A Healthy Perception: Do You Get It?

A Healthy Perception: Do You Get It?

‘Health is a resource for everyday life, not an object of living’(WHO, 1984).

With the rapid rise of Non-Communicable Diseases [diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, etc.] the concept of health is not limited to just being free of a disease but, it is how an individual can feel positive about his health or illness and cope with the changing environment.

So, how a common man perceives health. Let’s see. My interviews with five individuals belonging to different living and working conditions, geographical regions, and cultures provided insight into a person’s expectations of a healthy life. They were an entrepreneur from Canada, a domestic helper from India, and the other three, a homemaker, a Physician, and an occupational health student, from Qatar. Their perceptions were compared for criteria of being healthy, healthcare challenges in society, and areas for improvement.

The physician and the student had both the knowledge and the awareness, so their answers didn’t surprise or excite me. The entrepreneur and the homemaker may not be very knowledgeable given their educational qualifications, but very much aware of the healthy lifestyle and its benefits. Now comes the domestic helper, who had neither education nor awareness. She on the other hand was suffering from an autoimmune disease and was on chronic steroid medication. Yet, at the time of our conversation, she felt she was healthy, as she had no complications due to her ongoing medical condition, which would otherwise stop her from work, increase her expenses, and cause dependency. She felt healthy enough to earn a livelihood for her family and have a good night’s sleep.

What a simple, yet beautiful perception of a healthy life. The condition she had wasn’t a life-threatening one, but her real threats were non-affordability and inaccessibility of healthcare services. Public institutions didn’t cater to these health conditions, private institutions were expensive. Despite these challenges, she was hopeful and positive. That means we, the privileged, can think and do better.

I lost her to Covid. But I don’t want to lose her idea of a healthy life. Let us adopt this attitude. There is nothing right or wrong in different concepts of health. It is about one’s perspective. It is about our choices on what’s necessary and what is not. As a public health practitioner, it is my responsibility to motivate my readers to have a positive attitude towards life and work towards health promotion and preventive healthcare.

Stop falling into the trap of seeing a specialist or a super-specialist, going for multiple consultations and opinions after the development of any symptoms and signs of illnesses. Inculcate the habit of having a close relationship with your GP, a family physician who knows you in and out, who will never compromise your health, and who will be able to identify the slightest change in your health and refer you on time for further care.

Regular health checks and screening will keep us informed about our health. If there is any deviation in our health profile, let us not deviate from life, let us just make slight adjustments to cope with the changing environment around and within us. Remember, “PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE.”