Measuring Health: Physical, Mental, and Social Well-being

This article discusses the importance of measuring health and explores the physical, mental, and social aspects of well-being. It focuses on the risks factors and health screening methods for diseases like asthma, dementia, and diabetes. The article also provides advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Measuring Health

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
Physical, mental and social health .............................................................................................4
Physical, mental and social health measures...............................................................................4
Demographic factors...................................................................................................................5
Risk factors of health..................................................................................................................5
Health screening with advantages and disadvantages.................................................................6
Types of health screening............................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Health of an individual is the state of well adjusted emotional, behavioural and physical
welfare in which the individual is completely free from any illness and diseases. The measuring
of health is required to assess the entire health status of an individual or a group of people to
obtain the physical, mental and social state. The actual capability of an individual is determined
when they are fit in all possible way (Brazier and et.al., 2017). If an individual is perfectly fit and
healthy, then they are considered as an asset to the country by being more productive and
profitable as well as to their family by supporting in household expenditures and children needs,
thereby measuring the health and remaining healthy plays a very essential role from their own
health point of view. Measuring health is also important in public health point of view because if
an individual is ill, they may transmit such pathogens which may cause disease to the neighbours
or to the other work employee, thus to maintain the quality of life regular health screening
practices should be followed.
Ms. S with age of 55 years have been diagnosed with Dementia, Asthma and Diabetes.
She is a midwife, who helps during delivery, labour and also take care of babies after birth. She

works in night and day shifts depending upon the work load and patients requirements. This
essay will focus on the physical, mental and social health of our individual. All the risks
associated with the diseases will be discussed and measures will be provided to prevent the
effects of diseases. The report will also cover the different types of screening method of
dementia, asthma and diabetes and their advantages and disadvantages. Suitable signposts and
suggestions will also be mentioned in the report so as to remain fit.
BACKGROUND
As per the World Health Organisation in 1948, the definition of Health is defined as the
status of an individual, who is not only free of all injuries and diseases but also includes perfect
well being of physical, mental and social aspects. The care of health involves in preventing,
managing and diagnosing the diseases so as to make the individual healthy and free from the
causative microbes (Fitzpatrick, 2018). The health status of an individual is directly proportional
to the body build, structure, metabolism, functioning and absence of signs and symptoms of the
diseases. So as to measure the individual's health, WHO definition is centred as well as focussed
to determine the level of their welfare.
This essay will majorly covers the categories of physical, social and mental health of Ms.
S so that the demographic and epidemiological factors are framed. Demographic factors will
involve weight, age, height, income, gender and employment status of an individual, whereas
epidemiological factors will cover all the potential risk factors related to dementia, asthma and
diabetes. The dynamic preventive practices and form of health state will also be outlined where
the future advices are provided to overcome and reduce the effects of diseases.
MAIN BODY
Physical, mental and social health
The physical health is majorly considered as a state of a human in the absence of illness
or diseases. For maintaining the health physically, it is very essential that an individual serves a
better lifestyle which is free from any bad or injurious habits. Proper and balanced diet should be
added in the lifestyle where no junk food and rich sugary food has a room. Habits like smoking
and drinking alcohol has an adverse effect on the physical health of our individual (Frank, Glazer
and McGuire, 2017). Habits like jogging, dancing or any such physical activities make a person
active and physically fit. The mental health is defined by the well being's behavioural, cognitive

and emotional status. Mentally unhealthy individual can't perform their day to day activities by
themselves and face difficulty in functioning properly. Any minor mental related problems,
namely stress or addiction. The social health focusses on the relationship with surrounding
people, more interactive a person is more they are socially fit and can adapt with the dynamic
situations easily.
Physical, mental and social health measures
Mrs. S is suffering from asthma, diabetes and dementia should follow physical mental
and social measures. Physical measures include daily exercise, avoid smoking and involving into
physical activities for young and older adults helps in to cure diabetes. They need to take actions
for reducing weight and maintain a balance BMI. Over weight is a major cause of diabetes. Thus,
it is necessary to take some proper measures and doctor advices to maintain weight. Morning
walks and light exercises are recommanded for older individuals (Hand, 2016). Avoiding excess
use of sugar and following proper diet will help in to prevent diabetes in all group of ages. These
kinds of practices will help young an old adults to control their blood pressure and will promote
proper functioning of body.
Appropriate Mental health measures has also been suggested like to avoid stress and
anxiety at workplace and any other situations. Therefore, taking mind relaxing activities and to
distract mind is a appropriate solution to maintain mental health. It majorly helps in to reduce
blood pressure in young adults. For older adults, appropriate suggestions have been given like
listening to light music and reading spiritual books will help in to eliminate mental stress. It also
help in to maintain blood pressure and blood glucose level of young adults.
Social heath measures also help in to prevent dementia, asthma and diabetes. All
individuals should involve in healthy communication with people around them and should take
long trips with family and friends (Murray and Lopez, 2017). It helps in to remain physically and
mentally fit and helps in to reduce high blood pressure and obesity conditions which eventually
lowers the diabetes effect and make a person mentally, physically and socially fit and healthy.
Demographic factors
Mrs. S is a 55 year old female, White British, who is a midwifery in The Princess Grace
Hospital. She lives in London alone in a residential apartment and has been diagnosed with
dementia, asthma and diabetes. Being a mid midwifery she has to work for more than 20 hours
daily, where her prior work is to look after patients and ensures their proper care. After analysing

her daily routines, it can be identify that she doesn't get time for herself and fails to indulge in
any kind of physical and social activities. This make her over weight and she started suffering
from depression and anxiety which eventually cause her dementia. High work pressure and
keeping constant check on patient treatments made her situation worse and she stated doing
smoking. Due to which she has been diagnosed form asthma. She was unable to manage her diet
and that is why her sugar level became dis balanced and later she was diagnosed with high sugar
also.
Risk factors of health
The risk factors generally take place due to presence of unhealthy habits or a health
problems because relevant symptoms begin to raise in human body. It has been analysed that
there are various kind of risk factors are associated with specific health issues of Mrs A.
However, the selected patient has problem of dementia, asthma and diabetes which has their own
risk components that are required to be consider by care professionals for providing better care
facilities for achieving wellness of an individual (Network, 2018). There are many heath risk
factors linked with dementia, diabetes and asthma. Having a unbalanced diet can led to high
increase in sugar and can make individual fat. Not being physically or socially active can led to
number of diseases and high sugar level in diet will cause diabetes. According to the Public
Health England recommended guidelines suggest appropriate proportion of protein, carbohydrate
and other biomolecules.
Initially, the unhealthy eating habits can be known as a risk factor which has a potential
to to make complications in diabetic condition of an individual. However, it includes that
maintenance of calories through balanced diet is itself an effective treatment for this health issue.
Secondly, the habit of smoking can become extremely complex risk for Mrs A, as she is a
asthma patient which can develop the issue of severe breathing disorder. In addition to this,
limited sleeping time is responsible for creating various health problems which can create
complications in present health problems of an individual (Sørensen and et.al., 2015). It is
necessary for Mrs A to take proper sleep and avoid stress to improve her condition. Moreover,
the genetic history of diabetes, high blood pressure, age etc. are other factors which are risky
to reduce entire health status of given individual.

Health screening with advantages and disadvantages
The health screening methods plays an important role to understand the actual causes and
reason behind visible symptoms of an individual. They are favourable for care professionals to
understand about medical condition of a person which facilitate to make accurate decisions for
establishing care plan interventions. However, diagnosing methods in context of Mrs S includes,
MRI, SPECT, PET, CT-SCAN, X-ray, allergy test, sputum test Urine testing, blood testing and
Fasting plasma glucose test that are required to be carried out for providing appropriate treatment
for her wellness.
The health screening is an advantageous as it is helpful to identify actual cause behind
specific health problems which facilitate to eliminate chance of occurring dug errors. It is also
beneficial to make more effective as well as efficient care strategies for welfare of an individual.
In contrary to this, diagnosing methods are time consuming which has a disadvantage in
emergency situation when immediate medication is needed and no more time left for conducting
screening. However, sometimes the diagnosis test create wrong results due to problem of
relevant machines according to which medication is given people which can develop extremely
serious condition of an individual. It is a process of analysing heath condition of an individual by
performing some basic tests which depends on signs and symptoms of individual. Advantage of
heath screening is to cover the test of individual with no signs of diseases and to prevent
individual who is at risk to catch the disease. Disadvantage of heath screening is that it is high
cost and some individuals cannot afford them. Positive symptoms can disturb mental state of
individuals.
Types of health screening
There are various kinds of screening methods related to dementia, asthma and diabetes
which are given here. It includes separate diagnosing procedures which are favourable to make
proper suggestion for patient to make then well being as soon as possible. Mrs. S should
generally prefer to take prescribed medications and insulin shots, exercise regularly and control
stress level. For dementia Mrs. S should ask visit a doctor and should take proper treatments
including brain therapies. For treating asthma, there are several heath screening tests like
bronchial and free running asthma test. However, various health screening processes and clinical
practices in context of Mrs A are mentioned below.
Screening of Diabetic Person & Guidepost advice

Metabolic disorder sharing the common feature of hyperglycaemia refer diabetes. In this
disease blood sugar level is increase and decrease by Insulin hormone. There are three ways to
diagnose diabetes are possible Urine testing, blood testing, HbA1c, Fasting plasma glucose test.
Guidepost advice for the selected patient consist that they should learn about diabetes,
take medications, control stress level, exercise as well as walk regularly (Valentine, Nembhard
and Edmondson, 2015).
Screening of asthmatic person & guidepost advice
Asthma is the disease in which air circulate swell and narrow and make extra mucous. It
trigger on breathing problem like shortness of breathe, coughing. There are some tests for asthma
such as spirometry, peak flow, lungs and sinus test by X-ray, allergy test, sputum test etc.
The effective guidepost advice for Mrs. S includes that they should take fresh air through
breathing, avoid smoking & alcohol, exercise regularly, medications as well.
Screening of dementia & guidepost advice
It is a syndrome in which person lost memory, behaviour, thinking, not be able to
perform daily activities. Diagnosis of dementia- our patient should test by MRI, SPECT, PET,
CT-SCAN.
Guidepost for dementia- It has been suggested for given patient that proper medicines
should be intake as per accurate prescription of registered psychologist, take therapies, prefer
yoga, exercise regularly, think positive and avoid stress.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it can be concluded that it is necessary for taking important
measures in order to treat diseases like asthma, dementia and diabetes. The study focus on
physical, mental and social heath problems of individuals of all sets of age. The study analyse
different causes and reasons for the diseases to occur. Health measurements and possible
screening test has been conducted for analysing these diseases. Future advices and suggestions
has also been provided in order to improve the individual's physical, mental and social well
being. Measures are to be taken in order to keep individuals healthy and fit.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Brazier, J. and et.al., 2017. Measuring and valuing health benefits for economic evaluation.
OXFORD university press.
Fitzpatrick, R., 2018. Measuring health outcomes. Sociology as Applied to Health and Medicine.
p.359.
Frank, R.G., Glazer, J. and McGuire, T.G., 2017. Measuring adverse selection in managed health
care. In Models of Health Plan Payment and Quality Reporting. (pp. 29-57).
Hand, C., 2016. Measuring health-related quality of life in adults with chronic conditions in
primary care settings: Critical review of concepts and 3 tools. Canadian Family
Physician. 62(7). pp.e375-e383.
Murray, C.J. and Lopez, A.D., 2017. Measuring global health: motivation and evolution of the
Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet. 390(10100). pp.1460-1464.
Network, I.N.D.E.P.T.H., 2018. Measuring health equity in small areas: findings from
demographic surveillance systems. Routledge.
Sørensen, K. and et.al., 2015. Health literacy in Europe: comparative results of the European
health literacy survey (HLS-EU). European journal of public health. 25(6). pp.1053-
1058.
Valentine, M.A., Nembhard, I.M. and Edmondson, A.C., 2015. Measuring teamwork in health
care settings: a review of survey instruments. Medical care. 53(4). pp.e16-e30.