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The Concept of Wellness

Original Editor - Joseph Ayotunde Aderonmu

Top Contributors - Sehriban Ozmen, Joseph Ayotunde Aderonmu, Rucha Gadgil, Kim Jackson and Sai Kripa  

Introduction

Wellness is clearly a common concept that is often mentioned in the context of health.[1] Although wellness is a multifaceted active process that culminates in a more successful and fulfilling life, health in itself is a state well being that incorporates physical, mental and social factors[2][3]. This topic discusses wellness as it relates to health.

What is Wellness?

The National Institute of Wellness considers wellness to be “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence”. This definition allows a better understanding of wellness, using the following tenets[4]:

  • Wellness is an active process, it is a conscious, self-directed and continuous process of achieving full potentials as individuals.
  • Wellness is directed towards a positive and affirming life
  • Wellness takes into account multiple components, which involves lifestyle, spiritual well-being, mental wellbeing, and the environment.

The World Health Organization defines wellness as “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups”[5]. According to the WHO, wellness has two cardinal concerns, which are the achievement of individuals’ fullest potentials physically, psychologically, socially, spiritually and economically, and carrying out individuals’ expectation in the family, community, place of worship, workplace and other settings. 

Health Versus Wellness

Health is often used interchangeably as wellness, yet, the two concepts have clearly different origins[6]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”[3]. This definition of health proposes health as not only being the absence of disease, but encompassing a wider scope of the medical perspective of health[7]. Going further, health has its determinants, which consist of social, physical and economical environments, as well as individual characteristics and behaviors[8]. The achievement of stability and enhancement of health goes beyond a requirement of the environmental factors mentioned earlier or even the systems of care, it requires a combination of best lifestyle choices. It is at this point that we begin to see the overlap between wellness and health.

The WHO in 2008 described a dominant holistic perspective of wellness as that which includes the absence of illness and a state of wellbeing[9]. Before this, wellness was broadly visualized only in terms of the absence of negative elements such as diseases and illness, but with the new perspective, wellness takes into record the positive elements as well[10]. Thus, with wellness, an individual is seen from multiple dimensions, to create a holistic perspective.[10]

In summary, to make distinctions between health and wellbeing may seem daunting, but to simplify the task, we see that health is basically a state of being, while on the other hand, wellness is a state of actively living a lifestyle that helps to attain health[4].

Wellness Models and Dimensions

8 dimensions of wellness according to the World Health Organisation: physical, spiritual, environmental, emotional, intellectual, occupational, social, and financial.

As the understanding of wellness began to shift from programs and circumstances that help to alleviate illnesses or increase health risks, wellness dimensions have been brought to limelight and wellness is being related to quality of life and life satisfaction[10]. It is believed that an improvement in one component of wellness may go on to positively affect the whole person.

There are many wellness models. Some well-known of them are: [11]

  • Hettler's (1984) Six Dimensions of Wellness
  • Witmer and Sweeney’s (1992) Wheel of Wellness and Prevention Model
  • Dunn’s (1961) High-level Wellness Model

Each wellness model has various dimensions. Some of these wellness dimensions are explained below.

Physical Wellness

This dimension of wellness encompasses features such as physical activity, nutrition, and sleep. [12]

This dimension of wellness is concerned with cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and so on are involved. Activities that may be carried out to improve physical health involve exercise regimens, diet, close observation of health indices including stressors. It also includes health promotion behaviors and avoiding harmful health behaviors. Furthermore, it contribute to general well-being and health. It includes all aspects of health that have to do with the body's physical structure, such as diet, exercise, weight management, ergonomics, tobacco use, illness, and disease prevention. The chances to improve your physical wellness status  can have a positive effect on your general health and wellness.

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness is defined by the National Institutes of Health as "the capacity to successfully manage life's pressures and adapt to change and tough circumstances". [13]

The Wellness Center of Vanderbilt University defined emotional wellness as ''the awareness of feelings and their expression in a healthy manner with stability of mood, sense of self, positive attitude toward others, and the ability to cope with stress''. [14]

Social Wellness

In terms of social wellness, the interaction of the individual with other people, the community and nature is considered. A report of the World Health Organization stated that ''being included in the society in which one lives is vital to the material, psychosocial, and political empowerment that underpins social wellbeing and equitable health''. [5]

Keyes (1998), and later Keyes & Lopez (2002), argued,that well-being consists of five social dimensions, including: [15]

  • Social acceptance (accepting others as they are)
  • Social actualisation (positive comfort level with society)
  • Social contribution (a feeling that one has a contribution to make to society)
  • Social coherence (understanding the social world as predictable and comprehensible)
  • Social integration (feeling as a part of the community)

Intellectual Wellness

Dr. Bill Hettler's Six Dimensions of Wellness Model states, ''The intellectual wellness dimension recognizes one’s creative, stimulating mental activities. A well person expands his or her knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing his or her gifts with others.'' According to the same wellness model, the principles of this dimension are as follows: [16]

  • It is better to stretch and challenge our minds with intellectual and creative pursuits than to become self-satisfied and unproductive.
  • It is better to identify potential problems and choose appropriate courses of action based on available information than to wait, worry, and contend with major concerns later.

Spiritual Wellness

Dr. Bill Hettler's Six Dimensions of Wellness Model states, ''The spiritual dimension recognizes our search for meaning and purpose in human existence. It includes the development of a deep appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe...You’ll know you’re becoming spiritually well when your actions become more consistent with your beliefs and values, resulting in a “world view.'' [16]

Occupational Wellness

According to the Six Dimensions of Wellness Model, the choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions, and personal performance are all important components of the occupational wellness. [16]

Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is the balance of work and home life paired with community and nature. (Renger et al.,2000)

Financial Wellness

Derived from the definition of general well-being, financial well-being could refer to being in a financially healthy, happy, and worry-free state. [17]

This helps with the assessment of institutional and public policies in order to make them more sensitive to inequalities in the population which can affect the wellness of individuals.

Cultural Wellness

This dimension has a subjective impact on wellness. This is seen as individuals living in democratic and individualistic settings with freedoms of choice and individual needs have higher levels of subjective wellbeing than individuals who live in authoritarian and collectivistic cultures.

Climate Wellness

This is an emerging dimension of wellness. It assesses the connection between climatic changes and human well-being. It is a new area of research which tends to study the consequences of climate and ecosystem changes on the wellness of individuals.

Conclusion

Wellness is an active lifestyle that incorporates several components that affect health (physical, mental and social wellbeing) on a holistic level. These factors are continuously in play to contribute to an individual’s overall state of health and therefore should be understood and properly addressed.

Resources

Wellness Toolkits by the National Institues of Health:

References

  1. ↑ Flynn S, Jellum L, Howard J, Moser A, Mathis D, Collins C, Henderson S, Watjen C. Concepts of Fitness and Wellness. 2018. Available from: https://oer .galileo. usg.edu/health-textbooks/ Accessed 12 April 2021.
  2. ↑ About Wellness. National Wellness Institute. Available from: https://nationalwellness.org/resources/multicultural-competency-in-wellness/ Accessed 15 April 2021.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19–22 1946.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stoewen DL. Health and wellness. The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2015 Sept 56(9):983-984.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 CSDH. Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008.
  6. ↑ 1.       Difference Between Health and Wellness. Available from: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-health-and-vs-wellness/ Accessed 12 April 2021.
  7. ↑ St Claire L, Watkins CJ, Billinghurst B. Differences in meanings of health: an exploratory study of general practitioners and their patients. Family Practice. 1996 Jan 1;13(6):511-6.
  8. ↑ World Health Organization: The determinants of health. Available from: http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/ Accessed 12 April 2021.
  9. ↑ World Health Organization. Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Closing the gap in a generation-health equity through action on the social determinants of health, 2008. Available at www.who.int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/en/ Accessed 12 April 2021.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary Update. 2006. Available at https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/about/HPR%20Glossary_New%20Terms.pdf Accessed 12 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Oliver MD, Baldwin DR, Datta S. Health to wellness: A review of wellness models and transitioning back to health. The International Journal of Health, Wellness and Society. 2018;9(1):41.
  12. ↑ Hung ST, Cheng YC, Wu CC, Su CH. Examining physical wellness as the fundamental element for achieving holistic well-being in older persons: review of literature and practical application in daily life. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 2023 Dec 31:1889-904.
  13. ↑ NIH, 2018. https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit
  14. ↑ Rehman R, Nadeem S, Hussain M, Khan R, Katpar S. Exploring emotional wellness: The art of being cheerful about life at medical campus. European Journal of Psychology & Educational Studies. 2015 Apr 1;2(2).
  15. ↑ Teghe D, Rendell K. Social wellbeing: A literature review. School of Social Work & Welfare Studies, CQU: Rockhampton, Australia. 2005 Aug.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Six Dimensions of Wellness Model ©1976 by Bill Hettler, MD © National Wellness Institute, Inc. | NationalWellness.org | 715.342.2969
  17. ↑ Joo S. Personal financial wellness. InHandbook of consumer finance research 2008 Jan 3 (pp. 21-33). New York, NY: Springer New York.
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