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Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity". A variety of definitions have been used
for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as
regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or
situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual
choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes,
such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get
necessary healthcare services. Still other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as
genetic disorders.
The meaning of health has evolved over time. In keeping with the biomedical perspective, early
definitions of health focused on the theme of the body's ability to function; health was seen as a state of
normal function that could be disrupted from time to time by disease. An example of such a definition of
health is: "a state characterized by anatomic, physiologic, and psychological integrity; ability to perform
personally valued family, work, and community roles; ability to deal with physical, biological,
psychological, and social stress". Then, in 1948, in a radical departure from previous definitions, the
World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a definition that aimed higher, linking health to well-being,
in terms of "physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and
infirmity". Although this definition was welcomed by some as being innovative, it was also criticized for
being vague and excessively broad and was not construed as measurable. For a long time, it was set
aside as an impractical ideal, with most discussions of health returning to the practicality of the
biomedical model.
Just as there was a shift from viewing disease as a state to thinking of it as a process, the same shift
happened in definitions of health. Again, the WHO played a leading role when it fostered the
development of the health promotion movement in the 1980s. This brought in a new conception of
health, not as a state, but in dynamic terms of resiliency, in other words, as "a resource for living". In
1984, WHO revised the definition of health defined it as "the extent to which an individual or group is
able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a
resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and
personal resources, as well as physical capacities."Thus, health referred to the ability to maintain
homeostasis and recover from adverse events. Mental, intellectual, emotional and social health referred
to a person's ability to handle stress, to acquire skills, to maintain relationships, all of which form
resources for resiliency and independent living. This opens up many possibilities for health to be taught,
strengthened and learned.
Since the late 1970s, the federal Healthy People Program has been a visible component of the United
States’ approach to improving population health.In each decade, a new version of Healthy People is
issued, featuring updated goals and identifying topic areas and quantifiable objectives for health
improvement during the succeeding ten years, with assessment at that point of progress or lack thereof.
Progress has been limited to many objectives, leading to concerns about the effectiveness of Healthy
People in shaping outcomes in the context of a decentralized and uncoordinated US health system.
Healthy People 2020 gives more prominence to health promotion and preventive approaches and adds
a substantive focus on the importance of addressing social determinants of health. A new expanded
digital interface facilitates use and dissemination rather than bulky printed books as produced in the
past. The impact of these changes to Healthy People will be determined in the coming years.
Systematic activities to prevent or cure health problems and promote good health in humans are
undertaken by health care providers. Applications with regard to animal health are covered by the
veterinary sciences. The term "healthy" is also widely used in the context of many types of non-living
organizations and their impacts for the benefit of humans, such as in the sense of healthy communities,
healthy cities or healthy environments. In addition to health care interventions and a person's
surroundings, a number of other factors are known to influence the health status of individuals. These
are referred to as the "determinants of health", which include the individual's background, lifestyle,
economic status, social conditions and spirituality; Studies have shown that high levels of stress can
affect human health.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the conceptualization of health as an ability opened the door for
self-assessments to become the main indicators to judge the performance of efforts aimed at improving
human health. It also created the opportunity for every person to feel healthy, even in the presence of
multiple chronic diseases or a terminal condition, and for the re-examination of determinants of health
(away from the traditional approach that focuses on the reduction of the prevalence of diseases).

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Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social

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