WHO (1984): Health is seen as a resource for everyday life, not an object of living. It is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities. The extent to which an individual or (group of individuals) is able, on one hand to realise aspirations and satisfy needs, and on the other hand to change or cope with the environment.
Dimensions of health, adapted by Aggleton & Homans (1987) and Ewles & Simnett (1992) provide a realistic approach and include the following aspects:
Physical - mechanistic function of body
Mental - ability to think and make judgements
Emotional - recognise emotions such as fear, joy, grief and anger
Spiritual - ability to put into practice moral, religious or beliefs to achieve peace of mind
Sexual - acceptance and ability to achieve a satisfactory expression of one's sexuality
Societal - the basic infrastructure necessary for health, e.g. shelter, peace, food, income, a certain degree of integration or division within society
Environmental - physical environment includes housing, transport, sanitation, availability of clean water , pollution control
Social - the ability to make and maintain relationships with others
Descriptions of Health used by Cox et al. in "The Health and Lifestyle Survey" (1987). In this study, broad categories were used to define the health of the people interviewed. What is even more interesting is that the concepts were not selected beforehand and then imposed upon the data collected, but were derived from examination of the statements which the respondents offered. These were:
1) Health as not ill
2) Health as a reserve
3) Health as physical fitness
4) Health as energy or vitality
5) Health as social relationships
6) Health as function
7) Health as psycho-social well-being
Reference: Sarafino E.P. (1998) Health Psychology Biophysical Interactions 3rd Ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc. 4:97
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