Chapter 5 – Conceptions of health, disease and illness

A medical condition diagnosed through objective signs and biomedical tests

The subjective effects of symptoms.

The explanations that people arrive at for the cause of illness

non-medical factors such as, income, education, employment, social support and belonging to a minoritised groups that influence people’s health and access to care.

Areas in which residents have poor housing, low incomes, high unemployment, lower educational levels and access to services is limited.

A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills, with a reduced ability to cope independently, which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development.

An individual’s record of their preferences for future healthcare and treatment.

Areas where people have limited access to affordable, health and nutritious food due to a lack of supermarkets or shops that sell fresh foods.

Building on the skills, resources and abilities of what people and communities already do well to empower them to achieve positive health outcomes.

Focuses on an individual’s or and community’s problems or limitations, with the aims of fixing deficits.

Active participation of patients, carers and the public in helping to design, change and evaluate health care services and or research.

Interventions or practices that are based on the values, beliefs, and traditions of a specific cultural group.

An individual’s ability to engage in physical tasks such as walking, muscular strength and activities required for daily living.