Well-being integrates mental health and physical health resulting in more holistic approaches to disease prevention and health promotion. The CDC considers it a valid population outcome measure beyond morbidity, mortality, and economic status that tells us how people perceive their life is going from their own perspective, Well-being is associated with self-perceived health, longevity, healthy behaviors, mental and physical illness, social connectedness, productivity and factors in the physical and social environments.
Deeper Dive
Well-being can provide a common metric that can help policy makers shape and compare the effects of different policies and can be useful for multiple stakeholders involved in disease prevention and health promotion. There is no consensus around a single definition of well-being, but there is general agreement that at minimum, it includes the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., contentment, happiness), the absence of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety), satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning. For public health purposes, physical well-being (e.g., feeling very healthy and full of energy) is also viewed as critical to overall well-being.
Because well-being is subjective, it is typically measured with self-reports. Among the instruments used that help measure well-being are:
- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
- National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
There is no single determinant of individual well-being, but in general, well-being is dependent upon good health, positive social relationships, and availability and access to basic resources (e.g., shelter, income). Numerous studies have examined the associations between determinants of individual and national levels of well-being. Many of these studies used different measures of well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, positive affect, psychological well-being).
In general, life satisfaction is dependent more closely on the availability of basic needs being met (food, shelter, income) as well as access to modern conveniences (e.g., electricity). Pleasant emotions are more closely associated with having supportive relationships.
Other factors associated with well-being include: genes, personality, age, gender, income, work satisfaction and supportive relationships.