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How to stay healthy essay
Ways to stay healthy essay
How to stay healthy (essay)
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In this essay I am going to investigate whether health is easily defined as the absence of disease or physical injury. According to Health psychology (2009) ‘World Health Organisation defined health as a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. In order to achieve good physical a nutrition diet is needed, healthy BMI, rest and adequate physical exercise is needed. The different models to health all use different principles. The biomedical model concentrates on the physical and biological aspect of a disease. Doctors and health professionals practice this model. This model is associated with the diagnosis, treatment and cure of the disease. This model evolves as times goes …show more content…
This model considers other aspects of an individual 's life such as their culture and environment. Unlike the biomedical model, the social model tries to prevent the disease in the first place, so it focuses more on educating people and health promotion. The biomedical looks at an individual’s physical disease but the social model also looks at a person’s well-being. According to Stephan Sutton, Andrew Baum and Marie Johnston (2004) the SAGE Handbook of Health psychology ‘a combination of high psychological demands, such as time pressure and low decision latitude increases the risk of psychophysiological stress reactions and subsequent ill …show more content…
This model believes that an individual may be free from disease or physical injury however social factors that surrounds a person will determine their wellbeing. In the social dimension of health a person has to be able to interact with people, such as friends and family. According to Antonia C. Lyons and Kerry Chamberlain (2006) Health Psychology a Critical introduction ‘studies have demonstrated an association between what is called social integration and physical health, including mortality rates’. The skill to be able to build healthy relationships may give an individual a positive self-image. Poor social skills may mean that an individual may become isolated or stressed. If an individual becomes stressed and isolated they will be free of disease as they will be physically and mentally fit, however the stress will contribute to the health status of the individual. According to Charles L. Sheridan and Sally A. Radmacher (1992) Health psychology challenging the biomedical model ‘attributes like strength, health and attractiveness can be helpful in coping with
The psychological model also looks at people’s wellbeing and the effect that diabetes has on people psychologically. Diabetes can be caused by depression, which is a health issue that affects people’s behaviour and personality because it is a condition that can cause mental breakdown as diabetes is a condition that has to be controlled to be able to live a healthy lifestyle. People that are affected by a health issue because of psychological problems are at risk of developing diabetes which is usually caused by comfort eating and peer
The biopsychosocial model is a general model that states that biological, psychological, and social factors all play major roles in everyday life and health. The field of health psychology seeks to study how biology, behavior, and social situation influence overall health. Both are key to understanding how health affects behavior.
In the past few decades, clinical treatment has moved on from biomedical approach to the biopsychosocial approach. Scientists now believe that health of an individual is not merely due to physiological conditions but may also depend on psychological and socio-cultural perspectives(Engel, 1977). The term health psychology was developed by the American Psychological Association to describe health and wellness issues that arise from psychological problems. Health psychology stems from Systems theory, which says that human events such as injury and illness exist within several interconnected systems, such as our peer relationships, childhood experiences, personality and other factors (Schwartz, 1982).
The advancement in health care and biomedical technology has made biomedical model that focuses just on curing the disease as the dominant approach. It excludes emotional, social, psychological and behavioral aspects of illness. However with increase in chronic disease and need for long term care, the healthcare delivery systems are changing, making it more patient centric. The health practices are gradually focusing on design of treatment plans based on patents narratives.
theory that if a part of the body goes wrong it should be fixed or
The biomedical model of health has been criticised because it fails to include the psychological and social causes relating to an individual’s medical illness or health, looking only at the biological causes (Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Therefore, sociologists being aware of the impacts of social structure and lifestyle on health have put in various efforts to place the study of ‘the social’ at the core of health and healthcare examination.
As discussed, it is clear that when it comes to public health the lines are often quite blurred. The Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model both have their advantages however a common theme throughout both models is that they are both too reductionist in their approach to health. They failed to consider other health models viewpoints, or incorporate external factors such as the social gradient into their reasoning behind the cause and effect of bad health. Therefore instead of trying to categorise health into definite ‘health models’, health needs to be accepted more for what it is - a forever changing and adapting concept.
Health as a Social Construction In my essay, I aim to find out why social construction affects the health of our society. Ill health may be defined as 'a bodily or mental state that is deemed undesirable'. This means that health is the condition of the body both physically and mentally. Social construction of health refers to the way health varies from one society to another.
Although very divergent in their focus, the existing theoretical models seem to have some similarities and differences. This is especially true in regard to their factors of analysis when considering social determinants of health. For example, Krieger’s ecosocial theory encompasses and acknowledges the roles of social and psychosocial processes of disease process (WHO 2010).
Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actual meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual’s physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Self-awareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity.
The biopsychosocial model (BPS) is a framework used to systematically consider the interactions between biological, psychological and social influences on human functioning, in the context of a person’s disease or illness (Boundless Psychology, 2016). This integrated approach suggests that health and sickness overlap and can be best understood by looking at the multiple combinations of these influences and how they interact and affect a person’s health and wellbeing (Wade, 2009). This assignment will aim to discuss the BPS model, describe the different perspectives within the theory and demonstrate how they apply to patient care. In order to do this, a case study of a person with a chronic health condition will be introduced and the factors
It is generally accepted within healthcare that to understand mental health we must adopt the biopsychosocial model. This model assumes that an interdependent relationship exists between biological, psychological and social factors which are involved in all aspects of mental health (Toates, 2010, p. 14). To be true to the model research must be holistic and not investigate the factors in isolation.
It is fairly difficult to define health as there are no agreements between scholars. This is why many sociologists focus their research on the different issues and problems of ill health.
(Williams and Bendelow, 1998). The social model of health looks at factors such as; the social, environmental, economic and cultural factors which are the broader influences on health instead of diseases and injuries. ‘the social model locates people in social contexts, conceptualizes the physical environment as socially organized, and understands ill health as a process of interaction between people and their environments’ (Broom, 1991, 52). Social model of health perceives health and illness in different ways other than just medical facts, by looking at the broader factors that can cause ill health or be the source of you being ill such as; being in poverty; having poor housing, job-related stress, pollution, family, employment status, working conditions, health services, housing, environmental pollution, friends, income, education, social life, national food deprived neighbourhoods as well as poor life choices, these factors can shape your physical along with your mental health and it is not just science that can shape our physical and mental
This also requires the person to be socially and economically productive in order to be seen as healthy. According to Mildred Blaxter (1990), there are different ways of defining health. Furthermore, disease can be seen as the presence of an abnormality in part of the body or where there is a harmful physical change in the body such as broken bones. So, illness is the physical state of disease, that is to say, the symptoms that a person feels because of the disease. However, there is some limitation of these definitions which is not merely an absence of disease but a state of physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing.