Unit-II Concept of

Health & Disease

Presented by...
• Nouman Haider
• Naeem Ismail
• Afia Shahid
• Shakeela Bibi
• Usama Shabir
• Rida Kainat
 Objectives :

• At the end of this presentation the student will be

able to:
• Discuss the terms of Health, Disease, Well
being.
• Describe the concept of causation.
• Understand the Health indicator.
 CONCEPT OF HEALTH
• Health is evolved over the centuries.
Changing concept of health till now are:
– Biomedical concept
– Ecological concept
– Psychosocial concept
– Holistic concept
 BIOMEDICAL CONCEPT
• Traditionally, health has been viewed as an
“absence of disease”, and if one was free from
disease, then the person was considered
healthy.
• This concept has the basis in the “germ theory
of disease”.
• The medical profession viewed the human body
as a machine, disease as a consequence of the
breakdown of the machine and one of the
doctor’s task as repair of the machine.
 ECOLOGICAL CONCEPT
• From ecological point of view; health is
viewed as a dynamic equilibrium between
human being and environment, and disease
a maladjustment of the human organism to
environment.
• According to Dubos “Health implies the
relative absence of pain and discomfort and
a continuous adaptation and adjustment to
the environment to ensure optimal function.”
 PSYCHOSOCIAL CONCEPT
• According to psychosocial concept “health
is not only biomedical phenomenon, but is
influenced by social, psychological,
cultural, economic and political factors of
the people concerned.”
 HOLISTIC CONCEPT
• This concept is the synthesis of all the
above concepts.
• It recognizes the strength of social,
economic, political and environmental
influences on health.
• It described health as a multi dimensional
process involving the wellbeing of whole
person in context of his environment .
 Defination Of Health

Health
It is a state of complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing and ability to
function and not merely absence of
disease or infirmity but also the ability to
lead a socially and economically productive
life
 WHAT IS Health?

• “A state of
complete physical,
mental, and social
well-being and not
merely the
absence of disease
or infirmity”
WHO. (1948).
 RISK FACTORS & DETERMINANTS

• Risk Factor is any attribute, characteristic or exposure

of an individual that increases the likelihood of
developing a disease or injury.

• Some examples of the more important risk factors are

underweight, unsafe sex, high blood pressure, tobacco
and alcohol consumption, and unsafe water, sanitation
and hygiene.

• Determinant of Health: Many factors combine together

to affect the health of individuals and communities.
 determinants of health

• The determinants of
health include:

1. Socio- economic
2. Physical
3. Person’s individual
characteristics &
behaviours.
DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

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 Well-being

• "Well-being is a subjective perception

of vitality (energy) and feeling well.....
• can be described objectively, experienced,
and measured
• and can be plotted ( design) on a
continuum". It is a component of health.
 CONCEPT OF WELLBEING
• Wellbeing of an individual or group of
individuals have several components and
has been expressed in various ways, such
as ‘standard of living’ or ‘level of living’ and
‘quality of live’.
 WELLBEING
• Wellbeing of an individual or group of
individuals have objective (standard of
living or level of living) and subjective
(quality of life) components.
• Thus, a distinction is drawn between the
concept of ‘level of living’ consisting of
objective criteria and of ‘quality of life’
comprising the individual’s own subjective
evaluation of these.
 TWO ASPECTS OF HEALTH
• Subjective: It is formed by sensations and
feelings of a person suffering from disease.
• Objective: Its basis is formed by objective
parameters obtained by measurement of
structures and functions of a person during
disease.
• The quality of life can be evaluated by
assessing the persons subjective feeling of
happiness or unhappiness about the
various life concerns.
 Wellness & Well-Being

• Wellness further describes health

status. It allows health to be placed on a
continuum from one’s optimal level
(“wellness”) to a maladaptive state
(“illness”)
 Wellness
• Wellness is a dynamic process that is ever
changing.
• The well person usually has some degree
of illness and the ill person usually has
some degree of wellness.
 Cont…
• The classic description of wellness was
developed by Dunn in the early 1960s.
According to Dunn (1961), high-level
wellness means functioning to one’s
maximum health potential while remaining
in balance with the environment.
 Health-Illness Continuum
• Measure person’s perceived level of wellness
• Health and illness/disease opposite ends of a health
continuum
• Move back and forth (forward) within this continuum day
by day
• Wide ranges of health or illness

Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Dimensions of Wellness

Copyright 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.

 1. Physical
• The ability to carry out daily tasks, achieve
fitness (e.g. pulmonary, cardiovascular,
gastrointestinal), maintain adequate
nutrition and proper body fat, avoid
abusing drugs and alcohol or using
tobacco products, and generally to
practice positive lifestyle habits.
 2. Social.
• The ability to interact successfully with
people and within the environment
 3. Emotional.
• The ability to manage stress and to
express emotions appropriately, Emotional
wellness involves the ability to recognize,
accept, and express feelings.
 4. Intellectual.
• The ability to learn and use information
effectively for personal, family, and career
development
 5. Spiritual.
• The belief in some force (nature, science,
religion, or a higher power) that serves to
unite human beings and provide meaning
and purpose of life
 6. Occupational.
• The ability to achieve a balance between
work and leisure time, A person's beliefs
about education, employment, and home
influence personal satisfaction and
relationships with others.
 7. Environmental.
• The ability to promote health measures
that improve the standard of living and
quality of life in the community
 CONCEPT OF DISEASE
• Webster defines disease as “a condition in
which body health is impaired, a departure
from a state of health, an alteration of the
human body interrupting the performance
of vital functions”.
• The oxford English Dictionary defines
disease as “ a condition of the body or
some part or organ of the body in which its
functions are disturbed or deranged”.
 CONCEPT OF DISEASE
• Ecological point of view disease is defined
as “a maladjustment of the human
organism to the environment.”
• The simplest definition is that disease is
just the opposite of health: i.e. any
deviation from normal functioning or state
of complete physical or mental well-being.
 Distinction between Disease,
Illness and Sickness
• The term disease literally means “without
ease” (uneasiness), when something is wrong
with bodily function.
• Illness refers to the presence of a specific
disease, and also to the individual’s
perceptions and behavior in response to the
disease, as well as the impact of that disease
on the psychosocial environment.
• Sickness refers to a state of social
dysfunction.
Distinction between Disease,
Illness and Sickness
• Disease is a physiological/psychological
dysfunction.
• Illness is a subjective state of the person
who feels aware of not being well.
• Sickness is a state of social dysfunction
i.e. a role that the individual assumes
when ill (sickness role).
MODELS/THEORIES OF DISEASE CAUSATION

• Human disease results from an interaction of the

– Host
– Agent
– Environment
• Disease causation is usually described in terms
of four models:
1. Germ theory
2. Epidemiologic Triad
3. Wheel of Causation
4. Web of Causation