What is health? A reflection of change

As I said in a previous blog post, the term 'health' is broad. So broad, in fact, that it can be described differently when compared through age, culture, gender, socioeconomic standards, etc.

According to the 1948 World Health Organization definition, health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO, 1948)

Fast forward to 2019 and it is hard to see how this definition truly encompasses all that makes a "healthy" person. Do we really need to be completely healthy as the 1948 definition states, or does health in 2019 have much more blurred lines?

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, it is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians suffer from mental illness every year. They also state that by age 40, 50% of the Canadian population has suffered some form of mental illness (CMHA, 2019). This means that 50% of the Canadian population above the age of 40 cannot be deemed healthy per this definition. Just within the mental health category a number of socioeconomical determinants are named. On top of those, "gender is an important determinant in mental health. Gender has a deep impact on access to care, and mediates the influence of socioeconomic factors on it. Females suffer disproportionally from mental disorders at each level of social and economic level." (Carod-Artal, 2017). Does the definition of health need to differ based on gender and age?

It is also interesting reading through the Canadian Public Services review on how healthy Canadians are. The numbers are staggering in favour of sickness, yet we are still one of the "healthiest" nations. Does this mean that someone with a chronic illness such as cancer or diabetes can never be considered "healthy", even though the disease they have is currently under control?

Technology has advanced immensely since 1948. There are now multiple tools that allow researchers, government officals, medical professionals, and others to collect data and correlate it directly to a person's health and well being. As much as the WHO's definition does allow a degree of change in physical, social and mental states, the term "complete" confuses the definition. These tools allow the definition of health to evolve. What percentage of each category needs to be met to create healthiness? Is there one algorithm that will work for every person in the world?

I personally believe health is directly correlated with a person's level of happiness in life. I do not believe there is many people in this world who can state that they feel they are completely healthy as per the WHOs definition. I know I cannot. The social aspect is what really changes things here. 2019 has brought forward huge wage gaps, environmental crisis', rising prices of homes, and many other aspects involving the economy that leave Canadians stressed, taking on more work, seeing friends and family less, or just overall becoming less happy (depressed, anxious, etc.). All of these aspects can have an effect on ones well-being and in the long term - health.

References:

Carod-Artal, F. J. (2017). Social Determinants of Mental Health. Global Mental Health, 33-46. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-59123-0_4

“Constitution.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/about/who-we-are/constitution.

“Fast Facts about Mental Illness.” CMHA National, cmha.ca/about-cmha/fast-facts-about-mental-illness.

Ferrer, R. L. (2018). Social Determinants of Health. Chronic Illness Care,435-449. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-71812-5_36

“How Healthy Are Canadians?” Canada.ca, Canada Public Health, 11 Apr. 2017, www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/how-healthy-canadians.html.

Viner, R. M., Ozer, E. M., Denny, S., Marmot, M., Resnick, M., Fatusi, A., & Currie, C. (2012). Adolescence and the social determinants of health. The Lancet,379(9826), 1641-1652. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60149-4