Wellness Why Is It Important How Do We Achieve It Where Do We Go From Here

1
WellnessWhy Is It Important? How Do We Achieve
It? Where Do We Go From Here?

• Kristal D. Murray
• Masters in Applied Health Services Research
  Candidate

2
Background

• 1st year student in the MAHSR program (UPEI).
• Program offered through the Atlantic Regional
  Training Centre (ARTC)- one of four applied
  health services research training programs funded
  by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research
  through the Capacity for Applied and
  Developmental Research and Evaluation initiative.
  
• Offered through the four universities in Atlantic
  Canada (UNB, DAL, MUN, UPEI).

3
Overview

• What Does Wellness Mean to You?
• What Determines Health?
• What Determines Wellness?
• Emotional
• Physical
• Spiritual
• Social
• Intellectual
• Occupational
• Why Does Wellness Matter?
• Who is Responsible?
• Where Do We Go From Here?
• Wellness in New Brunswick

4
What Does Wellness Mean to You?

• Wellness is an active process through which
  people become aware of, and make choices towards
  a more successful existence. National
  Wellness Institute
• More than the mere absence of disease prevention
  of disease and having a balanced life.
• Health (wellness) is a combination of mental,
  emotional, physical, spiritual and social states
  which enable individuals to feel fulfilled in all
  areas of life.

5
What Determines Health?

• PHAC- Population Health Approach- 12 Determinants
  of Health
• Income and Social Status
• Social Support Networks
• Education and Literacy
• Employment and Working Conditions
• Social Environment
• Physical Environment
• Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills
• Healthy Child development
• Biology and Genetic Endowment
• Health Services
• Gender
• Culture

6
What Determines Wellness?
How one feels
How one works
How one moves
What one believes
Ones knowledge
Who one interacts with
7
Emotional

• How do you feel throughout the day?
• Are you content while at work, at home and at
  play?
• Are you frustrated when performing certain tasks
  or during certain times of the day?
• Do you feel satisfied with your life or are you
  frustrated about certain aspects of your home,
  work or social life?

8
Physical

• Do you exercise or engage in some form of daily
  or weekly physical activity?
• If you work in an environment whereby you are
  confined to a desk, do you compensate by
  partaking in some form of physical activity
  outside of work?
• Do you suffer from work-related pain due to
  repetitive stress on the joints and muscles?
• Do you belong to a gym or do you get together
  with a partner or group of friends in organized
  physical activity or sports?
• Do you want to start a physical activity program
  but are unaware where to start?

9
Spiritual

• Do you reflect on your spirituality (either on
  your own or in conversation with others?)
• Do you spend time in meditation or thinking about
  the meaning of your own existence?
• Do you feel that you can retreat within yourself
  to relieve stress and/or worry?
• Do you think about your place in the world and
  the true purpose of your daily life?

10
Social

• Do you interact socially with your work
  colleagues?
• Do you have a group of friends with which you
  choose to spend your time?
• Do you set aside time consistently throughout the
  day, week and month, to spend with your family
  and friends?
• Do you feel lonely at times and find yourself
  seeking companionship but are not sure where to
  find it?
• Do you care about others or do you compete with
  them?

11
Intellectual

• Do you spend time reading about history,
  politics, religion, and the world?
• Do you read or watch the news? Do you feel
  engaged?
• Do you believe in life long learning for the sake
  of learning?
• Do you attempt to further your knowledge in your
  employment in order to become more successful in
  the workplace?
• Do you exercise your mind through various
  activities such as crosswords, word searches and
  numeric puzzles (i.e. sudoku).

12
Occupational

• Do you find your work fulfilling?
• Do you want to share your skills, talents and
  unique gifts with others in order to make your
  community a better place?
• Are you happy with your vocation or do you see it
  as merely a necessary evil in order to make ends
  meet?
• If you are unhappy with your current position, do
  you take a proactive approach in acquiring the
  necessary skills to seek a position for which you
  feel that you are more suited?
• Are you overly stressed at work?

13
Why Does Wellness Matter?

• People deserve to feel fulfilled in their lives
  and not just free from disease.
• Better health means better productivity.
• Prevention of disease and therefore decreased
  need for the traditional health care system.
• Become a productive member of the community.

14
Who is Responsible?

• Personal health practice determinant of health
  advising the individual of the responsibility
  they have to make the right lifestyle choices..
• However, choices are made based on the influences
  of the eleven other determinants of health
  (income, social environment, early child
  development etc).

15
Who is Responsible? (contd)

• Individuals
• Be aware of the 6 dimensions of the wellness
  model.
• Speak up when external factors are making it
  difficult to make the correct lifestyle choices.
• Be open to community programs that help promote
  wellness.
• Work towards breaking away from bad habits and
  instead start new routines which fit within your
  home, work and family life.

16
Who is Responsible? (contd)

• Government
• Have a continued interest in what defines
  wellness.
• Develop and continually evaluate wellness
  programs within communities which help
  individuals make healthy lifestyle choices.
• Be open to feedback provided by various groups on
  what wellness means to them and how best to
  achieve it.
• Believe in the importance of health beyond the
  absence of disease.
• Understand that wellness is an issue that needs
  to be addressed within all sectors of the
  government (determinants of health).

17
Who is Responsible? (contd)

• The community
• Function as a link between the individual and
  government
• Be a key player in the implementation of wellness
  programs.
• Fosters environments that promote lifestyle
  choices (physical and social environments)

18
Who is Responsible? (contd)
19
Where Do We Go From Here?(Research Perspective)

• 1. Research and programs should be tailored to
  specific needs.
• Programs will only be effective if they are
  specific to the needs of that age group.
• Ex. Smoking cessation programs
• 2. Fostering wellness must start during early
  childhood years- old habits are hard to break.
  Research is needed on how parents plan to teach
  their children aspects of wellness such as
  nutrition and the importance of exercise.
• 3. Further research is required to better
  understand the role of external influences on
  lifestyle choices.

20
Age Specific Research and Program Implementation

• People of varying age groups have different
  needs, and therefore, have different reasons for
  their lifestyle choices.
• - Ex. elderly choosing to smoke vs. teenager
• Ex. elderly choosing to eat poorly vs. young
  women.
• Action
• Research which attempts to better understand
  barriers to correcting lifestyle choices for age
  specific groups.
• Programs can be formulated that meet the specific
  needs and address the environmental barriers that
  prevent a specific age group from making
  lifestyle choices that lead to wellness.

21
Fostering Wellness At An Early AgeResearch and
Implementation

• Habits in adulthood often stem from upbringing.
• Early childhood development determinant- PHAC
  argues that experiences during childhood affect
  subsequent health.
• Action
• Research on parents views of the importance of
  fostering an environment which promotes wellness.
• Program development geared towards new and
  veteran parents which provides tools on how to
  overcome certain barriers to promoting wellness
  for children.

22
Role of External Influences on Lifestyle Choices

• We make individuals responsible for their health,
  but choices are made within a particular context
• Individuals make decisions that affect their
  health as a result of the complex interplay
  between the determinants of health.
• Action
• Further research on the impact of the
  determinants of health on lifestyle choices.
• Programs which educate individuals on the role of
  external influences on lifestyle choices.
• Equip people with the information and skills
  necessary to make healthy decisions and to cope
  with daily life stressors without succumbing to
  risky behavior.

23
Wellness in New Brunswick(the outcome)

• Increase in productivity within the community.
• Happier people at work, at home and at play.
• Decrease in the incidence of risky behavior such
  as smoking, drinking, drug use, unsafe sex
  practices and unhealthy eating.
• Community members who are equipped with the
  necessary skills to cope with life stressors
  without reverting to risky behavior.
• Prevention of disease and therefore a decreased
  need for critical care.
• A change in the way we do research and in the way
  we understand health care delivery.
• A vibrant community whose members support each
  other in the promotion and sustaining of wellness
  for all.