HEALTH DETERMINANTS

What is health? The world health organization (who) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

 The definition above reveals that someone may be physically well but emotionally or socially unwell.

Determinants of health

There are four general determinant of health. These include:

• Health care service
• Life style
• Heredity (human biology)
• Environment

Health care service

This is the prevention, treatment and management of mental, physical and social well-being through the service offered by the medical community and health professionals.

Health care service are designed for promotion, curative and palliative interventions, whether direct to individual or the general population.

Life style

Life style is the way a person lives his or her life. A lifestyle is a characteristic of behaviors that a person exhibit to oneself or others in a given time. It includes the social interactions with people, the style of dressing, entertainment and choice of environment in which he or she chooses to live.          

Heredity

This is the process by which physical, physiological and mental characteristics or in-born factors are transmitted from parents to children. Heredity determines the growth, development, intelligence, some types of sickness and other natural characteristics of a child.

Environment

Is all of the external factors affecting human well-being. Human being and their environment constantly interact and both are changed by the interaction environment determine the following of an individual: social life, dressing, shelter, behavior etc.

Characteristics of a physically fit person

• Freedom from diseases
• Normal system and body function
• Health of mind and emotion
• Freedom from correctable physical defect