Understanding Well-Being

Author(s):  
Faye Sayer

In the last decade well-being has become a central theme in political and public discussions; it has also filtered into professional dialogue pertaining to the methods and practice of heritage. This chapter examines how heritage practice can support political agendas and positively impact on individual and community well-being. This chapter outlines a humanistic approach to heritage practice, applying public health perspectives to enable the use of heritage as a tool for social change. It provides an evaluation strategy for heritage projects, a toolkit to demonstrate the impact of heritage on well-being and on wider government policy and practice. The suggestions here offer internationally applicable guidelines and strategies for future best practice for heritage projects. They highlight that, at this critical juncture in well-being policy and practice, it is essential that the heritage sector quantitatively and qualitatively proves its value and changes its practices to support this global societal goal.

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽  
Ina Neumann ◽  
Karsten Grunewald ◽  
Patrycia Brzoska ◽  
Jiři Louda ◽  
...  

The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Hutchison

The recognition that ensuring the welfare of children is not possible without addressing the welfare of their female caregivers is notably missing from the child welfare literature. This article seeks to correct this omission by analyzing the welfare of children in the context of societal structures for caregiving. The author places the gender analysis of child welfare in historical context, discusses current themes of gender bias, and analyzes the impact of child welfare policy and practice on several categories of women. Policy implications and practice guidelines for improving the well-being of children are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12225
Author(s):  
Silvio Cristiano ◽  
Samuele Zilio

An increasing interest has been present in scientific literature and policy making for the links between urban environments and health, as also learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration between urban planning and public health is therefore critical for enhancing the capabilities of a city to promote the well-being of its people. However, what leverage potential for urban health can be found in existing plans, policies, and strategies that address urban health? Starting from the relationship between urban systems and health issues, the purpose of this contribution is to broaden the systemic knowledge of urban systems and health so as to try to figure out the impact potential of local urban governance on public health. Considering the systemic nature of health issues, as defined by the World Health Organisation, this is done through a systems thinking epistemological approach. Urban health proposals are studied and assessed in four European cities (Copenhagen, London, Berlin, and Vienna). Current criticalities are found, starting from the guiding goal of such proposals, yet a systemic approach is suggested aimed at supporting and evaluating lasting and healthy urban planning and management strategies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Ann Burgess ◽  
Nancy Kanu ◽  
Tanya Matthews ◽  
Owen Mukotekwa ◽  
Amina Smith-Gul ◽  
...  

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualize public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discussed


2018 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosandra Walker ◽  
Harold Pine

Attention to physician well-being has traditionally focused on substance abuse, usually with disciplinary implications. But, in recent years, greater notice has been granted toward physician burnout and overall wellness. Burnout and its sequelae not only affect physicians and physicians-in-training as individuals, but the impact then multiplies as it affects these physicians’ patients, colleagues, and hospital systems. In addition, the American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics charges physicians with a responsibility to maintain their own health and wellness as well as promote that of their colleagues. Therefore, the question of physician wellness has both public health and ethical implications. The causes of burnout are multifactorial, and the solutions to sustainable change are multitiered.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Hopkins

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the local, national and global actions from the UK to reduce the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on human health. Design/methodology/approach – Synthesis of UK government policy, surveillance and research on AMR. Findings – Activities that are taking place by the UK government, public health and professional organisations are highlighted. Originality/value – This paper describes the development and areas for action of the UK AMR strategy. It highlights the many interventions that are being delivered to reduce antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistant infections.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Emami ◽  
Raphael Freitas de Souza ◽  
Marla Kabawat ◽  
Jocelyne S. Feine

An adequate dentition is of importance for well-being and life quality. Despite advances in preventive dentistry, edentulism is still a major public health problem worldwide. In this narrative review, we provide a perspective on the pathways that link oral to general health. A better understanding of disease indicators is necessary for establishing a solid strategy through an organized oral health care system to prevent and treat this morbid chronic condition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Delnord ◽  
F Tille ◽  
L A Abboud ◽  
D Ivanković ◽  
H Van Oyen

Abstract Background The optimal use of data and evidence from national health information systems is paramount in public health. However, current tools to evaluate health information systems focus on data quality and availability rather than measuring how data are used by key stakeholders. This limits capacity to monitor the impact of evidence on health care management and health policy making. Methods Based on an extensive literature review we developed a new model, the Health Information (HI)-Impact framework, to monitor the impact of health information in health policy and practice. We further conducted a web-based Delphi survey between February and April 2019 among European public health professionals working in health policy, health care, research, and health monitoring to develop the HI-Impact Index. Results In the HI-Impact framework, four domains are essential for mapping public health data availability, dissemination, and use: (1) Health Information and Evidence Quality, (2) Health Information System Responsiveness, (3) Stakeholder Engagement, and (4) Knowledge Integration. This last domain has a broader reach on the determinants of health and reflects the use of evidence by community partners and across sectors. In the DELPHI survey, 127 experts from 38 European countries selected 30 criteria to integrate in the HI-Impact Index. This tool could be used by European public health agencies to monitor the impact of their information products, and inform national strategies for evidence-based public health. Conclusions It is crucial for routine health information systems to create a culture of accountability in the use of evidence. Data on the determinants and consequences of ill-health as well as stakeholder engagement in leveraging evidence for intervention are explicit points to consider for a full quality assessment of national health information systems, and a sustainable impact on health outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Sousa ◽  
Sue Grey ◽  
Laura Oxley

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a key role in driving educational discourse and global educational governance. Its comparative ‘Programme of International School Assessment’ (PISA) has explicitly linked the knowledge and skills of young people with the economic potential of countries. Through the International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study (IELS), the OECD plans to extend its reach to early childhood education (ECE) by developing metrics to measure ‘quality’ in ECE. This focus gives weight to discourses centred around ideas of ‘what works’. The rhetoric derives from the principles that standards of learning and well-being can be improved by emulating notions of ‘best practice’ identified through comparative data.  This article uses the case of Portugal to illustrate the significant disconnect between the aims and pedagogies of ECE and the increasingly influential de-contextualised discourses concerning ranking, performance and outcomes, as espoused by the OECD IELS project. Using evidence from three diverse Portuguese ECE settings, we illustrate how conceptual understandings of democracy in each school closely reflected the individual school philosophies. We discuss how the dampening of localised realities, for example, through standardisation and de-contextualisation, could lead to a democratic deficit enabled by discourses which displace the purpose, complexity and subjectivity of ECE policy and practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-119
Author(s):  
Sotiria Boutsi ◽  
Heather Campbell ◽  
Eugenia Fezza ◽  
Ross George ◽  
Cindayniah Godfrey ◽  
...  

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the UK has experienced three national lockdowns and a public health campaign designed to stop the spread of the virus. The first national lockdown, starting in March 2020, led to the closure of university campuses, and laboratories having to pause practical research and move research student supervision online. During this time, laboratories had to develop way for research activities to resume whilst also complying with public health measures. The entomology group at Harper Adams University is in the Agriculture and Environment Department and forms part of the Centre for Integrated Pest Management. At present our group consists of seven staff members, ranging from early career researchers to those with over 20 years of experience in academia and industry, who collectively supervise 10 PhD students at varying stages of their research. Two of these students are completing their research at an external institute. The group carries out research across multiple sites, office buildings, research laboratories, including the Jean Jackson Entomology Laboratory (https://www.infraportal.org.uk/node/1880), as well as field and glasshouse facilities. Here we provide a narrative account of the challenges in maintaining an active research group during a year of highly restricted activities. We begin by outlining the impact that national lockdowns and public health measures had on researchers working on PhD projects through to larger UKRI and levy-funded multi-institute, multi-year projects. We address four key areas: i) maintaining productivity, ii) student-supervisor interactions, iii) accessibility and widening participation and iv) well-being and mental health. We then outline how lessons learnt from lockdown can inform best practice for a research group. Many aspects will be useful for researchers working part-time, flexible hours, remotely or at multiple sites, but we emphasise that the aim of this contribution is to share our personal experiences and not to cover every theme in what is an extremely complex set of global circumstances.


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