1.1 Compare meanings of health and explain why people give different meanings to health

Health is not one fixed idea. What people mean by health can change across time, cultures and personal experiences. The definition you use affects what you focus on and what you think should be improved.

A narrow meaning of health often focuses on disease, diagnosis, and treatment. A broader meaning includes physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, social wellbeing, daily functioning, relationships, and the conditions that help people live well. These differences matter because they influence health policy, health services, school programs, community programs, and personal health goals.

Health can also be described in two ways that do not always match.

• Subjective health: how healthy you feel, and how well you think you are coping day to day.
• Objective health: what can be observed or measured, such as test results, physical capacity, and diagnosed illness.

Example: A Year 12 student may feel fine and report high wellbeing (subjective), but a screening test shows iron deficiency (objective). Another student may have no diagnosed disease (objective), but feel constantly overwhelmed and socially isolated (subjective), and therefore view themselves as unhealthy.

2. Compare meanings of health across various sources

To compare meanings of health, focus on what each source includes, what it leaves out, and how it describes being healthy. Many definitions recognise the physical dimension, but they differ in how strongly they include mental wellbeing and social wellbeing, and whether health is an ideal state or something you use in everyday life.

2.1 Early biomedical meaning

An early and influential meaning of health comes from the biomedical model. In this approach, health is mainly seen as the absence of disease or injury. If there is no clear problem in the body, a person is labelled healthy.

This meaning can be useful because it is clear and measurable, which suits diagnosis and acute care. However, it can overlook:

• mental wellbeing concerns (such as anxiety or depression)
• social wellbeing issues (such as isolation, unsafe relationships, or exclusion)
• day-to-day functioning and quality of life while living with a condition

A biomedical meaning can also treat health as a simple yes or no label, instead of recognising that people can live well while managing health issues.

Example: Two people have asthma. One has strong management skills, supportive family, and plays weekend sport with minimal symptoms. The other has frequent flare-ups, poor access to care, and avoids activity due to fear. A purely biomedical meaning may label both as unhealthy because both have a condition, even though their lived health experiences are very different.

2.2 World Health Organization (1948)

The World Health Organization (WHO) broadened the meaning of health in 1948 by defining it as “a state of physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity“. This was important because it presented health as holistic, meaning multiple dimensions combine to shape overall health.

Compared with a biomedical meaning, the WHO definition:

• clearly includes mental and social wellbeing
• focuses on quality of life, not only disease
• supports prevention and health promotion, not only treatment

A key criticism is the word complete wellbeing. This can sound like a perfect state that is unrealistic for most people most of the time. With a strict reading of complete wellbeing, even minor illness, stress, or relationship conflict could mean a person is not healthy.

2.3 Ottawa Charter (1986)

The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) describes health as a resource for everyday life, rather than a perfect end-state. It states “Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.” This shifts the focus from achieving perfect health to building the abilities and supports that help people live well.

Compared with the WHO wording, the Ottawa Charter is often seen as:

• more realistic, because it recognises that life includes ups and downs
• more inclusive, because it can recognise health even when illness or disability is present
• more action-focused, because it points to the personal and social resources that strengthen health

This meaning links well with ideas such as resilience, health literacy, and support networks, because these help people respond to challenges and keep functioning.

Example: A person living with type 1 diabetes may not experience complete wellbeing every day. However, if they have strong health literacy, access to insulin, supportive relationships, and confidence to manage their condition, then overall they have positive health.

2.4 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)

An Australian public health perspective often builds on the WHO’s holistic approach and highlights that health is shaped by influences across a person’s life. This perspective emphasises that health is not only an individual issue. Health is also linked to the conditions that support wellbeing and participation.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) explains that “Health can be viewed as the presence or absence of disease or medically measured risk factors in an individual. However, more broadly, health is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO 1946). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people and other diverse communities, health also includes cultural wellbeing (Department of Health 2021)”

Compared with biomedical meanings, an Australian public health perspective is more likely to emphasise:

• living conditions (such as housing stability and neighbourhood safety)
• access to services (such as GPs, mental health care, and culturally safe services)
• resources and opportunities (such as education, income, and transport)
• the role of the social determinants of health

This helps explain why health patterns are not evenly distributed across Australia, and why improving health often requires changes beyond individual behaviour.

3. Why people give different meanings to health

People give different meanings to health because health is experienced and judged in context. Meanings can vary with a person’s age, gender, cultural background, and lived experience. Meanings also reflect what health needs to help a person do in daily life. This is why one person may define health as not being sick, while another focuses on coping well, feeling connected, or functioning independently.

Example: Two Year 12 students both want to improve health.

1. John defines health as not getting sick, influenced by frequent childhood illness. They focus on sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hygiene.

2. Jane defines health as feeling calm and connected, influenced by anxiety and social stress. They prioritise stress management, counselling, and supportive relationships

Neither approach is inherently better, but each has limits. The John may overlook mental and social wellbeing, potentially missing signs of anxiety or isolation. Jane may underestimate physical health behaviours, not recognising that poor sleep or nutrition can affect mood and energy. The most effective approach recognises that physical, mental, and social wellbeing are interconnected.

Different meanings are also shaped by why the definition is being used. A clinical setting may prioritise diagnosis and disease, while health promotion and public health prioritise wellbeing, participation, and the conditions that help people live well.

3.1 Health is relative

Health is also relative. This means people compare health to what is typical for someone’s age and life stage, their goals, their circumstances, and their usual level of functioning. This helps explain why two people can see the same situation and still disagree about whether someone is healthy. Relative health is also shaped by what a person values. For some people, health means peak physical capacity and quick recovery. For others, health means being able to study, work, sleep, manage emotions, maintain relationships, and take part in community life, even when a condition is present.

Example: An 18-year-old elite swimmer may view a minor shoulder limitation as unhealthy because it reduces training volume. An 80-year-old with well-managed arthritis in their shoulder may view themselves as healthy because they are independent, socially connected, and able to complete daily activities.

3.2 Influences on personal meanings

A person’s meaning of health is shaped by experiences and environment.

Age and life stage

What health means to you changes as you grow older. A younger person might think health is about being fit and active, while an older person might focus more on staying independent and connected to others.

Example: A 16-year-old may define health as making the first team in basketball and being injury-free, while their grandparent may define health as walking to the shops, cooking meals, and meeting friends weekly.

Gender and gender expectations

Society has different expectations for different genders, which shapes what people think health should look like. This means people might prioritise different aspects of health based on what they’re told is important for their gender.

Example: A teenage boy may focus on strength and muscle development, while a teenage girl may focus on appearance and weight, reflecting gendered messages about what health “should” look like.

Cultural background and community values

Your culture and community influence what you think matters most for health. Some cultures might emphasise physical fitness, others spiritual balance or family connections, and others the ability to give back to the community.

Example: An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student may define health in terms of connection to Country, Elders, culture, and community, rather than only physical fitness.

Lived experience

Your own experiences with illness, injury, disability, mental health challenges, or caring for others shape how you understand health. If you’ve lived through these things, you’re more likely to see health as practical and personal, not just about being perfectly well.

Example: A student who lives with epilepsy may define health as having seizures well-controlled and feeling safe at school, rather than being completely free of symptoms.

Personal goals and identity

What you want to achieve in life affects how you define health. An athlete might see health as performance and recovery, while someone else might see it as having energy for study, friendships, and feeling calm.

Example: A student training for state athletics championships may define health as peak fitness and fast recovery, while another student preparing for exams may define health as managing stress and sleeping well.

Social environment

Your relationships and surroundings shape your experience of health. Strong friendships and family support can make you feel mentally and socially healthy, while loneliness or conflict might make you feel unhealthy even if you’re physically fine.

Example: A student with close friends and supportive family may feel healthy despite mild asthma, while another student with no diagnosed illness may feel unhealthy due to bullying and social isolation.

Access to resources and services

Whether you can easily access healthcare, see a doctor, or find services that understand your background affects how you think about health. Limited access might make you focus more on avoiding illness than on improving overall wellbeing.

Example: A student in a remote community with limited GP access may define health as staying out of hospital, while a student in the city with easy access to services may define health as regular checkups and preventive care.

Health literacy and information exposure

What you learn from school, family, social media, and advertising shapes your understanding of health. Social media, for example, might promote narrow ideas about fitness or appearance that don’t include mental and social wellbeing.

Example: A student who follows fitness influencers may define health narrowly as having visible abs and eating “clean,” while another student learning about holistic health in class may define health as balance across physical, mental, and social dimensions.

Important to note:

When resources and supports are limited, people may define health in practical terms, such as getting through the day, feeling safe, attending school regularly, or keeping stable housing. When supports are strong, people may define health more broadly, including prevention and long-term wellbeing.