Almost a rhetorical question, as how can you ever manage to put a value on health? Your health is the most valuable thing you have. You need your health to have the ability to do the things that bring you satisfaction and pleasure and to live your best life.
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “It is health that is the real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.”
Your health and wider society
Often, we don’t see the benefit of good health until we have a challenge where our body won’t do what we want it to and by this time it can often be too late to reverse the damage. However, there is also a value of our health to the wider community and the economy as a whole.
Researchers are beginning to understand different factors that determine our health outcomes. For example, the Marmot Review understood that where we work, our income, relationships and social connections all have a long term effect on our health.
Action taken to reduce health inequalities can benefit society in many ways. Benefits include reversing productivity losses, reduced tax revenues, higher welfare payments and increased treatment costs, due to ill health.
Research from McKinsey showed that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health has become more of a focus in economic discussions.
Forecasts suggest that the pandemic and its effects will cost the global economy up to 8 per cent of real GDP in 2020. Yet each year, poor health costs twice as much—around 15 per cent of global real GDP from premature deaths to lost productive potential among the working-age population.
What you can do to invest in your health
So whilst companies and governments look at ways to reduce the impact on health care services by helping us all to be healthier for longer, what choices can we make to invest in our health.
|
Choice |
Cost £ |
Choice |
Cost £ |
Benefit |
|
Watch TV for an hour |
0 |
Walk for an hour |
0 |
Exercise, gets the muscles working and helps controls weight |
|
Meet friends for a glass of wine |
0 |
Stroll with friends |
0 |
Alcohol has calories , whilst strolling still gives social benefits without the calories |
|
Pint of beer |
4.07 |
Pint of cordial |
1.20 |
Fewer calories, costs less and more hydrating |
|
Cup of coffee |
2.07 |
1.73 |
Better value and filled with nutrients and vitamins |
|
|
Family bag of crisps |
2.50 |
Bag of grapes |
2.00 |
Healthier and better value |
|
Smoke a cigarette |
0.72 |
Don’t |
0 |
Long term health benefits and cost savings |
How to protect our physical and mental health
Whilst the above shows just a few examples of how our choices can help our health and our wallet, there are several key factors to take into consideration when looking to protect our physical and mental health.
- Eating a balanced, nutritious diet from as many natural sources as possible
- Engaging in at least 150 min of exercise every week
- Staying hydrated
- Getting adequate sleep every evening
- Learning to manage stress effectively
- Connecting with people and engaging in social activities
- Maintaining a positive outlook on life
Although it may not be possible to avoid ill health altogether, we should aim to do as much as we can to develop resilience and prepare the body and mind to deal with illnesses as they arise. This will benefit ourselves, the community and the world as a whole.
The value of health is a difficult one to define but making wise choices now to invest in our good health for the future can only be a good decision.
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