Dimensions of Health

1. There are four major dimensions of health included
in the WHO definition of health.
1) Physical
2) Mental
3) Social
4) Spiritual
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2. Physical Health
 Most obvious dimension of health, concerned
with the mechanistic functioning of the body.
 Conceptualizes health biologically as a state in
which every cell and every organ is functions at
optimum capacity and in perfect harmony with
the rest of the body.
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3. Mental Health
 It is an ability to think clearly and coherently.
 A state of balance between oneself and others.
 A coexistence between the realities of the self and
that of other people and that of the environment.
 It deals with sound socialization in communities.
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4. Social Health
 It refers the ability to make and maintain
relationships with other people or communities.
 It is a quantity and quality of an individual’s
interpersonal ties and the extent of involvement
with community.
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5. Spiritual Health
 It is concerned with religious beliefs and
practices.
 It also deals with personal creeds, principles of
behavior and ways of achieving peace of mind
and being at peace with oneself.
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6. Emotional Health
 It is ability to recognize the emotional
i.e. fear, joy, grief and anger and practice such
emotions appropriately.
 It also deals with coping stress, tension,
depression and anxiety.
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7. Many factors combine together to affect the health
of individuals and communities.
 Whether people are healthy or not, is determined
by their circumstances and environment.
e.g. where we live, the state of our
environment, genetics, our income, education
level, relationships with friend and family.
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9.  The Social and economic environment, the
physical environment, and the person’s individual
characteristics and behaviors.
 These determinants – or things that make people
healthy or not-include the above facgors, and
many others :
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10.  Income and social status – higher income and
social status are linked to better health. The
greater the gap between the richest and poorest
people, The greater the differences in health.
 Education – low education levels are linked with
poor health, more stress and lower self-
confidence.
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11.  Physical environment – safe water and clean air,
healthy workplaces, safe houses, communities and
roads all contribute to good health.
 Employment and working conditions – people in
employment are healthier, particularly those who
have more control over their working conditions.
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12.  Social support networks – greater support from
families, friends and communities is linked to
better health.
 Culture – customs and traditions, and the beliefs
of the family and community all affect health.
 Genetics – inheritance plays a part in determining
lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of
developing certain illnesses.
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13.  Personal behavior and coping skills – balanced
eating, keeping active, smoking, drinking, and
how we deal with life’s stresses and challenges all
affect health.
 Genetics – inheritance plays a part in determining
lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of
developing certain illnesses.
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14.  Health services – access and use of services that
prevent and treat disease influences health.
 Gender – Men and women suffer from different
types of diseases at different ages.
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