Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Health care - Essay Example The Sage online dictionary defines health as ‘the general condition of body and mind’, as well as ‘A healthy state of well-being free from disease’ (The Sages Dictionary Online, 2012). This literal meaning assumes relative proportions when visualized through the glass of personal viewpoint on health, which might differ in individuals, or be heavily influenced by cultural and ethnic identity. A more comprehensive definition, as standardized and agreed upon by pertinent authorities in the World Health Organization (WHO), framed in the year 1946, states that ‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (Awofeso, 2012). The WHO bulletin claims that health was considered a divine gift in antiquity, until Hippocrates rationalized its comprehension as a physical state attained by following the basic tenets of sanitation and a good lifestyle. A more recent definition which includes the element of psychological health, with particular emphasis on human health, is the one given by Bircher, which states that health is a dynamic state of well-being characterized by a physical and mental potential, which satisfies the demands of life commensurate with age, culture, and personal responsibility (Bircher, 2005). The WHO definition has persisted for 60 years but has come under criticism due to the emergence of new patterns of illness due to the high number of aged persons in the world, who ironically survive due to better healthcare facilities developed over the years (Huber, Knottnerus, Green, et al 2011). Health promotion literally translates into any activity undertaken to maintain good health, as comprehended as a layperson. Technically, however, definition of the phrase is again provided by WHO which, in its Ottawa charter adopted in Geneva in the year 1986, states that ‘Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health’ (WHO,

A critical discussion of the urban experience in relation to the issue Essay

A critical discussion of the urban experience in relation to the issue of gender - Essay Example ‘Men and women’s conception, experience, and use of urban space is different’ (McDowell, 1983: 59). Bondi claims that ‘urban space creates, imposes, reflects and distinguishes divisions between men and women’s experiences, control and use of public and private spaces in urban environments’ (1998: 161). The study of gender and geography has, since the late 1970’s been interested in the differing experiences of men and women in the city. For example, feminist geographers including McDowell (1983) and Darke (1996) have investigated how land use in the city has impacted on the way men and women live their lives, and how the role of gender impacts on the day to day experiences of men and women within the urban environment. This essay aims to explore how gender roles are played out within urban spaces. ‘Women writing on cities have arrived at differing conclusions’ (Darke, 1996: 88). Wilson (2001) for example experiences cities as exciting and liberating public environments and an escape from patriarchal imposed identities. However, she also acknowledges that ‘in recent years feminist have argued that there could never be a female flanuer†¦urban scene was at all times represented from the point of view of the male gaze: in painting and photographs men voyeuristically stare, women are passively subjected to the gaze’ (Wilson, 1992: 56). The differing viewpoints between feminist geographers themselves highlight the complex nature relating to studying gender in the urban environment. ... Male domination led to men being the rulers, decision makers, generals and cultural leaders. Women were often subjected to domestic roles, hidden from public space. The introduction of women’s voting rights and gender equality laws went some way to rebalance gendered experience of the city as the 20th Century drew to a close. ‘However, even though legal barriers to women’s access to jobs and particular buildings have been removed, women are still excluded and made to feel uncomfortable in public space’ (Darke, 1996: 92). For example, Cockburn (1983) highlights how women receive not so subtle behavioural signals that tell them they are trespassing on the territory of men, e.g. wolf whistles on the street, sexual harassment in the work place and street posters depicting half naked women. Various authors including Darke (1996: 88) and Lewis et al (1989: 215) have highlighted that zoning patterns, based on stereotypical gender roles have created divisions betwe en gendered experiences of the city, in which men control public space, hence becoming more specialised and important components of identity in the public sphere, whilst women are confined to private spaces. This is emphasised by Bondi ‘an important association remains between masculinity, public space and the city, on the one hand, and between femininity, private space, and the suburbs on the other hand’ (1998: 162). The ‘city of zones’ therefore compartmentalises activities such as work, leisure, travel and home life. Women are primarily seen as wives and mothers, whilst men are viewed as the breadwinner, whose job it is to go out into the public realm to earn a living and provide for ‘his family’. Darke’s (1996)