What is wellness?

This year, Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) focused on children, under the theme, “Healthy Children in Healthy Environments”.

We continually hear this word during the news, in conversations, at work or read it in newspapers, magazines and the like. Surprisingly, there is no definition of wellness that seems to be universally accepted.{{more}}

Nonetheless, there is a set of general characteristics found in most good attempts to define wellness. We routinely see references made to wellness being a “state of well-being,” which is very vague. We also routinely see wellness defined as a “state of acceptance or satisfaction with our present condition.”

Truth be told, wellness is a very difficult word to define. Charles B Corbin from Arizona State University defined wellness as a “multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.”

Wellness is considered to be an active process of becoming aware of and learning to make choices (healthy choices) that lead toward a longer and more successful existence.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It therefore means that both health and wellness are interrelated. We cannot speak of wellness without speaking about health and vice versa.

As we speak about healthy children in healthy environments for Caribbean Wellness Day, we must focus on issues such as childhood obesity, injury and violence and the protection of the basic rights of the child.

Our children should be able to live and play in healthy environments where they can grow and develop to their full potential. The social determinants of health must be considered, such as education, adequate housing, access to food and clean water and safe communities. Laws must be put in place and must be enforced to prevent them from risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, unhealthy food and physical and psychological abuse.

As a state of health, wellness is closely linked to your lifestyle and the choices that we make. Each individual has a responsibility to themselves to provide for the essentials of good health – that being proper weight control, good nutrition, physical activity and exercise, and controlling of health risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol and drug use and/or abuse.

For our children who are vulnerable, parents and the state must take on the responsibility to ensure the health and wellness of our children.

Dr. Rosmond Adams, MD is a medical doctor and a public health specialist with training in bioethics and ethical issues in medicine, the life sciences and research. He is the head of Health Information, Communicable Diseases and Emergency Response at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). (The views expressed here are not written on behalf of CARPHA).