Permanent link for Is it Health or Well-being? on September 16, 2024

Health

Although Health is normally more synonymous with clinical intervention (flu shot, medical exams, surgery, etc..), it’s more of a social construct, tied to a concept called social determinates of health (SDoH).  The World Health Organization’s (WHO) constitution defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Simply put, the WHO defines health as a state of all-round well-being (physical, mental, and social). Thus, some will say, that the term well-being and/or health could be used interchangeably. However, consensus on campus is that well-being is more encompassing and includes health as a subcategory.

SDoH

• Economic stability - A patient’s financial resources, including income, employment, housing stability, and food security
• Education access & quality - A patient’s ability to access and advance their lives through education, from early childhood to higher education
• Healthcare access & quality - A patient’s access to and understanding of health care, including primary care access, insurance coverage, and health literacy. To include the ability to Navigate.
• Neighborhood and built environment - The quality of where a patient lives, including air and water quality, crime rates, access to healthy food, and more
• Social and community context - A patient’s relationships with friends, family, co-workers, and the community, which can be impacted by issues like discrimination, abuse, and incarceration

Well-being

At GVSU we define well-being, “as an optimal and dynamic state that allows people to achieve their full potential” (NIRSA, 2020, p. 2), which we tie to the  8 dimensions of wellness.  Like SDoH (or Health), our concept of well-being is wholistic, at an Individual level well-being has three broad and interrelated categories: (a) perceived assessment of one’s own life as being generally happy and satisfying, (b) having one’s human rights and needs met, and (c) one’s contribution to the community. From a more macro, systems lens, the concept of well-being also goes beyond the individual level to more of a community scope, which is “described by relationships and connectedness, perceived quality of life for all people in the community, and how well the community meets the needs of all members. By focusing on the whole person, educational experience, institution, and community, well-being becomes a multifaceted goal and a shared responsibility for the entire institution” (NIRSA, 2020).

8 Dimensions

• Emotional Wellness is accepting a wide range of emotions and effectively coping through challenges.
• Environmental Wellness is sustaining safe, clean, and healthy environments where we live, work and play.
• Financial Wellness is developing understanding, skills and behaviors to allocate money based on personal necessities and desires.
• Intellectual Wellness is fostering curiosity, seeking knowledge, and embracing lifelong learning.
• Occupational Wellness is exploring opportunities and contributing to society while finding balance and personal satisfaction.
• Physical Wellness is knowing your body and providing what it needs for health, healing, and energy.
• Social Wellness is cultivating supportive relationships and community through genuine connection and belonging.
• Spiritual Wellness is discovering a sense of purpose and meaning derived from your personal values and beliefs.

Two things can be true.

The Center for Health and Well-being's primary objective is to address needs across the continuum or dimensions, individual to community, as there is a social determinants of health, there is also a social determinants to graduation. Be it clinical intervention, advocacy, policy, or health promotion, our aim is to ensure that each member of our community can achieve their full potential on our campuses and beyond.

By: Edward Jones II, Director of the Center for Health and Well-being.

Categories: Director
Posted on Permanent link for Is it Health or Well-being? on September 16, 2024.