ABSTRACT
Most clinicians and laypeople have come to understand that health is a broad-based concept that is comprised of several dimensions. The traditional biomedical definition of health focuses solely on an individual’s physiological state and the presence or absence of symptoms of sickness. Sociologists typically consider all six dimensions in defining health, and emphasize the social and cultural aspects of health and illness. The World Health Organization takes an inclusive approach by defining health as a state of complete physical, social, and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. When medical sociologists first began to study health behavior, they conceptualized it as an activity undertaken by a person believing him- or herself to be healthy for the purpose of preventing health problems. Health-protective behaviors are individual actions taken to protect, promote, or maintain health.
