1

Philosophy of Health

Philosophy of Health
What does health mean to you?
Savannah Martin
Johnson C. Smith University
October 2nd, 2017
 2

If someone were to ask me what my definition of health is, I would tell them that my

personal definition of health is an overall well-being, including your physical, social, financial,

mental, and spiritual health. According to the World Health Organization (1948), Miettinen and

Flegel define health as, "a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the

absence of disease or infirmity." Armer et al., (2002) define health as the ability to work, rather

than the absence of prescriptions, pain, or disease.

To be healthy means to have a stable mindset, an interactive social environment, and

to be physically healthy. People tend to make assumptions on health based on outer

characteristics that they see on a person. A person that appears to be overweight does not

mean that they are unhealthy. Health is very complex, and making sure your overall strength

and cognitive ability is stable is also a very important aspect in health. Health is an overall

evaluation of a persons' well-being. Health is not defined by an illness that one may have, but

merely depends on ones' physical and mental capabilities. There are many key determinants

that contribute to health as well as many global issues that affect us. Health also means to

improve.

Health is important to me because if I am not healthy then I cannot carry out my daily

tasks in life, nor can I express and teach the importance of health to those in my family and

community. My health obligation to myself is to be financially stable, live in a healthy

environment, eat healthy and to stay physically active. Another obligation is to be spiritually

healthy, because managing stress and anxiety plays a major role when it comes to mental

health and I believe that being spiritually healthy can limit the amount of stress that I take on. A
 3

similar definition of the philosophy of symmetry defined by the Journal of Health, Physical, and

Recreational (206, p. 48), defines health as physical, emotional, spiritual, and social

components.

As a Community Health major, I believe that it is my obligation to myself to focus on my

overall well-being and not just my physical health. I believe it is my duty to serve as an example

to my community and family members, by living a healthy life and promoting health as well. My

personal definition of a belief is an idea that someone may have obtained through their culture,

or upbringing, they may apply these beliefs to their everyday lives. Culture plays a huge role in

health, Sellers et al., states that culture is the foundation of the values, thoughts, and behaviors

that drive an individuals definition of health and health-seeking behaviors (2013).

Mental health is something we pay the least amount of attention to when we view our

overall health. As I write this philosophy, I had to stop to think about when a doctor had ever

asked me about my mental health and it occurred to me that it had gone unnoticed all of these

years. Mental health is not defined as crazy an evolving definition of mental health is referred

to as conditions that affect cognition, emotion, and behavior (i.e schizophrenia, depression,

autism) Mandersheid, 2009. With that being said, it is my belief that I should help promote

mental health more often so that the awareness could arise.

I believe that it is my obligation to my community to inspire and educate people about

healthier lifestyle habits. An example of a healthier lifestyle habit can range from becoming

physically active to going to counseling to care for your mental health. Another example of

healthier lifestyle habits can be getting fresh air by taking walks and choosing water versus juice
 4

or soda, but it is my job to promote these healthy habits by first being example, hosting

community events, or making flyers to address the issue.

Although I have these obligations, the community must also take part in promoting

health. My community should help keep the environment safe by cutting back on tobacco,

putting a stop to texting and driving, as well as seat-belt usage. These are only three examples

on how the community as a whole can make a change, and as the community's change, we can

then focus on implementing healthier lifestyles in bigger populations.

Practical Application

A practical application of carrying out my belief is by education. I believe that education

is one of the major components of living a healthy life, and learning about health on a day to

day basis makes it easier to be influenced by healthy behaviors rather than non-healthy

behaviors. Troost et al., (2007) uses four characteristics to define healthy behaviors, having a

healthy weight, not smoking, consuming fruits and vegetables, and engaging in physical activity.

The concurrent presence of all 4 characteristics was defined as a healthy overall lifestyle. As

long as health education continues to be a priority to Health Education Specialists, every day we

can towards a healthier tomorrow.

Health is important because health not only determines things like life-expectancy, but

your current health is a huge factor when it comes to your future family. The health behaviors

that individuals practice now can either be beneficial or complicated. America is becoming

more and more health friendly and I think this is due to the utilization of Health Education

Specialists.
 5

References

Reed, Deborah B, MSPH,PhD., R.N., Rayens, M. K., PhD., Conley, C. K., M.S.N., Westneat, S.,

M.S., & Adkins, S. M., M.S. (2012). Farm elders define health as the ability to work.

Workplace Health & Safety, 60(8), 345-51.

Troost, J. P., B.S., Rafferty, A. P., PhD., Luo, Z., PhD., & Reeves, M. J., PhD. (2012). Temporal and

regional trends in the prevalence of healthy lifestyle characteristics: United states, 1994-

2007. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7), 1392-8.

World Health Organization Preamble to the constitution of the World Health Organization as

adopted by the International Health Conference; New York. 19-22 June, 1946; 1946. signed

on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health

Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.

Soleymanian, A., Niknami, S., Hajizadeh, E., Shojaeizadeh, D., & Montazeri, A. (2014).

Development and validation of a health belief model based instrument for measuring

factors influencing exercise behaviors to prevent osteoporosis in pre-menopausal women

(HOPE). BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 15, 61.