Physical health

About

Physical health refers to the health of our bodies in movement and function. It affects our ability to participate in our communities. Physical health influences and is influenced by our mental health.

Relationship to health and equity

Physical health impacts our daily needs. Individuals are in a state of good physical health when they can function freely, without pain and disease, are able to exercise, eat nutritious foods and get adequate sleep. Some people do not enjoy these abilities. Individuals with more medical care needs often experience discrimination in insurance coverage, unnecessary barriers to care and higher daily living costs. Individuals with disabilities have more difficulty finding work, especially higher income employment that could otherwise help pay for medical care and maintain independence.

Nearly everyone will become disabled, either temporarily or permanently, at some point in their lives. Yet, many still stigmatize people with perceived differences in physical health. Groups of people, including people of color and people perceived to be to unhealthy due to their weight, may experience stigma that impacts their mental and physical health.

Relationship to systems and structures

How we develop and implement laws, policies and regulations impacts opportunities and protections in society for our physical health. For example, laws and policies that mandate childhood vaccinations prevent disease in individuals and the entire population. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990 prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to government programs. However, disability-related discrimination continues, with thousands of ADA related lawsuits filed annually, including inaccessibility at voting stations. The U.S. Department of Labor reports nearly half of workplace accommodations require no additional cost, yet resistance to workplace accommodations persists.

Community conditions also impact our physical health. Residential segregation and disinvestment in communities of color have exacerbated health inequities for people of color with low incomes. Intentional government and business decisions leave many communities with deteriorating housing stock, limited transportation opportunities, unequal distribution of green space and recreational facilities, environmental pollution and hazardous waste disposal sites.

Individuals have more lifestyle options available when communities come together to address physical health risks. The ADA is one example where disability rights activists came together to fight for independent living. In 1990 more than 1,000 protestors came to Washington, D.C., and more than 60 activists abandoned their mobility devices and crawled the capitol steps. This was named the Capital Crawl.