Types of Health

Environmental Health

Environmental health refers to the state of the natural systems of our planet and to the physical environments that people construct around them. Of fundamental importance to living things, including people, are the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we depend on to grow so much of our food. Keeping the air, the water and the soil as healthy and unpolluted as possible is vital for environmental health. The preservation of biodiversity, the conservation of natural places and the creation of buildings and spaces where people can live and work comfortably are also important dimensions/elements of environmental health.

Community Health

The health of a community can be measured by its physical health and by the nature of its social systems, particularly the interrelationships between community members.

Some important dimensions/elements of community health are:

• Inclusive social structures (structures meeting the needs of all community members);
• Cohesion created by valuing diversity and encouraging participation and cooperation;
• The provision of accessible community services;
• The opportunity for community members to earn a living;
• The opportunity for community members to enjoy leisure time.

While healthy communities are not free of conflict, opportunities are created for the productive and peaceful resolution of conflict.

Personal Health

Physical

Physical health is about being fit, having enough energy for both your daily work and your leisure activities, and not being sick. It means that your body systems are working well including your immune system which works to resist infections. Physical health involves getting adequate rest and sleep and having a balanced nutritional intake. Physical activity is an important part of maintaining personal physical health.

Emotional

Emotional health involves liking yourself and accepting others. It means understanding your own emotions, and having the ability to listen to others and empathise with their emotions. Importantly, it also means being able to express emotions productively. It includes controlling your own behaviour, and being able to deal with success, failure and challenge.

Emotional health means moving from emotional dependence to interdependence as we grow up. Emotional interdependence includes the ability to provide emotional support for others.

Being emotionally mature enables a person to have considerable control over their quality of life. Emotional maturity also encourages cooperation and productive relationships between people.

Intellectual/Mental

Intellectual or mental health involves a person's ability to think clearly and logically and to make decisions - that is, it involves the way in which our minds operate. It includes being able to reason and question, to challenge ideas and plan actions. The ability to organise, process and evaluate information is an essential part of intellectual health. Also important are: the ability to see things from a number of perspectives, a willingness to consider new ideas and the ability to assess risk, creativity, curiosity and intuition.

Social

Social health involves the ability to interact positively with friends, family and other members of the community. Relationships that are built on social needs, such as a sense of belonging, acceptance and being cared for, as well as caring for others, contribute to social health. Another aspect of social health is the ability to use diverse social skills in a variety of contexts.

Spiritual

Spiritual health involves working out what you believe in, having a purpose in life and being in touch with your inner self. It includes making meaning for yourself by exploring ethical and philosophical questions. For some people, spiritual health may include the adoption of religious beliefs. Such beliefs can take many forms, including a profound connection to a particular place or to elements of the natural world.

Spiritual health may include: caring for your soul; respecting life; searching for wisdom; listening to your inner voice; searching for universal truths or individual truths. Maintaining spiritual health is often seen as a journey in which the directions you take, and your motivation for taking these particular directions, are important.

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What is health?

Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life: where they learn, work, play and love. Health is created by caring for oneself and others, by being able to make decisions and have control over one's life circumstances, and by ensuring that the society one lives in creates conditions that allow the attainment of health by all its members.

Source: Quoted in Davy, J., Parker, R. & Patterson, J. 1994. Health Moves 2: Senior Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, Heinemann, Port Melbourne, Vic., p. 445.

This definition reflects a very broad view of health. In contrast, many generations of Australians have grown up with the narrow view that health is simply the absence of disease. The definition above suggests that health consists of many dimensions, including the personal physical dimension that most people associate with the term 'health'.

Different writers/researchers in the field of health describe the dimensions of health in different ways. Some refer only to individual or personal health, while others also include environmental and/or community dimensions. The Dimensions of personal health include: the physical, emotional, intellectual/mental, social and spiritual.

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