Many academics and health professionals look to the World Health Organization's (WHO) constitution for a definition of health. Here, health is recognized broadly as not merely the absence of disease or distress, but more positively as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It is also generally accepted that, although good health can be a collective goal and good for society on an individual level, different people have different needs for health, different ideas as to what exactly good health is and different thresholds for poor health (such as physical pain or mental distress).

The public have displayed a growing interest in health and body matters, particularly in weathier, Western societies. The media and the Internet have played a significant role in creating a consumerist ...