We explain what health is according to the World Health Organization. What are its components, and the different types of health.

What is health?
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of illnesses or diseases.
This definition is the result of a conceptual evolution, since it arose to replace a long-held notion, which presumed that health was simply the absence of biological diseases.
Starting in the 1950s, the WHO revised that definition and finally replaced it with this new one, in which the notion of human well-being transcends the merely physical. The Pan American Health Organization then provided one more piece of information: health It also has to do with the environment that surrounds the person.
The doctor Floral Ferrara took the WHO definition and tried to complement it, limiting health to three different areas:
- Physical health It corresponds to a person's ability to maintain the exchange and resolve the proposals that arise. This is explained by man's history of adaptation to the environment, so his states of health or illness cannot be outside of that interaction.
- Mental health. Optimal performance within the capabilities it possesses, related to the environment that surrounds it. Health lies in the balance of the person with their environment in this way, which implies a possibility of resolution of the conflicts that appear.
- Social health. It represents a combination of the two previous ones: to the extent that man can live with psychodynamic balance, with satisfaction of his needs and also with his aspirations, he enjoys social health.
See also: Human development
Components of health

The WHO, after characterizing the concept of health, also established a series of components that make it up:
- State of adaptation to the environment (biological and sociocultural).
- Physiological state of balance.
- Balance between the form and function of the body (nutrition).
- Biological and social perspective (family relationships, habits).
The relationship between these components determines the state of health, and Failure to comply with one of them generates the disease state linked to a triadic relationship between a host (subject), agent (syndrome) and environment (intervening factors). Every disease consists of a relationship between a host (subject), an agent (syndrome) and environment (intervening factors).
Another aspect on which the characterization of the WHO (which belongs to the UN) focuses is the organization of public health. This refers to all the measures that can be taken from the organizations managed by the State for the prevention of ailments and disabilities, for the prolongation of life and for the education of individuals regarding personal hygiene. The WHO states that “health is part of the responsibility of governments.”
In this sense, there is much that can be done, including the improvement of public hospitals, the promotion of private initiative (which considers that health is a right of all individuals) and the protection of the environment.
Occupational health

In the workplace, the WHO also speaks out when referring to occupational health. With this term it is understood the activity that promotes the health of people in their workplaces.
Occupational health has to do with the physical conditions of the worker, but also with psychological conditions. When entering a job, people undergo a health examination but work accidents, repetitive movements associated with certain tasks, exposure to harmful conditions or stress and pressure from superiors can deteriorate their conditions.
To avoid this, it is necessary that those who hire workers do so ensuring adequate working conditions framed in safety regulations, and it is also necessary that the State, through its control agencies, promote compliance with the laws in this regard. Today there are many plans (preventive medicine, safety, hygiene) that aim to preserve the health of employees in their work environment.
Continue in: Occupational health