Health issues: Health is the state of physical and mental well-being.

The idea

Health is not simply the absence of disease. The statement defines it as a state of physical and mental well-being, so a person can be free of pathogens yet still not be healthy if their mental well-being is poor. Physical well-being covers the body working properly: no infections, injuries or long-term conditions, and enough fitness and energy for daily life. Mental well-being covers emotional and social aspects: feeling able to cope, having supportive relationships and functioning without persistent distress. The two interact. For example, chronic pain from arthritis can lower mood, while depression can reduce sleep, appetite and willingness to exercise, affecting physical health. Because health is a state rather than a fixed score, it is assessed by comparing evidence about a person's body and mind with what is normal for them, not by a single measurement.

What earns the marks

• Health is defined as a state of physical and mental well-being, not merely the absence of disease.
• Physical well-being includes freedom from disease and injury plus the body functioning adequately for everyday activity.
• Mental well-being includes emotional and social functioning, such as coping with stress and maintaining supportive relationships.
• The two aspects interact: a physical illness can worsen mental health and poor mental health can affect physical health.
• Health is judged from evidence about a person's body and mind compared with normal function for that individual.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Saying health is just 'not being ill'.

  Put it right: The definition requires both physical and mental well-being, so a disease-free person with severe anxiety is not fully healthy.

• Treating mental well-being as separate from physical health.

  Put it right: The two influence each other, for example long-term pain can cause low mood and low mood can reduce self-care.

• Assuming a single measurement, such as body mass index, proves health.

  Put it right: Health is a state assessed from several pieces of evidence about body and mind.

Exam tips

• Quote the full definition and then unpack both 'physical' and 'mental' in your own words.
• Use a named example, such as a person with asthma whose anxiety worsens breathlessness, to show the interaction.
• If asked to evaluate a case study, comment on both physical and mental evidence before concluding.