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WHAT IS COMMUNITY HEALTH?
Health: A positive state of physical, mental, and social
well being.
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Health has previously been defined as the absence
of disease and disability. The concept of health, however, is evolving
and is now being defined by the World Health Organization (1985) as a
positive state of physical, mental, and social well being.
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It is now more widely acknowledged that people's lives, and
therefore their health, are affected by every aspect of life, including
their physical, social, and cultural environments (Centers for Disease
Control, October 27, 2000).
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An additional concept that is being more widely used is that
of wellness. Wellness is a multidimensional concept involving the whole
person's relation to the total environment that describes a process of
moving toward optimal health. Dimensions often associated with wellness
include emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, social, and
physical wellness) (Edlin, Golanty, & Brown, 1996).
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Wellness: A multidimensional concept involving the whole
person's relation to the total environment that describes a process
of moving toward optimal health.
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When viewing an individual's health and wellness from a holistic perspective,
the effect of health habits and environmental systems on an individual's
health become apparent. These relationships become more complex when
all individuals and their health are viewed collectively as a community.
Community health, therefore, includes many issues and areas of service
that both impact the health status of individuals and the community
and is impacted by the collective behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs
of everyone who lives in the community. While numerous definitions
of community health exist, the following definition is being used to
guide this assessment:
The combination of sciences, skills and
beliefs that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of
the health of all the people through collective or social actions
which emphasize the prevention of disease and the health needs
of the population as a whole. Community health activities change
with changing technology and social values, but the goals remain
the same: to reduce the amount of disease, premature death, and
disease-produced discomfort and disability in the population.(Last,
1988)
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