Health
and Social Wellbeing
The
respondents were asked a number of questions about health and
social wellbeing. The purpose of the questions was to determine
what people thought about ‘health and social wellbeing’,
being ‘healthy’ and ‘taking responsibility for
your own health’. Overall, the responses were similar and
focused on healthy lifestyles but included the broader, holistic
perspective linking health and social wellbeing to other issues
such as family, income, work and the environment we live in.
The
majority of respondents believed that people had a responsibility
for their own life but some did state that the ability to take
‘responsibility’ may be diminished when choices were
not available and when there was a lack of knowledge about choices
that could be made and was dependent on services provided in the
area. Responsibility was thought to involve more than that for
your own life, extending to include those around you.
The
meaning of health and social wellbeing
The
views on what health and social wellbeing meant covered similar
aspects. For example
§
having a good quality of life, being happy, fit and active,
looking after yourself, having a healthy diet, not smoking or
taking drugs. It is being able to carry on with work and leisure
activities and to achieve personal goals. "Health is all
that I am capable of being, the potential I have and of maximising
that"
§
not being ill and having social, spiritual, mental and
physical wellbeing in balance
§
it is dependent on wider issues such as the environment,
employment, demography, being part of a community and "feeling
that you belong"
§
it is linked to and affected by the provision of health
and social services, the technical advances in medicine. It is
not about having a "sickness service" but a service
committed to promoting health where there is access to both preventative
and curative services
§
other agency responsibilities, such as those of the Northern
Ireland Housing Executive, Department of the Environment, Health
and Social Services and Education Boards "doing their job
properly"
§
being aware of the services offered, knowing the options
and what "we can create for ourselves" and being able
to ask for help.
Other
influential factors included
§
a faster pace of life, a lack of trust, living in the poverty
trap, a lack of resources and the "country we live in"
§
the company you keep, marriage, family and work, genetic
make-up and being "social animals that have to live with
other people whose behaviour may affect our health".
Taking
responsibility for your own health
To
respondents this meant
§
looking after yourself with responsibility widening out
to include families and work colleagues; knowing and doing all
the things you should eg eating well and taking regular exercise;
respecting your life and controlling or limiting what is not good
for you
§
knowing the accessibility of services and facilities
§
it is about making choices. This may depend on how you
are able to influence the provision of services and the quality
of those services. However, not everyone can make the same choices
and some circumstances are beyond individual control.
