Sustainability, health and wellbeing
Lecture 1:
What is health?
- Most accepted definition is that of the World Health Organization:
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
- Health has been traditionally seen as a state – healthy vs. sick.
- The main limitation of this definition is:
Does not consider the dynamic nature of health.
Scholars suggest that health reflects “the ability to adapt and to self-manage”.
This conception is fully in line with the life course perspective.
Measurement of health:
- Health measures (registered):
Mortality, life expectancy, hospitalization, medication use.
Physical and mental health conditions and symptoms
Biomarkers – becomes more and more important
“Meetbare indicatie van een biologische toestand of conditie”.
- Self-reported indications (survey):
Physical health – self rated health.
Mental health – depression, anxiety.
Health behaviors – smoking, drinking.
Life expectancy:
- Global life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last 200 years in all regions.
- BUT: differential improvements created substantial international disparities.
Grote verschillen in life expectancy tussen landen in de wereld.
Changes in all-cause mortality:
- Life expectancy:
One of the best indicators of mortality change over time
More than doubled in 170 years (1850-2019). From 35 to 70.
“Most important achievement in human history”.
- BUT: still large divergence between populations – Monaco vs. Nigeria.
Reasoning limiting the human life expectancy:
- The re-emergence infectious and parasitic diseases:
Rapid spread of new and preexisted diseases since the last quarter of the 20 th century.
Most of them preventable with the available technology
Limitation mostly related to (why we don’t become older):
Inequality – in sanitation and access to medical services.
Demographic factors – population aging, growth and movement.
Industrial processes and deterioration of the environment – massive misuse of
antibiotics in food production
, Hedonic wellbeing:
- Definition: Is usually discussed in terms of experiences, a focus on desire fulfillment and
pleasure seeking, and the presence of positive affects and the absence of negative ones.
Philosophical roots in Aristippus of Cyrene
Wellbeing is maximalization of pleasure, minimalization of suffering.
- A persons cognitive and affective evaluation of his/her life.
- Affective and cognitive aspect:
Based on moods and emotions – measured in 4 weeks, because people can remember
how they felt the last 4 weeks.
Individual assessment of quality of life.
Hedonic wellbeing:
- Life satisfaction -> Also called subjective wellbeing.
- Thinking about your life in general, please answer the following questions using a scale from
1 to 10. Strongly disagree -> strongly agree.
“The conditions of my life are excellent”.
Example from research:
- In a survey first the researchers ask a lot of questions about specific parts of someone’s life.
- After this they ask the most important question: “Are you happy with your life in general?”
They do this because the respondents had time to think about their health etc. in the
previous questions.
Hedonic wellbeing:
- Life satisfaction (SWB)
- Depression
- One to one relationship? Can one experience heightened symptoms of depression and still
have a high life satisfaction?
Not a one to one relationship, but people with no depression have higher SWB in general.
Eudemonic wellbeing:
- Definition: Wellbeing is about developing oneself and realizing ones potential.
- Figure 1: for eudemonic wellbeing you look at the inner circle.
Self-determination theory:
- Humans’ three basic needs:
1. Competence – need to be effective in dealing with environment.
2. Autonomy – need to control the course of their lives.
3. Relatedness – need to have a close affectionate relationship with others.
Wellbeing:
- Why the discrepancies?
Selection – people living at home in their 80ies tend to be healthier, happier.
Adaption – there is an initial shock when you discover a chronic disease but people adapt
to the situation.
Social comparison – your comparison group is important.
Lecture 1:
What is health?
- Most accepted definition is that of the World Health Organization:
Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
- Health has been traditionally seen as a state – healthy vs. sick.
- The main limitation of this definition is:
Does not consider the dynamic nature of health.
Scholars suggest that health reflects “the ability to adapt and to self-manage”.
This conception is fully in line with the life course perspective.
Measurement of health:
- Health measures (registered):
Mortality, life expectancy, hospitalization, medication use.
Physical and mental health conditions and symptoms
Biomarkers – becomes more and more important
“Meetbare indicatie van een biologische toestand of conditie”.
- Self-reported indications (survey):
Physical health – self rated health.
Mental health – depression, anxiety.
Health behaviors – smoking, drinking.
Life expectancy:
- Global life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last 200 years in all regions.
- BUT: differential improvements created substantial international disparities.
Grote verschillen in life expectancy tussen landen in de wereld.
Changes in all-cause mortality:
- Life expectancy:
One of the best indicators of mortality change over time
More than doubled in 170 years (1850-2019). From 35 to 70.
“Most important achievement in human history”.
- BUT: still large divergence between populations – Monaco vs. Nigeria.
Reasoning limiting the human life expectancy:
- The re-emergence infectious and parasitic diseases:
Rapid spread of new and preexisted diseases since the last quarter of the 20 th century.
Most of them preventable with the available technology
Limitation mostly related to (why we don’t become older):
Inequality – in sanitation and access to medical services.
Demographic factors – population aging, growth and movement.
Industrial processes and deterioration of the environment – massive misuse of
antibiotics in food production
, Hedonic wellbeing:
- Definition: Is usually discussed in terms of experiences, a focus on desire fulfillment and
pleasure seeking, and the presence of positive affects and the absence of negative ones.
Philosophical roots in Aristippus of Cyrene
Wellbeing is maximalization of pleasure, minimalization of suffering.
- A persons cognitive and affective evaluation of his/her life.
- Affective and cognitive aspect:
Based on moods and emotions – measured in 4 weeks, because people can remember
how they felt the last 4 weeks.
Individual assessment of quality of life.
Hedonic wellbeing:
- Life satisfaction -> Also called subjective wellbeing.
- Thinking about your life in general, please answer the following questions using a scale from
1 to 10. Strongly disagree -> strongly agree.
“The conditions of my life are excellent”.
Example from research:
- In a survey first the researchers ask a lot of questions about specific parts of someone’s life.
- After this they ask the most important question: “Are you happy with your life in general?”
They do this because the respondents had time to think about their health etc. in the
previous questions.
Hedonic wellbeing:
- Life satisfaction (SWB)
- Depression
- One to one relationship? Can one experience heightened symptoms of depression and still
have a high life satisfaction?
Not a one to one relationship, but people with no depression have higher SWB in general.
Eudemonic wellbeing:
- Definition: Wellbeing is about developing oneself and realizing ones potential.
- Figure 1: for eudemonic wellbeing you look at the inner circle.
Self-determination theory:
- Humans’ three basic needs:
1. Competence – need to be effective in dealing with environment.
2. Autonomy – need to control the course of their lives.
3. Relatedness – need to have a close affectionate relationship with others.
Wellbeing:
- Why the discrepancies?
Selection – people living at home in their 80ies tend to be healthier, happier.
Adaption – there is an initial shock when you discover a chronic disease but people adapt
to the situation.
Social comparison – your comparison group is important.
