Understanding Health Trends
Health is a state of physical and mental well-being that encompasses both personal and social dimensions. It is more than just the absence of disease or infirmity; it is a resource that allows individuals to cope with life demands (Aguirre-Molina, 1996; Warden, 1996).
Most people believe that health is the result of a combination of factors, such as luck and family history, along with lifestyle choices, such as smoking or exercising, diet and exercise, and access to healthcare. Health is influenced by many other factors, including the environmental and cultural conditions in which people grow, live, work and play. These are known as risk and protective factors; they can be either the cause or the effect of health behaviours (Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008).
While some health trends may be easy to spot—such as COVID-19 cases, medical bankruptcy filings or suicide rates—others require a greater level of awareness and more in-depth research. For example, a spike in suicide rates could be related to a loss of economic security or changes to societal values, while a decline in cancer-related deaths might be due to better treatment options or a shift in the types of diseases that are being treated.
Often, these broader trends are hard to pinpoint and can only be recognized over time, with the help of a network of professionals working together. The process begins with identifying and tracking the data that is available, such as published studies in peer-reviewed journals or public information from government agencies or organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This data is then used to develop and test hypotheses about potential causes.
Once the hypothesis has been tested, it is necessary to identify the appropriate measures to be taken. Traditionally, this has been done through the use of categorical funding streams for both research and the delivery of health care services. This approach can be problematic, however, because it limits the focus of intervention and overlooks a large number of social determinants that affect health.
A new definition of health was proposed in 1948 by the World Health Organization: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This expanded on earlier conceptualizations of health to include the notion that it can be maintained by using internal and external resources.
Some of these resources are personal choices, such as whether to engage in healthful activities or not, and some are structural, such as the way society is arranged to make it easier or harder for people to access needed healthcare services. Still others are outside the scope of both individual and collective choice, such as genetic disorders. A good strategy for writing about these issues is to keep in mind that it is essential to convey the complexity of the issue and avoid sensationalism. It is more balanced to say, for example, that 4.7% of the people who take medication Y experience side effects than to say that 93% don’t.
Health is a state of physical and mental well-being that encompasses both personal and social dimensions. It is more than just the absence of disease or infirmity; it is a resource that allows individuals to cope with life demands (Aguirre-Molina, 1996; Warden, 1996). Most people believe that health is the result of a combination of factors, such as luck and family history, along with lifestyle choices, such as smoking or exercising, diet and exercise, and access to healthcare. Health is influenced by many other factors, including the environmental and cultural conditions in which people grow, live, work and play. These are known as risk and protective factors; they can be either the cause or the effect of health behaviours (Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008). While some health trends may be easy to spot—such as COVID-19 cases, medical bankruptcy filings or suicide rates—others require a greater level of awareness and more in-depth research. For example, a spike in suicide rates could be related to a loss of economic security or changes to societal values, while a decline in cancer-related deaths might be due to better treatment options or a shift in the types of diseases that are being treated. Often, these broader trends are hard to pinpoint and can only be recognized over time, with the help of a network of professionals working together. The process begins with identifying and tracking the data that is available, such as published studies in peer-reviewed journals or public information from government agencies or organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This data is then used to develop and test hypotheses about potential causes. Once the hypothesis has been tested, it is necessary to identify the appropriate measures to be taken. Traditionally, this has been done through the use of categorical funding streams for both research and the delivery of health care services. This approach can be problematic, however, because it limits the focus of intervention and overlooks a large number of social determinants that affect health. A new definition of health was proposed in 1948 by the World Health Organization: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This expanded on earlier conceptualizations of health to include the notion that it can be maintained by using internal and external resources. Some of these resources are personal choices, such as whether to engage in healthful activities or not, and some are structural, such as the way society is arranged to make it easier or harder for people to access needed healthcare services. Still others are outside the scope of both individual and collective choice, such as genetic disorders. A good strategy for writing about these issues is to keep in mind that it is essential to convey the complexity of the issue and avoid sensationalism. It is more balanced to say, for example, that 4.7% of the people who take medication Y experience side effects than to say that 93% don’t.