The Ties Between Personal Health and Democracy: If a Healthy Democracy Produces a Healthier Population, Does a Healthier Population Necessarily Produce a Healthier Democracy?

Abstract

A scan of the literature reveals the prevailing thought that democracies that perform well tend to create more effective health care systems and healthier citizens. Whether that relationship is one of causation or correlation is not the point of this study. Instead, paper examines the effect of physical, mental, and spiritual health on democratic trends. Is it necessarily the case that a healthy person is more likely to exercise active citizenship than an unhealthy person? Can we point to benefits to the democratic functioning of communities that arise from the promotion of physical, mental, and spiritual health?

Presenters

John Weston
President, Canadian Health and Fitness Institute, British Columbia, Canada

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Public Health Policies and Practices

KEYWORDS

HEALTH, MENTAL, PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL, DEMOCRACY, IMPACT, CANADA, ACTIVE, ACTIVITY

Digital Media

Register to Access Digital Media & Discussion