10 Questions
What are some criticisms of the WHO's definition of health?
The WHO's definition of health is criticized for being binary and absolutist, and for not accounting for contextual factors such as societal norms and differences in mortality or morbidity between populations.
How do alternative definitions of health introduce a different concept?
Alternative definitions introduce the concept of 'the extent to which,' based on the realization of aspirations, the ability to satisfy needs, and coping with a range of environments, avoiding the binary and absolutist difficulties of the WHO's definition.
What is a potential problem with the alternative approach to defining health?
A potential problem is failing to recognize potentially vast differences in mortality or morbidity between populations or changes in expectations over time based on the contemporaneous and local mortality and morbidity experience.
What is a possible strength of the alternative approach to defining health?
A possible strength is that health is contextually defined by societal norms around aspiration and need, and therefore evolves over time.
How do alternative definitions of health address the aspirational and absolutist aspects of the WHO's definition?
Alternative definitions of health seek to temper the aspirational and absolutist definition by introducing an analogous concept based on the realization of aspirations, the ability to satisfy needs, and coping with a range of environments.
How do alternative definitions of health attempt to temper the aspirational and absolutist definition of health?
These definitions avoid the binary and absolutist difficulties of the WHO and instead introduce an analogous concept ('the extent to which') based on the realisation of aspirations, the ability to satisfy needs, and to cope with a range of environments.
What is a possible strength of the alternative approach to defining health?
Health is contextually defined by societal norms around aspiration and need and therefore evolves over time.
What is a potential problem with the alternative approach to defining health?
It could be problematic in failing to recognise potentially vast differences in mortality or morbidity between populations or changes in expectations over time based on the contemporaneous and local mortality and morbidity experience.
How do alternative definitions of health define health based on societal norms?
Health is contextually defined by societal norms around aspiration and need and therefore evolves over time.
How do alternative definitions of health address the concept of 'the extent to which'?
These definitions introduce an analogous concept ('the extent to which') based on the realisation of aspirations, the ability to satisfy needs, and to cope with a range of environments.
Test your understanding of health and health inequalities with this quiz. Explore definitions of health and learn about the factors contributing to health disparities.
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