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Contextual Factors in Health and Illness

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Global Handbook on Noncommunicable Diseases and Health Promotion

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Abstract

At first glance it would seem that health and illness are clearly understood and defined ideas. At closer inspection one observes that many preconceived ideas, opinions, and prejudices that underpin these ideas are apparent. The WHO has defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO 1946). Such a definition, while concise and easy to state, raises many questions and practically every word is subject to further discussion, definition, and subjective interpretation. Illness also presents difficulties and is often simply defined as being the opposite of healthy. Sometimes it is defined biomedically as the subjective experience of disease or the absence of health. In any case, there are many variants of the definition of health and illness and in most cases the definitions reveal the background of the definer as much as any revelation of truth as to meaning. Still, most persons, whether professionals in public health or lay observers of life, have a broad view of these two terms and know that they are generally two distinct states for any individual experiencing them.

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  1. 2418 Midvale Court, Tucker, GA, 30084, USA

    David V. McQueen

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  1. Emory University, Midvale Court 2418, Atlanta, 30084, Georgia, USA

    David V. McQueen

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McQueen, D.V. (2013). Contextual Factors in Health and Illness. In: McQueen, D. (eds) Global Handbook on Noncommunicable Diseases and Health Promotion. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7594-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7594-1_6

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