Health
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” (World Health Organization 1948).
“Health is the reduction in mortality, morbidity, and disability due to detectable disease or disorder, and an increase in the perceived level of health,” (World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe 1999).
“Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities,” (World Health Organization 1998).
“Health is the capacity of people to adapt to, respond to, or control life’s challenges and changes,” (Frankish, et al. 1996).
References
- World Health Organization. 1948. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. Geneva: World Health Organization.
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. 1999. Health21: The health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region. European Health for All. Series No. 6. Copenhagen: World Health Organization.
- World Health Organization. 1998. Health Promotion Glossary. Geneva: World Health Organization.
- Frankish, C. James, Green, Lawrence, Ratner, Pamela, Chomik, Treena, and Craig Larson, eds. 1996. Health impact assessment as a tool for population health promotion and public policy: A report submitted to the Health Promotion Development Division of Health Canada. Vancouver: University of British Columbia.
- These definitions were compiled in Resources for Health Impact Assessment Volume 1: The Main Resource (Isen 2000).