Health is a basic concept in the discipline and profession of nursing. A review of literature from several disciplines revealed that health is viewed as a multidimensional concept. Several approaches to categorize health were presented by various authors. An overview of King's concep tual framework and theory of goal attainment related to her concept of health was discussed. The need to develop reliable and valid instruments to measure the dimensions of health was identified. Several instruments developed by nurses were reviewed. The importance of deriving a con ceptual and operational definition of health was related to advancing nursing science. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the meaning of health and its relevance for nursing science. A synthesis of the literature will be discussed first, then King's concept of health will be presented along with the relevance of this knowledge for nursing science and the nursing profession.
Anderson, E.T. (1983). Community focus in public health nursing. Nursing Outlook. 31(1), 44-48.
2.
Balog, J.E. (1981). The concept of health and the role of health education . Journal of School Health, 51(8), 461-464.
3.
Balog, J.E. (1982). The concepts of health and disease: A relativistic perspective. Health Values. 65), 7-13.
4.
Baranowski, T. (1981) Toward the definition of concepts of health and disease, wellness and illness. Health Values. 5(6), 246-256.
5.
Cox, C.L., Miller, E.H., & Mull, C.S. (1987). Motivation in health behavior: Measurement, antecedents, and correlates. Advances in Nursing Science. 9(4), 1-15.
6.
Dolfman, M.L. (1974). The concept of health: An historic and analytic examination. Journal of School Health, 43(8), 491-497.
7.
Dolfman, M.L. (1982). Toward operational definitions of health. Journal of School Health, 44(4), 206-209.
8.
Dubos, R. (1973). Man adapting. New Haven, CT : Yale University Press.
9.
Dunn, H.L. (1977). What high-level wellness means. Health Values, 1(1), 9-16.
10.
Eberst, R.M. (1984). Defining health: A multidimensional model. Journal of School Health, 54(3), 99-104.
11.
Engel, N.S. (1984). On the vicissitudes of health appraisal. Advances in Nursing Science, 7(1), 12-23.
12.
Fuchs, V.R. (1976). Concepts of health—An economist's perspective . Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 1(3), 229-237.
13.
Galdston, I. (Ed.). (1953). Epidemiology of health. New York: Academy of Medicine, Health Education Council.
14.
Greenberg, J.S. (1985). Health and wellness: A conceptual differentiation . Journal of School Health, 55(10), 403-406.
15.
Howland, D. (1976). An adaptive health system model. In H. Werley, et al. (Eds.), Health research: The systems approach (pp. 109-122). New York: Springer.
16.
Keller. M.J. (1981). Toward a definition of health. Advances in Nursing Science, 4(1), 43-64.
17.
King, I.M. (1971). Toward a theory for nursing. New York: Wiley.
18.
King, I.M. (1981). A theory for nursing: Systems, concepts, process . New York: Wiley.
19.
King, I.M. (1984). Effectiveness of nursing care: Use of a goal oriented nursing record in end-stage renal disease. American Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technicians, 11(2), 11-17, 60.
20.
Knowles, J.H. (1977, December 16). Responsibility for health. Science, 198, 4322.
21.
Lamberton, M.M. (1983). Health and illness: A coexistence hypothesis. Nurse Practitioner, 8(2). 47, 50, 52.
22.
McKay, R., & Segall, M. (1983). Methods and models for the aggregate. Nursing Outlook, 31 (6), 328-334.
23.
Newman, M.A. (1979). Toward a theory of health. Philadelphia: Davis.
24.
Newman, M.A. (1986). Health as expanding consciousness. St. Louis: Mosby.
25.
Nightingale. F. (1959). Notes on nursing: What it is and what it is not. Facsimile of the First Edition printed in London. Philadelphia : Lippincott.
26.
Nordenfelt, L. (1986). Health and disease: Two philosophical perspectives . Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 41. 281-284.
27.
Parse, R.R. (1981). Man-living-health: A theory of nursing. New York: Wiley.
28.
Pender, N.J. (1987). Health promotion in nursing practice. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
29.
Peplau, H. (1952). Interpersonal relations in nursing. New York: Putnam.
30.
Rogers, E.S. (1960). Human ecology and health: An introduction for administrators. New York: Macmillan .
31.
Rogers, M.E. (1970). An introduction to a theoretical basis for nursing . Philadelphia: Davis.
32.
Reynolds, C.L. (1988). The measurement of health in nursing research . Advances in Nursing Science, 10(3), 23-31.
33.
Schwirian. P.M. & Kisker, K. (1977). Perceptions of health among baccalaureate nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education.16(6). 2-9.
34.
Siegel, H. (1973). To your health—Whatever that may mean. Nursing Forum, 12(3), 280-289.
35.
Sleeper, R. (1952, July). What kind of nurse?American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 52, No. 7. 828.
36.
Smith. J.A. (1981). The idea of health: A philosophical inquiry. Advances in Nursing Science.3(3), 43-50.
37.
Smith, M.R. (1933. June). A concept of nursing. American Journal of Nursing, Vol. XXXIII, No. 6. 565.
38.
Taylor, E. (1934, May). Of what is the nature of nursing?American Journal of Nursing, Vol. XXXIV No. 5. 473-476.
39.
Tempkins, O. (1953) What is health? Looking backward and ahead. In I. Galdston (Ed.), Epidemiology of Health (p. 21). New York: Academy of Medicine, Health Education Council .
40.
Terris, M. (1975). Approaches to an epidemiology of health. American Journal of Public Health, 65( 10), 1037-1045.
41.
Tillich, P. (1961). The meaning of health. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 5(1), 92-100.
42.
Tripp-Reimer. T. (1984). Reconceptualizing the construct of health: Integrating emic and etic perspectives. Research InNursing and Health.7(2), 101-109.
43.
von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General system theory. New York: Braziller.
44.
Walker, S.N., Sechrist, K.R., & Pender, N.J. (1987). The health-promoting lifestyle profile: Development and psychometric characteristics. Nursing Research, 36(2) 76-87.
