New definition of

health developed
Persbericht 16 december 2014
WHO definition no longer adequate
The World Health Organizations (WHO) definition of health as a state of
complete wellbeing is no longer fit for purpose. Under this definition virtually
everyone would be a patient in need of constant treatment, says Machteld
Huber. Together with the Health Council of the Netherlands and the Health Care
Efficiency Research programme (ZonMw), she developed a new, dynamic
concept of health that emphasises peoples resilience and self-reliance.
Organisations such as the Dutch Public Health Service (GGD Nederland) see this
new concept as a framework for reorganising preventive care. Huber will defend
her PhD dissertation Towards a new, dynamic concept of health: Its
operationalisation and use in public health and healthcare, and in evaluating
health effects of food at Maastricht University on 17 December.
The new concept defines health as the ability to adapt and manage ones own
wellbeing, in light of the physical, emotional and social challenges of life. Huber:
The difference with the WHO definition is that this emphasises the potential to
be or become healthy, even in the case of illness. Personal growth and
development and the fulfilment of personal goals in life are just as important as
medical treatment.
Positive health
Huber spent the last two years testing this concept among patients, health
practitioners and policymakers, and found that it was positively received. To
operationalise the concept, she introduced the term positive health, consisting
of six dimensions: physical functioning, mental functioning and perception,
spirituality/existentialism, quality of life, social participation and daily
functioning. These were then quantitatively assessed by 2000 stakeholders. The
results showed major differences in the interpretation of the content of health:
policymakers, researchers and doctors had a narrow, biomedical interpretation,

prioritising matters of physical functioning, while patients saw the term in a

much broader way, placing almost equal importance on all six dimensions.
Because this concept focuses on resilience and self-management, patients feel
its not exclusively tied up with illness, but revolves around their strengths
instead. For this group, social participation and meaning are just as important as
treatment of their physical complaints. Its important that doctors understand
this too.
Implementation
A number of healthcare and public health organisations have started
implementing the concept of positive health. GGD Nederland aims to integrate it
into health interventions and the National Public Health Monitor. In addition,
many regional GGDs have taken up positive health in their policy plans. The
Noordelijke Maasvallei region (consisting of regional municipalities, the hospital,
healthcare groups and the mental health service) intend to organise regional
medical and social care around this concept within five years. Many other
organisations are set to follow.
Louis Bolk Institute
Huber has been a researcher of food quality and health at the Louis Bolk
Institute since 1986. She has been a member of the Scientific Council for
Integrated Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition since 2011 and is co-founder of
the International Research Network for Food Quality and Health.
The Louis Bolk Institute is an international, independent knowledge institute for
the promotion of sustainable agriculture, nutrition and health. Major clients come
from both the private and public sectors, including the Ministry of Economic
Affairs, provincial authorities, nature management organisations, health funds
and ZonMw. For more information, visit www.louisbolk.nl.
Machteld Huber will defend her PhD dissertation Towards a new, dynamic
concept of health: Its operationalisation and use in public health and healthcare,
and in evaluating health effects of food at 10.00 on Wednesday 17 December
2014 in the Aula, Minderbroedersberg 46, Maastricht.

Note for the press:

For more information on the content of this press release or a copy of the PhD
dissertation, please contact Lidwien Daniels, communication officer at the Louis

Bolk Institute (phone 06 1033 5178, email l.daniels@louisbolk.nl), or Dunja

Bajic, UM press officer (phone 043 38 85243,
email dunja.bajic@maastrichtuniversity.nl).
The UM Marketing & Communications Department can be contacted on +31 43
388 5222 or at pers@maastrichtuniversity.nl. For urgent matters outside office
hours, please call +31 6 4670 5574. Please refer to the Web Magazine for
interesting research being carried out at UM and follow us on Twitter:
@MaastrichtU.
For more news from the Louis Bolk Institute, see www.louisbolk.nl/actueel or
follow the institute on Twitter: @LouisBolk
http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/web/Main1/SiteWide/SiteWide11/NewDefiniti
onOfHealthDeveloped.htm

Definisi WHO tidak lagi memadai

( WHO ) definisi Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia kesehatan sebagai keadaan ' kesejahteraan
lengkap ' tidak lagi cocok untuk tujuan . Berdasarkan definisi ini hampir semua orang
akan menjadi pasien yang membutuhkan pengobatan konstan , kata Machteld Huber .
Bersama-sama dengan Dewan Kesehatan Belanda dan program Efisiensi Penelitian
Kesehatan ( ZonMw ) , ia mengembangkan baru , konsep dinamis kesehatan yang
menekankan orang ketahanan dan kemandirian . Organisasi seperti Dinas Kesehatan
Belanda ( GGD Nederland ) melihat konsep baru ini sebagai kerangka kerja untuk
reorganisasi perawatan pencegahan . Huber akan membelanya PhD disertasi ' Menuju
baru , konsep dinamis kesehatan : operasionalisasi Its dan digunakan dalam kesehatan
masyarakat dan kesehatan , dan dalam mengevaluasi efek kesehatan makanan ' di
Universitas Maastricht pada tanggal 17 Desember .
Konsep baru mendefinisikan kesehatan sebagai "kemampuan untuk beradaptasi dan
mengelola seseorang kesejahteraan sendiri, mengingat tantangan fisik, emosional dan
sosial dari kehidupan". Huber: "Perbedaan dengan definisi WHO adalah bahwa ini
menekankan potensi untuk menjadi atau menjadi sehat, bahkan dalam kasus penyakit.
Pertumbuhan pribadi dan pengembangan dan pemenuhan tujuan pribadi dalam hidup
sama pentingnya dengan perawatan medis. "
Kesehatan yang positif
Huber menghabiskan dua tahun terakhir pengujian konsep ini antara pasien, praktisi
kesehatan dan pembuat kebijakan, dan menemukan bahwa itu diterima secara positif.
Untuk mengoperasionalkan konsep, dia memperkenalkan 'kesehatan positif' istilah, yang
terdiri dari enam dimensi: fungsi fisik, fungsi mental dan persepsi, spiritualitas /
eksistensialisme, kualitas hidup, partisipasi sosial dan fungsi sehari-hari. Ini kemudian
kuantitatif dinilai oleh 2.000 pemangku kepentingan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan
perbedaan besar dalam interpretasi isi kesehatan: pembuat kebijakan, peneliti dan
dokter memiliki, interpretasi biomedis 'sempit', memprioritaskan hal fungsi fisik,
sedangkan pasien melihat istilah dalam cara yang jauh lebih luas, menempatkan
pentingnya hampir sama pada semua enam dimensi.
"Karena konsep ini berfokus pada ketahanan dan manajemen diri, pasien merasa itu
tidak secara eksklusif terikat dengan penyakit, tetapi berkisar kekuatan mereka sebagai
gantinya. Untuk kelompok ini, partisipasi sosial dan makna yang sama pentingnya

dengan pengobatan keluhan fisik mereka. Sangat penting bahwa dokter memahami hal
ini juga. "
Pelaksanaan
Sejumlah organisasi kesehatan dan kesehatan masyarakat telah mulai menerapkan
konsep 'kesehatan yang positif'. GGD Nederland bertujuan untuk mengintegrasikannya
ke dalam intervensi kesehatan dan Kesehatan Masyarakat Memantau Nasional. Selain
itu, banyak GGDs daerah telah mengambil kesehatan yang positif dalam rencana
kebijakan mereka. The Noordelijke Maasvallei wilayah (yang terdiri dari kotamadya
daerah, rumah sakit, kelompok kesehatan dan layanan kesehatan mental) berniat untuk
mengatur perawatan medis dan sosial daerah sekitar konsep ini dalam waktu lima tahun.
Banyak organisasi lainnya diatur untuk mengikuti.
Louis Bolk Institute
Huber telah peneliti dari kualitas makanan dan kesehatan di Louis Bolk Institut sejak
1986. Ia telah menjadi anggota Dewan Ilmiah Terpadu Pertanian Berkelanjutan dan Gizi
sejak 2011 dan co-pendiri Jaringan Penelitian Internasional untuk Kualitas dan Kesehatan
Pangan .
Louis Bolk Institute adalah internasional, lembaga pengetahuan independen untuk
promosi pertanian berkelanjutan, gizi dan kesehatan. Klien utama datang dari kedua
sektor swasta dan publik, termasuk Kementerian Perekonomian, pemerintah provinsi,
organisasi manajemen alam, dana kesehatan dan ZonMw. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut,
kunjungi www.louisbolk.nl.
Machteld Huber akan membelanya PhD disertasi 'Menuju baru, konsep dinamis
kesehatan: operasionalisasi Its dan digunakan dalam kesehatan masyarakat dan
kesehatan, dan dalam mengevaluasi efek kesehatan makanan' di 10.00 pada hari Rabu
17 Desember 2014 di Aula, Minderbroedersberg 4-6 , Maastricht.

Prestigious research award for new health concept

Researcher Machteld Huber of the Louis Bolk Institute has received the ZonMw-Parel research
award. The award was presented to her at the Dutch national health care conference on 20
September 2012 by professor Pauline Meurs, chair of the Netherlands Organisation for Health
Research and Development (ZonMw). Dr Huber has won this award for her efforts to formulate a
new definition of health. In this innovative concept health is no longer viewed as a static condition,
but as the dynamic ability of people to adapt and to manage their own well-being.

Current defi nition medicalises health care

The rationale for Hubers research is that the World Health Organisations present definition of
health (a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity) is no longer fit for purpose. The requirement of complete well-being in this
definition, which was formulated in 1948, has unintentionally contributed to the medicalisation of
health care . At present 95% of the healthcare budget is spent on medication and intervention.
Unfortunately, this often results in missed opportunities for people to lead a high-quality,
meaningful life despite their illness.

Emphasizing health rather than illness

A person with an illness can still have plenty of health left, and experience a good quality of life,
says Huber. Abilities such as resilience and self-management are lacking in the present definition
of health - even though patients consider these abilities very relevant. By shifting the emphasis
and focusing more on health , policy makers and politicians learn to think differently about health
care and disease prevention. This is urgently needed if our society wants to maintain high quality
care that is also affordable.

About Dr Huber and the Louis Bolk Institute

Dr Huber started her career as a general practitioner, and for many years worked in medical
practice alongside doing research. Since 2011 she has been a member of the Scientific Council for
Integral Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition, which published the report Towards an integral
approach to sustainable agriculture and healthy nutrition in early 2012. The scientific publication
about the new health concept is expected in 2013. She has worked as a researcher at the Louis
Bolk Institute since 1986. The Louis Bolk Institute is an independent international knowledge centre
promoting truly sustainable agriculture, nutrition and health. Principal clients include the Dutch
ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, the Netherlands Organisation for Health
Research and Development, provincial governments, water boards, and businesses.
For more information about ZonMw and the award, please visit their website.
For more information please contact Lidwien Daniels, communication advisor at the Louis Bolk
Institute, (0031) (0)6-10.33.51.78.
Datum: 20-09-2012

New concept of health

Louis Bolk Institute researcher and physician Dr Machteld Huber has been working on a new
concept of health. She obtained her doctorate 17 december 2014 at Maastricht University. The
rationale for this project (2011-2014) is that the World Health Organisation's definition of health 'a
state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity' is no longer fit for purpose. In 1948, when this definition was coined, infectious diseases
were the main problem; but today, particularly in the Western world, chronic and lifestyle diseases
are much more important. The way in which 'health' is defined has a significant influence on how
we organize and use health care. The requirement of 'complete well-being' in the WHO definition
has unintentionally contributed to medicalisation: 95% of the present healthcare budget is spent on
medication and intervention. Due to this focus, patients and healthcare providers often overlook
other options for leading a high-quality, meaningful life with an illness.

Health: resilience and self-management

"Abilities such as resilience and self-management are lacking in the WHO definition of health, even
though patients consider these abilities very relevant," states Dr Huber. In her new definition,
health is no longer a static situation, but the dynamic ability of people to adapt and manage their
own well-being. Huber calls it 'positive health'. Shifting the emphasis to health (rather than illness)
helps policy makers and politicians to change their approach to health care and disease prevention.
This change is urgently needed if we are to maintain high quality care that is also affordable.

Research Award
In September 2012, Dr Huber received the Parel award of the Netherlands Organisation for Health
Research and Development (ZonMw, also funding partner of the project) for her work on the new
definition of health. For more information, watch the interview with Dr Huber (in Dutch, with English
subtitles).

http://www.louisbolk.org/health-nutrition/integrative-medicine-3/new-conceptof-health

Award for new concept of health

On 20 September 2012 Professor Pauline Meurs will present doctor and

researcher Machteld Huber with a special award (a Parel, or Pearl) for her
work on a new concept of health, which defines health as peoples ability to
adapt and self-manage in response to the physical, emotional and social
challenges of life.
WHO-definition
Huber describes the new concept as about positive health. The concept does not focus
on the state of complete well-being, as the current WHO definition of health does, by
which merely nobody is healthy. The WHO definition has inadvertently promoted
medicalisation, encouraging people and healthcare practitioners to be continually
concerned with fighting disease, and neglecting opportunities for people to lead a
meaningful life.

Resilience and self-management

Health is a dynamic phenomenon, and should be seen as an integral part of the art of
living, rather than something we consider only when illness occurs. Of course illness
must be treated where possible, but we should also focus on strengthening resilience,
self-management and health literacy.
Cutting-edge international initiative
Huber is now exploring how the new concept can be further specified for various fields of
healthcare, and how positive health, and the impact of new policies with this perpective,
can be measured. This is a cutting-edge international initiative, which has already
produced a paper in the British Medical Journal. The next steps in fleshing out the
concept will also involve international collaboration. The ZonMw award recognises
Hubers efforts.

http://www.zonmw.nl/en/about-zonmw/award-for-new-concept-of-health/

Award for new concept of health

Pada 20 September 2012 Profesor Pauline Meurs akan hadir dokter dan peneliti Machteld
Huber dengan penghargaan khusus (a 'Parel', atau 'Pearl') untuk karyanya tentang
konsep baru kesehatan, yang mendefinisikan kesehatan sebagai kemampuan orang
untuk beradaptasi dan diri mengelola dalam menanggapi tantangan fisik, emosional dan
sosial kehidupan.
WHO definisi
Huber menjelaskan konsep baru sebagai tentang 'kesehatan yang positif'. Konsep tidak
fokus pada 'keadaan lengkap kesejahteraan', sebagai definisi WHO saat ini kesehatan
tidak, dimana hanya ada yang sehat. Definisi WHO telah secara tidak sengaja
dipromosikan medikalisasi, mendorong orang-orang dan praktisi kesehatan untuk terus
peduli dengan penyakit pertempuran, dan mengabaikan peluang bagi orang untuk
menjalani hidup yang bermakna.
Ketahanan dan manajemen diri
Kesehatan adalah fenomena yang dinamis, dan harus dilihat sebagai bagian integral dari
seni hidup, bukan sesuatu yang kita anggap hanya ketika penyakit terjadi. Tentu saja
penyakit harus diobati jika mungkin, tetapi kami juga harus fokus pada penguatan
ketahanan, manajemen diri dan 'melek kesehatan'.
Mutakhir inisiatif internasional
Huber sekarang mengeksplorasi bagaimana konsep baru dapat lebih ditentukan untuk
berbagai bidang kesehatan, dan bagaimana 'kesehatan yang positif', dan dampak dari
kebijakan baru dengan perspektif ini, dapat diukur. Ini adalah inisiatif internasional
mutakhir, yang telah menghasilkan makalah dalam British Medical Journal. Langkah
selanjutnya dalam fleshing konsep juga akan melibatkan kerjasama internasional. The
ZonMw penghargaan mengakui upaya Huber.