Dimensions of health
The definitions from Blaxter's findings illustrate the wide scope of health and link to the range of dimensions listed below:
- physical health,
- mental health
- emotional health
- social health
- spiritual health
- societal health
(Ewles and Simnett 2003)
Dimensions of health
This should take 20 minutes
1 Consider each of the dimensions and write on paper what each one means to you
2 Consider the question is health the opposite of illness and disease?
Health therefore is more than health care or absence of disease but the provision of good health care is dependent on the financial provision, organization and regulations of the health care system. However, health is not only dependent on the provision of good health care but on a number of other factors.
Health difference / variations continue to exist between individuals with more or less favourable situations, for example, income, education, health care provision, between geographical areas at international, national and regional levels. This is discussed further in the section on inequalities.