Lafiya tana da ma'anoni daban-daban, waɗanda aka yi amfani da su don dalilai daban-daban a tsawon lokaci. Gabaɗaya, yana nufin jin daɗi jiki da motsin rai, musamman wanda ke da alaƙa da aikin jiki na al'ada, ba tare da cututtuka ba, ciwo (ciki har da ciwon tunani), ko rauni.

Ana iya inganta kiwon lafiya ta hanyar karfafa ayyukan lafiya, kamar motsa jiki na yau da kullun da isasshen Barci,[1] da kuma ragewa ko guje wa ayyukan da ba su da lafiya ko yanayi, kamar shan sigari ko damuwa mai yawa. Wasu abubuwan da ke shafar kiwon lafiya saboda zaɓin mutum ne, kamar ko shiga cikin halayyar haɗari mai yawa, yayin da wasu saboda dalilai na tsarin ne, kamar yadda aka shirya al'umma ta hanyar da ta sauƙaƙa ko da wuya ga mutane su sami sabis na kiwon lafiya. Duk da haka, wasu dalilai sun wuce zaɓin mutum da na rukuni, kamar Cututtukan kwayar halitta.

Baya ga haɗarin aminci, ayyuka da yawa suna gabatar da haɗarin cututtuka, rashin lafiya da sauran matsalolin kiwon lafiya na dogon lokaci. Daga cikin cututtukan da aka fi sani da su akwai nau'o'in pneumoconiosis, gami da silicosis da pneumoconiasis na ma'aikacin kwal (Cutar huhu). Asthma wata cuta ce ta numfashi wacce ma'aikata da yawa ke da rauni. Ma'aikata na iya zama masu saukin kamuwa da cututtukan fata, gami da eczema, dermatitis, urticaria, sunburn, da Ciwon daji na fata. Sauran cututtukan aiki na damuwa sun haɗa da ciwon bututun carpal da guba ta gubar.

Yayinda yawan ayyukan bangaren sabis ya karu a kasashe masu tasowa, ayyuka da yawa sun zama masu zaman kansu, suna gabatar da matsaloli daban-daban na kiwon lafiya fiye da waɗanda ke da alaƙa da masana'antu da bangaren farko. Matsalolin zamani, kamar karuwar kiba da batutuwan da suka shafi damuwa da yawan aiki a kasashe da yawa, sun kara rikitar da hulɗar tsakanin aiki da lafiya.

Gwamnatoci da yawa suna kallon kiwon lafiya na aiki a matsayin ƙalubalen zamantakewa kuma sun kafa ƙungiyoyin jama'a don tabbatar da kiwon lafiya da aminci na ma'aikata. Misalan waɗannan sun haɗa da Hukumar Kula da Lafiya da Tsaro ta Burtaniya kuma a Amurka, Cibiyar Kula da Lafiyar Ayyuka ta Kasa, wacce ke gudanar da bincike kan kiwon lafiya da aminci na sana'a, da kuma Hukumar Kula da Tsaro da Lafiye ta Ayyuka, wacce ke kula da ka'idoji da manufofi da suka shafi lafiyar ma'aikata.

Ma'anar kiwon lafiya ta samo asali ne a tsawon lokaci. Dangane da hangen nesa na kiwon lafiya, ma'anar farko na kiwon lafiyar ta mayar da hankali kan taken ikon jiki na aiki; ana ganin kiwon lafiya a matsayin yanayin aiki na yau da kullun wanda za'a iya rushe shi daga lokaci zuwa lokaci ta hanyar Cutar. Misali na irin wannan ma'anar kiwon lafiya shine: "jiha da ke da mutunci na jikin mutum, ilimin lissafi, da kuma tunanin mutum; ikon yin iyali mai daraja, aiki, da matsayi na al'umma; ikon magance damuwa ta jiki, ta halitta, ta tunani, da ta zamantakewa".^[1] Sa'an nan, a cikin 1948, a cikin wani gagarumin tashi daga ma'anar da ta gabata, Hukumar Lafiya ta Duniya (WHO) ta ba da shawarar ma'anar wanda ya fi girma, yana danganta kiwon lafiya da jin daɗi, dangane da "jiki, tunani, da jin daɗinsa na jama'a, kuma ba kawai rashin cuta da nakasa ba ". Kodayake wasu sun yi maraba da wannan ma'anar a matsayin sabon abu, an kuma soki shi saboda rashin fahimta da yawa kuma ba a fassara shi a matsayin mai auna ba. Na dogon lokaci, an ware shi a matsayin manufa mara amfani, tare da yawancin tattaunawar kiwon lafiya da ke komawa ga amfanin tsarin kiwon lafiya.^[2]

Kamar dai yadda aka sami canji daga kallon cuta a matsayin jiha zuwa tunanin shi a matsayin tsari, wannan canjin ya faru a cikin ma'anar kiwon lafiya. Har ila yau, WHO ta taka muhimmiyar rawa lokacin da ta inganta ci gaban yunkurin inganta kiwon lafiya a cikin shekarun 1980. Wannan ya kawo sabon ra'ayi na kiwon lafiya, ba a matsayin jiha ba, amma a cikin sharuddan juriya, a wasu kalmomi, a matsayin "ma'anar rayuwa". A cikin shekara ta 1984, WHO ta sake fasalin ma'anar kiwon lafiya ta bayyana shi a matsayin "har zuwa inda mutum ko rukuni zai iya cimma burin da gamsar da buƙatu da kuma canzawa ko magance muhalli. Lafiya hanya ce don rayuwar yau da kullun, ba manufar rayuwa ba; kyakkyawan ra'ayi ne, yana jaddada albarkatun zamantakewa da na mutum, da kuma iyawar jiki". Saboda haka, kiwon lafiya yana nufin ikon kula da gidaje da murmurewa daga abubuwan da ba su dace ba. Zuciya, ilimi, motsin rai da lafiyar zamantakewa suna nufin ikon mutum na magance damuwa, don samun ƙwarewa, don kula da dangantaka, dukansu suna samar da albarkatu don juriya da rayuwa mai zaman kanta.^[2] Wannan yana buɗe hanyoyi da yawa don koyar da kiwon lafiya, ƙarfafawa da koyo.

Tun daga ƙarshen shekarun 1970s, Shirin Mutane Masu Lafiya na Tarayya ya kasance wani bangare ne na bayyane na tsarin Amurka don inganta lafiyar jama'a. A cikin kowane shekaru goma, ana ba da sabon sigar Mutanen da ke da lafiya, wanda ke nuna manufofi masu sabuntawa da gano wuraren batutuwa da manufofi don inganta kiwon lafiya a cikin shekaru goma masu zuwa, tare da kimantawa a wannan lokacin ci gaba ko rashin shi. Ci gaba an iyakance shi ga manufofi da yawa, wanda ke haifar da damuwa game da tasirin mutanen da ke da lafiya wajen tsara sakamakon a cikin mahallin tsarin kiwon lafiya na Amurka da ba a daidaita shi ba. Mutanen da ke da lafiya 2020 suna ba da ƙarin matsayi ga inganta kiwon lafiya da hanyoyin rigakafi kuma suna ƙara mai da hankali kan muhimmancin magance abubuwan da ke tattare da kiwon lafiya. Sabon fadada fasahar dijital yana sauƙaƙa amfani da rarraba maimakon manyan littattafai kamar yadda aka samar a baya. Za a tantance tasirin waɗannan canje-canje ga Mutane masu lafiya a cikin shekaru masu zuwa.^[3]

Ayyuka na tsari don hanawa ko warkar da matsalolin kiwon lafiya da inganta lafiyar mutane ana gudanar da su ta hanyar Masu ba da kiwon lafiya. Aikace-aikacen da suka shafi lafiyar dabbobi ana rufe su da kimiyyar dabbobi. Kalmar "lafiya" kuma ana amfani da ita sosai a cikin mahallin nau'ikan kungiyoyi masu rai da yawa da tasirin su don amfanin mutane, kamar a cikin ma'anar Al'ummomi masu lafiya, birane masu lafiya ko mahalli masu lafiya. Baya ga shigar da kiwon lafiya da kewayen mutum, an san wasu dalilai da yawa da ke tasiri ga yanayin kiwon lafiya na mutane. Wadannan ana kiransu "masu ƙayyade kiwon lafiya", wanda ya haɗa da asalin mutum, salon rayuwa, matsayin tattalin arziki, yanayin zamantakewa da ruhaniya; Nazarin ya nuna cewa matakan damuwa masu yawa na iya shafar lafiyar ɗan adam.

A cikin shekaru goma na farko na karni na 21, fahimtar kiwon lafiya a matsayin iyawa ta buɗe ƙofar don kimanta kai don zama manyan alamomi don yin hukunci game da aikin ƙoƙarin da aka yi don inganta lafiyar ɗan adam.^[4] Har ila yau, ya haifar da damar ga kowane mutum ya ji lafiya, koda a gaban cututtukan da suka faru da yawa ko kuma yanayin ƙarshe, da kuma sake nazarin abubuwan da ke haifar da kiwon lafiya (daga tsarin gargajiya wanda ke mai da hankali kan rage yaduwar cututtuka). ^[5]

Gabaɗaya, mahallin da mutum yake rayuwa yana da matukar muhimmanci ga yanayin lafiyarsa da ingancin rayuwarsa. Ana ci gaba da gane cewa ana kiyaye kiwon lafiya kuma ana inganta shi ba kawai ta hanyar ci gaba da aikace-aikacen kimiyyar kiwon lafiya ba, har ma ta hanyar kokarin da zaɓin salon rayuwa na mutum da al'umma. A cewar Hukumar Lafiya ta Duniya, manyan abubuwan da ke ƙayyade kiwon lafiya sun haɗa da yanayin zamantakewa da tattalin arziki, yanayin jiki, da halaye da halayen mutum.

Fiye da haka, mahimman abubuwan da aka gano don tasiri ko mutane suna da lafiya ko marasa lafiya sun haɗa da:

Ƙarin yawan karatu da rahotanni daga kungiyoyi daban-daban da mahallin suna nazarin alaƙar da ke tsakanin kiwon lafiya da dalilai daban-daban, gami da salon rayuwa, mahalli, Kungiyar kiwon lafiya le Manufofin kiwon lafiya, wani takamaiman manufofin kiwo da aka kawo cikin ƙasashe da yawa a cikin 'yan shekarun nan shine gabatar da harajin sukari. Harajin abin sha ya bayyana tare da karuwar damuwa game da kiba, musamman tsakanin matasa. Abin sha mai sukari sun zama manufa ta shirye-shiryen yaki da kiba tare da karuwar shaidar alaƙar su da kiba.^[6] - kamar Rahoton Lalonde na 1974 daga Kanada; Nazarin Alameda County a California; da jerin Rahotanni na Lafiya na Duniya na Hukumar Lafiya ta duniya, wanda ke mai da hankali kan batutuwan kiwon lafiya na duniya ciki har da samun damar samun kiwon lafiya da inganta sakamakon kiwon lafiyar jama'a, musamman a Kasashe masu tasowa. ^[7]

Ma'anar "gidan lafiya," kamar yadda ya bambanta da kulawar likita, ya fito ne daga rahoton Lalonde daga Kanada. Rahoton ya gano fannoni uku masu dogaro da juna a matsayin mahimman abubuwan da ke ƙayyade lafiyar mutum. Wadannan sune:

• Biomedical: duk fannoni na kiwon lafiya, na jiki da na tunani, sun bunkasa a cikin jikin mutum kamar yadda aka rinjayi su ta hanyar kwayar halitta.
• Muhalli: duk batutuwan da suka shafi kiwon lafiya na waje ga Jikin mutum kuma wanda mutum ba shi da iko ko babu iko.
• Hanyar rayuwa: tarin yanke shawara na mutum (watau, wanda mutum ke da iko) wanda za'a iya cewa yana ba da gudummawa ga, ko haifar da rashin lafiya ko mutuwa;