5. It’s interesting to examine individual perspectives on health and the extent to which
people define themselves as ‘healthy’.
McMurray and Clendon (2015) suggest that health is characterised by balance and
potential. They suggest that wellness is ‘a state of harmony between the physical,
social, emotional and spiritual health of the individual’ (p. 8), and that when people
are part of a healthy community they are able to achieve and maintain high levels of
health and wellness.
Environment
This idea of connectivity between people and their environment originates from
Halbert Dunn’s (1959) work on conceptualisation of positive health. Dunn defined
wellness as a dynamic relationship between people and their environment and the
wellness that comes when individuals use that environment to maintain balance and
purposeful direction.
From this perspective, when people’s environments support their health choices they
are able to reach their health potential. For example, having access to safe
recreational spaces, exercise, nutritious food or immunisation.
Similarly, healthy communities contribute to the health of their citizens through a
range of activities such as greening their environment, lobbying for resources for the
homeless and mentally ill, and engaging in activities that promote social inclusion and
connection.
Culture
Culture is multidimensional and understood to be based on shared identity, traditions,
knowledge, art and customs, values and beliefs, language and meanings about the
world (McMurray & Clendon, 2015; Talbot & Verrinder, 2010). Perceptions of health
6. Living with illness
The terms illness and disease are often used
interchangeably, but they do have different meanings.
An illness is the subjective experience often associated with
feelings of discomfort or pain. Illnesses may be experienced as
a sense of being unwell. Illnesses can also have particular
cultural meanings attached to them (Conrad & Barker, 2010).
For example, some illnesses may be more acceptable within a
particular society than others.
Illnesses can be short term and resolve without any
intervention. Other illnesses last for longer and cause
increasing discomfort and pain requiring investigation,
diagnosis and treatment.
While illnesses have an experiential dimension, they also have a
biomedical dimension (Conrad & Barker, 2010). The biomedical
dimension is often defined in terms of disease.
A disease is understood in biological and physiological evidence
of the pathology that alters the structure or function of an
organ or body system resulting in a range of symptoms. Diseases
are caused by a number of factors, including:
an infection, eg HIV or malaria
hereditary/genetic factors, eg muscular dystrophy
environmental factors, eg respiratory conditions
an accident, eg acquired brain injury.
7. We have explored what health is, how we define illness and how concepts
of wellness and holism may influence how we approach its management.
Next week, we’ll explore what it’s like to live with diabetes in more depth
by looking at:
the impact of being diagnosed with diabetes
how stigma impacts on the experience of living with diabetes
the importance of self-care, self-efficacy and self-management.
Weekly wrap-up and where to next
8. Kirsty describes what it was like when she was first diagnosed with
diabetes and shares her own personalised approach to managing her
diabetes.
Being diagnosed with diabetes: Kirsty's story
