Health, Illness and Human Response

By
Sardar Ali
Assistant Professor -KMU
Health, Illness and Wellness
Health: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well
being, not merely the absence of disease
Illness: the unique response of a person to a disease
Wellness: an active state, oriented toward maximizing the
potential of the individual
Human Dimensions of Health

 Physical (Genetic Inheritance, Age, Developmental Level, Race, & Gender)
 Intellectual Cognitive Abilities, Educational Background, and Past Experiences)
 Emotional (Emotions/mind affects body function and responds to body conditions)
 Sociocultural (Economic Level, Lifestyle, Family, and Culture)
 Spiritual (Spiritual beliefs and values)
 Environmental (Housing, Sanitation, Climate, Pollution of Air, Food, and Water)

Types of Illnesses
Acute Illness: Generally has a rapid onset of symptoms and

lasts only a relatively short time
Examples: Appendicitis, Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Common Cold
Chronic Illness: A broad term that encompasses many different

physical and mental alterations
It is a permanent change
It causes/is caused by irreversible alterations in normal A & P
It requires special patient education for rehabilitation
It requires a long period of care or support
Examples: Diabetes Mellitus, COPD, Arthritis, CRF etc

Illness Behaviour: Illness behaviour refers to “the way in
which symptoms are perceived, evaluated, and acted upon
by a person who recognizes some pain, discomfort or other
signs of organic malfunction
Stages of Illness Behavior

Experiencing symptoms (Manifestations/Signs)
Assuming the sick role (Disruption of normal social roles, rights, obligation)
Assuming a dependent role (Increased attention and escape for work responsibilities)
Achieving recovery and rehabilitation (Varies depending on the type of illness)
Each stage involves major decisions that must be made by

the individual that determine whether the sequence of stages
continue or the process is discontinued
Support During Illness
Family Support
Health Care Givers Support
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Faith Healing
Homeopathy
Models of Health and Illness
The Agent-Host-Environment Model
The Health–Illness Continuum
The High-Level Wellness Model
The health belief model
The Health Promotion Model

Agent-Host-Environment Model (Leavell and Clark)
Agent: Agent is environmental factor or stressor,

bacteria, virus, chemical substance
Host: Host is living organism cable of being affected by
the agent
Environment: Environment is factors that are external to
host that make illness more likely i.e: Lack of Sleep. Cold
Temperature
The Health–Illness Continuum
 Measures a person’s level of health

 Views health as a constantly changing state with high-
level wellness and death on opposite sides of a
continuum
Illustrates the dynamic (ever-changing) state of health
The High-Level Wellness Model (Dunn)
Encourages the nurse to care for the total person
Involves functioning to one’s maximum potential while
maintaining balance and a purposeful direction
Regards wellness as an active state, oriented toward
maximizing the potential of the individual, regardless of
his or her state of health
Incorporates the processes of being, belonging,
becoming, and befitting
Active State: More than good health (passive) maximizes the person’s
potential. More total person focus encompasses all of the
dimensions
Being: Recognizing self as separate and individual
Belonging: Being part of a whole
becoming: Growing and Developing
Befitting: Making personal choices to befit the self of the future
The Health Belief Model (Rosenstock)
 Concerned with what people perceive to be true about

themselves in relation to their health
 Modifying factors for health include demographic,

sociopsychological, and structural variables
 Based on three components of individual perceptions of

threat of a disease
Perceived susceptibility to a disease

Perceived seriousness of a disease
Perceived benefits of action
The Health Promotion Model (Pender)
Illustrates the “multidimensional nature of persons

interacting with their environment as they pursue health”
Incorporates individual characteristics and experiences

and behavior-specific knowledge and beliefs, to motivate
health-promoting behavior
Personal, biologic, psychological, and sociocultural factors

are predicative of a certain health-related habit
Health-related behavior is the outcome of the model and

is directed toward attaining positive health outcomes and
experiences throughout the lifespan
Example: Used to predict how a person is likely to incorporate health promotion behaviors into their
lifestyle. Smoking: If parents smoke children more likely to smoke
• Primary prevention—e.g., Diet, Exercise, Immunizations
• Secondary prevention—e.g., Screenings, Mammograms,

Family Counseling
• Tertiary prevention—e.g., Medications, Surgical

Treatment, Rehabilitation

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Human Dimensions of Health

 Intellectual Cognitive Abilities, Educational Background, and Past Experiences)

 Emotional (Emotions/mind affects body function and responds to body conditions)

 Sociocultural (Economic Level, Lifestyle, Family, and Culture)

 Spiritual (Spiritual beliefs and values)

 Environmental (Housing, Sanitation, Climate, Pollution of Air, Food, and Water)

Acute Illness: Generally has a rapid onset of symptoms and

Examples: Appendicitis, Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Common Cold

Chronic Illness: A broad term that encompasses many different

Examples: Diabetes Mellitus, COPD, Arthritis, CRF etc

Stages of Illness Behavior

Each stage involves major decisions that must be made by

Health Care Givers Support

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The Agent-Host-Environment Model

The Health–Illness Continuum

The High-Level Wellness Model

The health belief model

The Health Promotion Model

Agent: Agent is environmental factor or stressor,

 Measures a person’s level of health

 Concerned with what people perceive to be true about

 Modifying factors for health include demographic,

 Based on three components of individual perceptions of

Perceived susceptibility to a disease

Illustrates the “multidimensional nature of persons

Incorporates individual characteristics and experiences

Personal, biologic, psychological, and sociocultural factors

Health-related behavior is the outcome of the model and

• Secondary prevention—e.g., Screenings, Mammograms,

• Tertiary prevention—e.g., Medications, Surgical

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