General public definition
- Health describes how you are feeling and functioning physically, mentally, socially, and in some definitions, spiritually.
- Health can also describe how you view your own “physical, mental, social, and spiritual functioning”31 or how other people view your “physical, mental, social, and spiritual functioning.”31
Academic definition
- Health describes the physical, mental, social, and (according to some) spiritual functioning of a person, and is on a continuum from poor to good.32-35
- Health can be described subjectively, for example, when a person describes their own physical functioning, psychological well-being, or health-related quality of life.
- Health also can be described objectively, for example, when a family member or health care professional makes observations about another person’s physical functioning, psychological well-being, or health-related quality of life.
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