This week we started out by trying to get a more complete understanding of the terms Health and Wellness. To do this we looked at how different institutions define and use these terms. We then expanded on these to understand how these terms are used from a design standpoint. My main take away from this was that a person's health is characterized by the interaction of their different states of well-being and the impact the physical environment has on these states and the person as a whole. The built environment plays a crucial role in individual and community wellness because it influences so many aspects of people's wellness. The impact of the built environment is included in most, if not all, definitions of health from the different models we looked at. Most of these definitions came from public health groups or institutions, not design based institutions, so I found it interesting how many included the impact of the built environment. These definitions are broken down into categories that make up a person's overall health and most of them include similar categories of well-being. These include:
Physical
activity levels
restful sleep
diet
tobacco use
alcohol and drug use
air and water quality
housing
transit
Mental/Psychological
selfcare
power of mind
rest and recharge
Social
healthy friendships
support groups
community connections
Economic/Financial
establish good financial habits
plan for future
education
employment
income
Emotional
listen to your feelings
being able to express them
Spiritual
connect to nature, self, and others to create balance
Occupational
life satisfaction
engaging activities at work, school, and/or volunteering
Intellectual
continue learning and expanding your knowledge
stimulate curiosity
Environmental
safety
access to care
quality of care
All these different categories of well-being come from the definition of Health as described by health practices, but almost all of them have some connection to design practices. It is easy to get caught up in the design world when you are in it, and it often feels like a bubble separated from the rest of the fields. However, this could not be further from the truth. You can’t talk about individual or community wellness without talking about the built environment. They are irrevocably connected because of how much humans are impacted by their surroundings. So, the key to improving the state of health and wellness for many people is putting more effort towards creating spaces that have positive impacts on people and encourage healthy behavior to prevent the development of health problems. All the different aspects of the built environment, including air, water, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, community, etc., impact these different categories of well-being.
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