Key Terms
Health
- “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” as defined by the Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization (World Health Organization 1948).
- “Health is the reduction in mortality, morbidity, and disability due to detectable disease or disorder, and an increase in the perceived level of health,” as defined by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe in Health21: The health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region (1999).
- “Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities,” as defined in the World Health Organization Health Promotion Glossary (1998).
- “Health is the capacity of people to adapt to, respond to, or control life's challenges and changes,” as defined in Health Impact Assessment as a Tool for Population Health Promotion and Public Policy (1996).
These definitions were compiled in Resources for Health Impact Assessment, a health impact assessment manual commissioned by the National Health Service Executive London (Ison 2000).
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