Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on health promotion. Saracci tries to define health as a fundamental human right but not a service. and according to him, health is a condition of being free from disease or infirmity (ibid). Evidently, an individual’s health seems satisfactory when he/she is free from diseases or other physical problems.  . . .According to another view, health can be defined as “a dynamic state of well-being characterised by a physical and mental potential, which satisfies the demand of life commensurate with age, culture, and personal responsibility” (Bircher 2005). As compared to the definition provided by Saracci, Bircher’s definition is more comprehensive. He opines that good health condition will be characterized by a physical and mental well-being (ibid). The author adds that this dynamic state of well being, in turn, would satisfactorily meet an individual’s demands of life with respect to his/her age, culture, and personal responsibility, which are the major determinants of a person’s health needs (ibid).
David Seedhouse also gives a definition that reflects the dynamic nature of health. He states that “a person’s optimum state of health is equivalent to the state of the set of conditions which fulfil or enable a person to work to fulfil his or her realistic chosen and biological potentials” (Seedhouse as cited in Blair 2008, p.18). In other words, an individual will be in a good health condition if he/she is able to use his/her full biological potentials. The definition clearly reflects that fact realistic biological potentials of individuals will be different from one another. From the definition, it is also clear that in order to achieve a good health status, a set of conditions needs to be fulfilled.
Health promotion is of considerable importance in the modern life because of the high prevalence of many dreadful diseases like AIDS and chronic diseases like diabetes. “Health promotion is the art and science of helping people discover the synergies between their core passions and optimal health, enhancing their motivation to strive for optimal health, and supporting them in changing their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health”.
