Although since 1948 the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”it is estimated that 75% of health-related studies address only the physical component.
A survey of McKinsey Health Institute examined the opinions of residents of 19 countries such as Argentina, Brazil, India, Nigeria, China, Japan, United Statesamong others, to understand how communities around the world define health and what factors they believe influence it.
In general, the respondents valued the four dimensions of health, physical, mental, social and spiritual; the latter, understood as belonging, purpose and identity, not strictly a religious belief.
These were the main findings:
- All dimensions of health are rated as important.
Approximately 85% of the total rated mental and physical health as very important or extremely important; 70% and 62%, respectively, used those two ratings to describe the relevance given to social health and spiritual health.
People of different ages participated in the study, for this reason, similar proportions of younger and older respondents rated physical and mental health as important; while social and spiritual health was rated less important by older respondents.
- Age does not always equate to perceived health.
Self-assessed health levels do not show a significant difference in relation to age. 70% of 18-24 year olds reported being in good or very good general health, while 60% of 75-84 year olds did the same.
As for mental health, the numbers change, in 15 of the 19 countries, a higher percentage of respondents aged 65+ rated their mental health as good or very good compared to respondents under 24 who did; this is related to recent studies, which highlight that members of Generation Z report having lower mental health.
- There is a negative correlation between life expectancy at birth and perceived health.
Respondents living in countries with higher life expectancies at birth do not necessarily consider themselves healthier. For example, within the 19 countries consulted, Japan has the highest life expectancy at birth, but respondents from that country rate their health the worst.
Nigeria is the country with the lowest life expectancy at birth, but registers a high perception of health; This phenomenon may indicate that improved living conditions contribute to higher perceived health than reported in countries that have long had high life expectancy rates.
- People who feel supported in their needs claim to have better health.
The support of the environment contributes to maintaining a level of optimal health. The survey reveals that 80% of participants who declared high support rated their health as good or very good, compared to only 40% who reported low support from family and friends.
- Towards a modernized approach to health.
The adoption of a broader approach is necessary to create lasting, significant and material changes in the attitudes and actions of society, to achieve its full potential in improving health. If individuals, companies and countries broaden their understanding of health, they will be able to reap the benefits of increases in life expectancy and quality of life.
*With information from Dattis Consultores.
