Perspectives on health

• Health should be regarded as a dynamic concept referring to the individual’s ability to be active and fulfil his or her vital goals rather than as a negative formulation of biomedical status (absence of disease or infirmity). It reflects continuous coping processes in different circumstances of life. Health is determined by a complex multi-level interplay of structural, environmental, organizational, cultural, and personal factors. According to this systems perspective, it is often more important to focus on higher-level upstream factors such as structural, organizational, and environmental conditions than on lower-level downstream factors such as individual lifestyle and biological conditions. A participative approach aiming at enabling people to increase their control over the determinants of health is essential in order to attain a sustainable improvement of health. This healthy settings approach entails that all systems and structures which govern the social and economic conditions of life should be utilized to promote health. For many people, the working life and the workplace constitute one of the most significant arenas in life. The focus of interventions should be to strengthen people’s own ability to improve their health by creating supportive environments and contexts.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

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