MODELS OF HEALTH

Social and Biomedical Model of Health

Social and Biomedical Model of Health

Introduction

Health status is a constant concern of humanity. However it is difficult to define or explain the concept of health. Health has long been defined as the absence of disease or a person with no illness. However, it is not considered as the best approach because it cannot be defined with a negation. (Fitzpatrick et al., 2004) In much of history the issue of health was dominated by infectious diseases. In the course of evolution gave rise to new infections and others were disappearing without a preventive measure. Following human evolution is a number of diseases that had no connection with infections and diseases were not as myocardial infarction, depression, cancer and others. These entities were called "diseases of civilization." But these changes in civilization also interfered in the evolution of infectious diseases, causing changes in their patterns. Colonizing currents, military conquests, wars, all do come with consequences in the course of infectious diseases. After industrialization, population growth, indiscriminate approach on ecology, science, communications, economic globalization have changed the settings in health, giving as an idea that everything is a dynamic process as expressed by the Buddha, the only constant is change. (Fishbein, 2003)

The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social "and adds, “And not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. " When one refers to the concept of health it must include several aspects, namely: objective: defining a parameter should show observable and comparable to taking it as patterns and relationships with others. (Anderson and Bury, 2008)

Many organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) have taken to Health as a right and are well expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations. It states that everyone has the right to preserve their health and if anyone get sick, to possess the means to heal (O'Hare, 2007). In this study two of different health models would come under discussion as to better understand various approaches in health models. (Higgins, 1999) One is social model of health and the other is biomedical model of health. These two approaches have been selected to be compared as the main focus of social model is on preventing diseases whereas, the biomedical model refers to the treatment of diseases.

Social Model of Health

The social model of health distinguishes the effect of social, political, economic and cultural conditions and factors on wellbeing and health. It is a conceptual model to bring improvements in health conditions, whereas the main objective of this model is at reducing and preventing disease and addressing disadvantage and inequalities that exist within the community. 

Community health practice, as a part of primary health care, is underpinned and informed by the values and principles supported in the Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (World Health Organization (WHO), 1978) and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1986). The social model of health includes:

An agreement that fairness is a crucial result ...