1. Measuring Wellbeing Dan Barrett Co-production Practitioner & Prosper Lead SWLSTG NHS Trust

2. What do we mean by wellbeing? There is no agreed definition of wellbeing, although there is general agreement that an intersecting range of physical, social, environmental and psychological factors influence wellbeing. Public Health White Paper (DOH, 2010) defines wellbeing as “a positive physical, social and mental state.” Measuring Wellbeing in Policy (nef, 2008) states that well-being is most usefully thought of as “a dynamic process that gives people a sense of how their lives are going, through the interactions between their circumstances, activites and psychological resources.”

3. Why measure wellbeing? Office of National Statistics (website) states “it has long been argued that the progress of the country should not be measured by looking just at growth in GDP.” Friedli (2009) “healthier lifestyles; better physical health; improved recovery from illness; fewer limitations in daily living; higher educational attainment; greater productivity, employment and earnings; better relationships with adults and with children; more social cohesion and engagement and improved quality of life. These outcomes are…associated with the presence of positive mental health, sometimes referred to as ‘wellbeing’”.

4. Measuring wellbeing Wellbeing has commonly been divided by researchers into objective wellbeing (the material and social environment that influence communities and individuals, like housing and education) and subjective wellbeing (individuals’ own assessment of their wellbeing).

5. MWIA (2009)

6. Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) subjective well-being questions Below are some more questions about feelings. Please give a score of 0 to 10: Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays? Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday? Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday? Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

7. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) STATEMENTS None of the time Rarely Some of the time Often All of the time I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future12345 I’ve been feeling useful12345 I’ve been feeling relaxed12345 I’ve been feeling interested in other people12345 I’ve had energy to spare12345 I’ve been dealing with problems well12345 I’ve been thinking clearly12345 I’ve been feeling good about myself12345 I’ve been feeling close to other people12345 I’ve been feeling confident12345 I’ve been able to make up my own mind about things 12345 I’ve been feeling loved12345 I’ve been interested in new things12345 I’ve been feeling cheerful12345 Please tick the box that best describes your experience of each over the last 2 weeks