- What is Health?
When we think of the concept of health, many of us instinctively return to traditional definitions. The most widely cited definition comes from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 1948 statement describing health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organization [WHO], 1948). While this definition has been cited in many institutional forums, it is also widely debated. Many scholars argue that its framing of “complete” well-being is unrealistic, potentially exclusionary, and insufficiently attentive to the broader social forces that shape health outcomes.
For example, Brook (2017) highlights that the WHO’s definition does not acknowledge acceptance, tolerance, or the social realities that individuals encounter. It overlooks how race, culture, geography, inequity, and lived experience influence one’s health status. Under this lens, someone who experiences chronic adversity or structural inequality might be implicitly defined as unhealthy, regardless of resiliency, adaptation, or lived quality of life. This raises questions about whether the definition adequately captures the complex and socially embedded nature of health.
Many of these critiques opened the door for new ways of thinking about health. Huber and colleagues (2011) suggest that instead of aiming for some perfect state of “complete” well-being, we should think about health as our ability to adapt and manage ourselves through the social, physical, and emotional challenges life throws at us. This perspective shows a more grounded outlook that recognizes that people can still experience health even when things aren’t perfect.
Even the WHO has acknowledged limitations in its original framing. At the 1986 First International Conference on Health Promotion, the organization reframed health as “a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living” (WHO, 1986). This perspective emphasizes empowerment, social conditions, and adaptability rather than the mere absence of disease. It also opens the door to considering individuals with chronic conditions as still capable of experiencing health within their own contexts.
More recently, Schramme (2023) has argued that health should be understood as complete physical, mental, and social well-being, but not as a form of perfection. Instead, well-being should reflect a holistic integration of its components. Schramme also warns against confusing health with happiness, noting that such misconceptions can stigmatize those with disabilities or chronic illness as inherently “unhealthy”. A major critique he raises is the utopian nature of the 1948 definition, which excludes large populations such as those with disabilities, older adults, and those living with long-term conditions from being considered as “healthy” (Schramme, 2023).
Modern definitions of health also pay much more attention to the places we live and the environments we move through. Health geographers like Drummer (2008) point out that our geographic surroundings shape our risks, opportunities, and overall health in meaningful ways. Factors such as spatial location, how we interact with our environment = and the broader social and ecological context remind us that health is not just something we carry as individuals. It is deeply tied to our surroundings and the conditions that shape our daily lives (Drummer, 2008).
Brook (2017) adds a powerful social argument that health cannot be fully realized in societies that normalize hate, exclusion, or discrimination. This view shows that health is not only personal but relational and collective. When we discuss the meaning of health, we must consider the many traditional definitions but also take into consideration how the word “health” has adapted to encompass much more. This is a broader conversation with many facets that need to be explored further!
References
Brook. R. H. (2017). Should the definition of health include a measure of tolerance? JAMA, 317 (6), 585-586. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14372. (2019). Athabascau.ca. https://0-jamanetwork-com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/journals/jama/fullarticle/2601506
Dummer, T. J. B. (2008). Health Geography: Supporting Public Health Policy and Planning. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 178(9), 1177–1180. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.071783
Huber, M. Knottnerus, J. A., Green, L., van der Horst, H. E., Jadad, A. R., Krombhout, D., Leonard, B., Lorig, K., Loureiro, M. I., van der Meer, J. W. M., Schnabel, P., Smith, R., van Weel, C., & Smid, H. (2011). How should we define health? BMJ, 343(343). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d4163
Lalonde, M. (1974, May). A NEW PERSPECTIVE ONTHE HEALTH OF CANADLANS a working document. https://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/pdf/perspect-eng.pdf
Schramme, T. (2023). Health as Complete Well-Being: the WHO Definition and beyond. Public Health Ethics, 16(3), 210–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phad017
World Health Organization. (1948). Summary report on proceedings, minutes and final acts of the International Health Conference held in New York from 19 June to 22 July 1946. In iris.who.int. United Nations, World Health Organization, Interim Commission. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/85573
World Health Organization. (1986). Ottawa charter for health promotion. https://www.who.int.publicatons/i/item/ottawa-charter-for-health-promtionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.