HEALTH
HEALTH: KEY CONCEPTS IN NURSING SCIENCE
HEALTH
• It relies on an understanding that the key to genuine development is investing in
the health and healthcare of people regardless of age, sex, gender, religion, and
color (Sumile, 2018).
• It is a shared, complex reality
• Is multidimensional, the well-being of an individual is determined by factors such
as biological and behavioral characteristics, and the physical and social
environment.
• Is a fundamental right of every individual regardless of race, religion, political
belief, economic and social condition.
HEALTH: KEY CONCEPTS IN NURSING SCIENCE
HEALTH
• “a state of complete, physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity- (WHO, 1958 p.1)
Social
• Relating to living together in organized groups or similar close aggregates
(American Heritage College Dictionary, 1997.p1291)
• Refers to units of people in communities who interact with one another.
HEALTH: KEY CONCEPTS IN NURSING SCIENCE
Social health
• Result of positive interaction among groups w/in the community, with an
emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention.
Dimensions of health (Saylor)
• Physical, Social, Role, and Mental, Perceptions of health
Dunn’s (1961) classic concept of wellness, in w/c
family, community, society, and environment are
interrelated and have an impact on health.
Health as a human right
• Health as a human right is grounded in:
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
-proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in Paris on Dec.
1948
-it did set that fundamental human rights be universally protected.
Article 25.1 declares:
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-
being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical
care and necessary social services” (United Nations, UDHR, 1948)
Health as a human right
2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (United Nations,
CESCR)
Art.12: “ Health is a fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of
other human rights. Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in dignity. The realization of the
right to health may be pursued through numerous, complementary approaches, such
as the formulation of health policies, or the implementation of health programmes
developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), or the adoption of specific legal
instruments” (United Nations, CESCR, 2000)
Health as a human right
According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (United Nations,
CESCR, 2000) the right to health consist of interconnected and indispensable
components:
1. Availability-requires that operational public health and channels of service
delivery, products and services as well as programs be adequate for all.
2. Accessibility- entails that health facilities, services and goods must be made
possible and obtainable to everyone. Being non-discriminatory, physically
accessible, economically accessible (affordable) and information accessible are
the four intersecting features of accessibility.
Health as a human right
3. Acceptability- corresponds to respect for the medical ethics, being culturally
appropriate and gender sensitive. This clearly define the need for health care
centers, products services and programs to be people-centered, able to
accommodate the specific needs of diverse population groups and adheres to the
international standards of medical ethics for informed consent and confidentiality.
4. Quality-implies that the health facilities, commodities and services must be in
accordance with specific and medical standards. Quality health services need to be
safe, effective, people-centered, timely, equitable, integrated and efficient.
Health as a human right
3. Article II Section 11 and 15 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
-at the National Level, affirms health as a fundamental human right and
recognizes the obligation of the state to protect and promote the right to health of all
Filipinos ( Republic of the Philippines Official Gazette, 1987)
Department of Health (DOH)
Leads the health sector towards assuring quality health care in promoting and
protecting the health of all Filipinos.
Models of health
Guides the nurses in understanding health as a concept:
1. Clinical Model
Health is the absence of signs and symptoms of disease and illness.
2. Role Performance Model
The ability to perform societal roles defines what health is, failure to perform
these roles means illness.
3. Adaptive Model
Health is a dynamic state.
4. Eudaimonistic Model
An elevated (exuberant) level of wellness or well-being.
Determinants of health and disease
The community health nurse needs to understand the determinants of health and
recognize the interaction of the factors that lead to disease, death, and disability :
1. Biology
Aging, diet, physical activity, smoking, stress, alcohol or drug abuse, injury,
violence, or a toxic infectious agent may produce illness or disability, changing an
individual’s biology.
2. Behaviors
The individual’s responses to internal stimuli and external conditions.
Determinants of health and disease
3. Social Environment
Includes interactions and relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and
others in the community.
4. Physical Environment
Pertains to an environment that is experienced by the senses-what is smelled,
seen, touched, heard, and tasted.
5. Policies and Interventions
Can have a profound effect on the health of individuals, groups, and communities.
Determinants of health and disease
Public Health Nurses must
work with policy makers
and community leaders to
identify patterns of disease
and death and to advocate
for activities and policies
that promote health at the
individual, family,
aggregate, and population
levels.
Social determinants of health
Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are:
“conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age; might also be
circumstantial elements as such housing, work conditions and access to recreational
activities; circumstances that influence how an individual will develop sickness, what
risk factor they are exposed to, how they access services; and is shaped by the
distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national and local levels”
(CSDH, 2008)
Social determinants of health
SHD may also include:
• Occupation
• Circumstances
affecting how people
work
• Income
• Culture
• Religion
• Education
• Racial
• Gender discrimination
One health concept: a framework for community and
public health nursing
❑The world in the present times, is faced with immense challenges for health.
❑Jones, et al., 2008 reported the appearance of 335 infectious diseases among the
human population between 1940 and 2004
❑ COVID-19 emergence in the past 2 years and still occurring at present.
❑Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a matter of importance to a great extent if
there is a rapid increase in cases and high incidences of deaths caused by these
diseases (Petrosillo, 2019)
One health concept: a framework for community and
public health nursing
❑The most effective way to act in response to the threats of EIDs is the One Health
Recognizing the connection between human, animal, and environmental health
(Johnson et al., 2019)
consolidated interaction between human health, veterinary medicine, and public
and environmental health professionals, clinicians, researchers, and agencies
functioning hand in hand for worthwhile and sustainable health interventions in
addressing worldwide and environmental health challenges. The reciprocal actions
may occur at several levels which is from the management of zoonotic infectious
disease outbreaks to consolidated policy-making and funding resolution (Day,
2011)
One health concept: a framework for community and
public health nursing
One Health Approach Activities example includes:
National Rabies Prevention and Control Program (NRPCP)
Avian Influenza Protection Program (AIPP)
Philippines Inter-agency Committee on Zoonoses
Thus, guided by this framework, nurses in communities can better promote
awareness of people on how all these factors impact wellness and spawn collective
action for better health.
Health in Philippine context: A call for nursing action
Health is
valued last.
