Improving health is the goal of community-based rehabilitation programs. However, different conceptions of health between health care providers and participants inhibits communication, leads each group toward different goals, and causes dissatisfaction among participants who feel their individual goals are not being met. This study compared definitions of health, and the health goals of participants in a nurse-managed community respiratory rehabilitation program with those of the program. The majority of 132 adults with chronic respiratory disease defined health in terms of absence of disease and its symptoms, or as the ability to function within the community. Their goals paralleled their definitions. Most participants hoped to decrease the symptoms of their disease or to improve their functional ability. Their goals were reflected in the program's goals; however, the definition of health held by the multidisciplinary team directing the program was broader than those expressed by most participants.