How should we define health?

Huber, Machteld; Knottnerus, J. A.; Green, L.; Horst, Henriëtte E. van der; Jadad, Alejandro R.; Kromhout, Daan; Leonard, Barbara J.; Lorig, Kate; Loureiro, Isabel; Meer, J.W.M. van der; Schnabel, Peter-Ernst; Smith, Renee; Weel, Chris van; Smid, Henk

doi:10.1136/bmj.d4163

Cited by 1,966 publications

(1,543 citation statements)

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“…This definition has not been modified since its conception over 60 years ago. Although seemingly inclusive, the WHO definition has been criticized for its projection of an ideal situation that few people can attain (Huber et al, 2011) and for ignoring the efforts that people make with respect to their challenges. For example, people have been shown to consider themselves very healthy in situations that others would characterize as great adversity (Bull, Mittelmark, & Kanyeka, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health dynamics in camps and on campuses: stressors and coping strategies for wellbeing among labourers and students in Cameroon

Makoge

Maat

Vaandrager

et al. 2018

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose: For many people living in low-income countries, poverty implies an increased exposure to conditions that threaten health and wellbeing as well as reduced capacity to maintain health. Despite the challenging conditions caused by poverty, people may consider themselves healthy because they have learned to cope with their situation probably as a result of life experiences which expose people to both challenges and potential solutions. In this paper we present results from studying health and wellbeing challenges and mechanisms to cope with challenges among two different groups of people who are living under conditions of poverty: workers of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) and students of the university of Buea and the university of Yaoundé. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study, interviewing 21 CDC workers and 21 students. Results Our study reveals context-specific stressors emerging from poor work conditions and study pressure as well as non-context-specific stressors perceived by respondents as living conditions, poor healthcare and financial uncertainty. Respondents devised coping mechanisms to overcome exactly those stressors such as searching for additional money sources, preventive action towards hazardous living conditions and alternative medical support. Conclusion: We conclude that supporting and promoting such avenues is essential for enhanced and continuous coping with stressors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health dynamics in camps and on campuses: stressors and coping strategies for wellbeing among labourers and students in Cameroon

Makoge

Maat

Vaandrager

et al. 2018

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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“…Even when they expressed not knowing what it was like to feel well or not knowing what to do when dealing with hardship, they had the ability to express their needs, which according to the WHO (1986), can be seen as a necessary prerequisite to experiencing good health. We also argue that the view of health presented by Huber et al (2011) as the ability to adapt and respond to challenges should be seen in relation to the social determinates of health described by Marmot (2009). In other words, the actual space in which an individual can take action depends on structural factors such as childhood living conditions, access to social support, and factors such as gender, class, and ethnicity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Health can therefore be seen as the ability to adapt and respond to challenges (Huber et al, 2011), which was reflected in the participants stories. They indicate willingness to and capability to start over by identifying resources and people helping them in the transition from hardship to a better life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Well-being can be viewed as a person’s subjective experience of health (WHO, 1986). Huber et al (2011) add to the discussion of defining health and viewing it from an action perspective investigating people’s sense of ability to adapt and respond to challenges. In addition, Wilkinson and Marmot (2003) point to health as something that is created and made possible in a social and cultural context and not as a purely biological condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Thinking about the future, what’s gonna happen?”—How young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being

Lögdberg

Nilsson

Kostenius

2018

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore how young people in Sweden who neither work nor study perceive life experiences in relation to health and well-being. Methods: A task-based interview technique was used and data was analysed with qualitative content analysis. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants aged 16-20 who were unemployed and not eligible for upper secondary school, or who had dropped out of school. Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis illustrating how the young people perceive their life experiences in relation to health and well-being: Struggling with hardships in the absence of caring connections, Feeling good when closely connected to others, and Being forced to question what has been taken for granted. Each theme consists of 2-3 subthemes. Conclusion: Based on the young people's narrated experiences health can be understood as: something that is created in relation to others and in relation to the social and cultural context; as something dynamic and changeable; as the ability to adapt and respond to challenges; and finally as something existing on a collective as well as an individual level. Implications for school, social services and health promotion initiatives are discussed, with an emphasis on working with young people.

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“…This definition framed nutritional and biomedical research toward an unachievable goal of perfection across all life stages. A newer, more nuanced definition was proposed in 2011: health is the ability to physical, cognitively, and socially adapt to continuing changes in the environment (Huber et al 2011), a concept that was extended to metabolic flexibility ). Stroeve et al describe the concepts of metabolic flexibility and the different experimental nutritional approaches that are used to challenge homeostasis (Stroeve et al 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%