Are you free from disease and illness? Yes! But you are not healthy. Health and illness of an individual is determined by various factors, they may either intrinsic or extrinsic. According to WHO (1948) "Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well being not merely absence of disease and infirmity.” An individual is not healthy if he is not physically fit, psychologically perfect (free from stress, well sleep patterns etc) and socially normal (healthy social relationship). Your health is determined by these factors or determinants. The determinants of health were first described by Thomas McKeon. The Lalonde report identified 4 major components of the health concepts: human biology (biological factors), health care systems, environment and lifestyle (Glouberman, & Millar, 2003).
Health promotion advocates quickly recognized that an excessive emphasize on life style could lead to a “blame the victim” mentality. Smoking for example is not merely a matter of personal choice but also a function of one’s social environment. In addition these factors not only determine the health of an individual but health delivery system and delivery of care is heavily influenced.
