Approaches to Health and Wellbeing

Associations between public healthHealthpublic and Health and Physical Education (HPE) can be traced back as far as the 1800s (Alfrey and Brown, Asia–Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education 4:159–173, 2013). Holistic health development has not always been the priority of health approaches. Hence, educatorsEducators need to also be aware of the influence of external or governing bodies and ulterior motives (Stirrup & Hooper, 2022).  Health approaches throughout history have included the Biological Approach (Medical Model), the Behavioural Approach (Transtheoretical Model) and the Social Approach (Socio-Ecological Model and the Socio-Cultural Approach). The modern approach towards public health and health education considers determinants of lifelong health and wellbeing and specifically the World Health Organisations (WHO) definition of Health (1948), as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.