Beyond the physical aspect of health, I think it is important to consider adaptability, capability, and capacity when assessing health. Also, taking into consideration the dynamic and fluid nature of what health can be to different people at different times. For example, an individual may be diagnosed with heart disease. If the individual makes changes to their lifestyle and follows recommendations by their care providers, they may adapt to their new diagnoses of “disease”, but consider themselves healthy because of their awareness of their health status. As noted in The Lancet, “Health is not a fixed entity. It varies for every individual, depending on their circumstances.” (The Lancet, 2009, p. 781)
Spirituality is a dimension that is not mentioned in the WHO 1946 definition of health. Nagase (2012) explains that in 1999 there was discussion of adding “spirituality” to the WHO definition of health, however, WHO board members could not come to a consensus of the addition. The argument for adding spirituality to the definition is that it would expand to encompass more cultural considerations of health. The argument against adding it was that it would take away from the “nature” aspect of health, i.e. medical science.
I can see the relevance of spiritual health in overall health. Perhaps it is closely related to mental health, however I think it is different in that it is not measurable and purely subjective. I think spirituality is an aspect that is considered part of holistic care, as one of our (nurses in our healthcare organization) requirements upon admission is to ask patients if they have any spiritual or cultural needs we should consider during their visit.
Modifying the definition of health to include spirituality would not require everyone to embrace a spiritual aspect into their lives, however it would give the opportunity to those it is important to acknowledge and address it.
References
Nagase, M. (2012). Does a multi - dimensional concept of health Include spirituality? Analysis of Japan Health Science Council’s discussions on WHO’s ‘ Definition of Health’ (1998). International Journal of Applied Sociology. 2(6): 71-77. Doi: 10.5923/j.ijas.20120206.03
What is health? The ability to adapt. (2009, March 7). The Lancet. Vol 373. p. 781