first2=J.|last3=Shindell|first3=S.|date=1 January 1982|title=Definition of terms and concepts applicable to clinical preventive medicine|journal=Journal of Community Health|volume=8|issue=1|pages=33–41|issn=0094-5145|pmid=6764783|doi=10.1007/bf01324395|s2cid=1748896}}</ref> Then, in 1948, in a radical departure from previous definitions, the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) proposed a definition that aimed higher, linking health to [[well-being]], in terms of "physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/37089|title=The first ten years of the World Health Organization|last=World Health Organization|publisher=WHO|year=1958|location=Geneva|isbn=9789241560146|publication-date=1958}}</ref> Although this definition was welcomed by some as being innovative, it was also criticized for being vague and excessively broad and was not construed as measurable. For a long time, it was set aside as an impractical ideal, with most discussions of health returning to the practicality of the biomedical model.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://phprimer.afmc.ca/Part1-TheoryThinkingAboutHealth/ConceptsOfHealthAndIllness/DefinitionsofHealth|title=Part 1 – Theory: Thinking About Health Chapter 1 Concepts of Health and Illness|website=phprimer.afmc.ca|access-date=22 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812145405/http://phprimer.afmc.ca/Part1-TheoryThinkingAboutHealth/ConceptsOfHealthAndIllness/DefinitionsofHealth|archive-date=12 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Just as there was a shift from viewing disease as a state to thinking of it as a process, the same shift happened in definitions of health. Again, the WHO played a leading role when it fostered the development of the health promotion movement in the 1980s. This brought in a new conception of health, not as a state, but in dynamic terms of resiliency, in other words, as "a resource for living". In 1984, WHO revised the definition of health defined it as "the extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/107835|title=Health promotion : a discussion document on the concept and principles : summary report of the Working Group on Concept and Principles of Health Promotion, Copenhagen, 9–13 July 1984|last=World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe|publisher=WHO Regional Office for Europe|year=1984|location=Copenhagen|type=ICP/HSR 602(m01)5 p}}</ref> Thus, health referred to the ability to maintain [[homeostasis]] and recover from adverse events. Mental, intellectual, emotional and social health referred to a person's ability to handle stress, to acquire skills, to maintain relationships, all of which form resources for resiliency and [[independent living]].<ref name=":0" /> This opens up many possibilities for health to be taught, strengthened and learned.

Since the late 1970s, the federal [[Healthy People program|Healthy People]] Program has been a visible component of the United States' approach to improving population health.<ref>{{multiref2
|1=[https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-and-resources/Federal-Prevention-Initiatives Federal Prevention Initiatives] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615184241/https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-and-resources/Federal-Prevention-Initiatives |date=15 June 2016 }}. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
|2={{Cite journal | pmid = 23358287| year = 2013| last1 = Benz| first1 = J| title = The healthy people initiative: Understanding the user's perspective| journal = Journal of Public Health Management and Practice| volume = 19| issue = 2| pages = 103–09| last2 = Blakey| first2 = C| last3 = Oppenheimer| first3 = C.C| last4 = Scherer| first4 = H| last5 = Robinson| first5 = W.T| doi = 10.1097/PHH.0b013e318254cc31 | issn = 1078-4659}}
}}</ref> In each decade, a new version of Healthy People is issued,<ref>[https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/History-and-Development-of-Healthy-People History & Development of Healthy People] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427095217/https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/History-and-Development-of-Healthy-People |date=2017-04-27 }}. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</ref> featuring updated goals and identifying topic areas and quantifiable objectives for health improvement during the succeeding ten years, with assessment at that point of progress or lack thereof. Progress has been limited to many objectives, leading to concerns about the effectiveness of Healthy People in shaping outcomes in the context of a decentralized and uncoordinated US health system. Healthy People 2020 gives more prominence to health promotion and preventive approaches and adds a substantive focus on the importance of addressing social determinants of health. A new expanded digital interface facilitates use and dissemination rather than bulky printed books as produced in the past. The impact of these changes to Healthy People will be determined in the coming years.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jonathan |first1=E. Fielding |last2=Shiriki |first2=Kumanyika |last3=Ronald |first3=W. Manderscheid |date=2013 |title=A Perspective on the Development of the Healthy People 2020 Framework for Improving U.S. Population Health |url=http://www.publichealthreviews.eu/upload/pdf_files/13/00_Fielding.pdf |journal=Public Health Reviews |volume=35 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402220801/http://www.publichealthreviews.eu/upload/pdf_files/13/00_Fielding.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2014 }}</ref>

Systematic activities to prevent or cure health problems and promote good health in humans are undertaken by [[health care provider]]s. Applications with regard to animal health are covered by the [[Veterinary medicine|veterinary sciences]]. The term "healthy" is also widely used in the context of many types of non-living organizations and their impacts for the benefit of humans, such as in the sense of [[healthy community design|healthy communities]], [[healthy city|healthy cities]] or [[healthy environment]]s. In addition to [[health care]] interventions and a person's surroundings, a number of other factors are known to influence the health status of individuals. These are referred to as the "determinants of health", which include the individual's background, lifestyle, economic status, social conditions and spirituality; Studies have shown that high levels of stress can affect human health.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24756311 |title= How stressed are you? |work=BBC News |date=6 November 2013 |access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref>

In the first decade of the 21st century, the conceptualization of health as an ability opened the door for self-assessments to become the main indicators to judge the performance of efforts aimed at improving human health.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jadad|first=Alejandro R.|date=1 November 2016|title=Creating a pandemic of health: What is the role of digital technologies?|journal=Journal of Public Health Policy|language=en|volume=37|issue=2|pages=260–68|doi=10.1057/s41271-016-0016-1|pmid=27899800|issn=0197-5897|doi-access=free}}</ref> It also created the opportunity for every person to feel healthy, even in the presence of [[Multimorbidity|multiple chronic diseases]] or a terminal condition, and for the re-examination of determinants of health (away from the traditional approach that focuses on the reduction of the prevalence of diseases).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://harvardpublichealthreview.org/creating-a-pandemic-of-health-opportunities-and-lessons-for-a-university-initiative-at-the-intersection-of-health-equity-and-innovation/|title=Creating a Pandemic of Health: Opportunities and Lessons for a University Initiative at the Intersection of Health, Equity, and Innovation {{!}} Harvard Public Health Review: A Student Publication|website=harvardpublichealthreview.org|language=en|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=7 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307123430/http://harvardpublichealthreview.org/creating-a-pandemic-of-health-opportunities-and-lessons-for-a-university-initiative-at-the-intersection-of-health-equity-and-innovation/|url-status=dead}}</ref>