Health and wellbeing
Factors in employee health, wellbeing and resilience
[Copyright Steaphen Pirie Belief Institute 2009]
Introduction
This article is an introductory analysis of the factors determining health, and how awareness of these factors can form a useful guide for employers.
These factors are derived from the long-term research conducted by Sir Michael Marmot, who has found that one's 'psycho-social ecosystem' is at least two thirds* responsible for health and longevity.
A checklist of considerations is provided to help the development of workplace policies. The "Begin with the end in play – Health and Wellbeing" program has been specifically developed to focus on, and enhance the "psycho-social" factors that lead to health and wellbeing.
* According to the research, factors such as smoking, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise and hereditary issues account for only 1/4 to 1/3 the total cause for ill-health and premature death.
Social Determinants of Health
When considering the nature of employee health within organisations, it is worthwhile to expand the context to include as many factors as possible that may impinge, directly or indirectly on the quality of health.
In the 2003 World Health Organization’s report on social determinants of health, Dr Michael Marmot and Dr Richard Wilkinson reported that:
“Even in the most affluent countries, people who are less well off have substantially shorter life expectancies and more illnesses than the rich. Not only are these differences in health an important social injustice, they have also drawn scientific attention to some of the most powerful determinants of health standards in modern societies. They have led in particular to a growing understanding of the remarkable sensitivity of health to the social environment and to what have become known as the social determinants of health."1
The research into social determinants of health is sufficiently broad and rigorous to link social factors with corresponding levels of health and life expectancy.
- 1. Michael Marmot & Richard Wilkinson, Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Fact (Second Edition, 2003). World Health Organisation (Europe), Page 7. Ref. www.euro.who.int/document/e81384.pdf
Belief-System Tune-Ups
Many people easily forget how muich they rely on mental-maps (belief-systems) to navigate through life.
What we believe defines, shapes and creates us. What we believe possible will reveal itself by what we attempt to achieve.
Belief-system tuneups are designed to reveal the deeper, more congruent frameworks of life -- those that you can rely on, irrespective of time and circumstance.
Belief-System Tune-Ups can be tailored for the industry, circumstances and needs of clients.
Begin with the end in play - Health and Wellbeing
It's easy and quite common to believe that illness and early death is due to factors such as disease, poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, smoking and genetic disorders.
But according to the results gained from nearly 30 years of research by Sir Professor Michael Marmot, those factors account for around one quarter of the causes of illness and early death.
The primary, majority cause of illness is "psycho-social" – our personal beliefs and expectations, and the social environment (community, nation and culture) in which we live.
Moving beyond a 2,450-year-old era
The Art and Science of Blinking
Around 2,450 years ago the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea was perhaps the first to methodically question a simple fact of life - how do we physically move, such as when blinking an eye, running, or simply falling down?
His questions and arguments, which have become widely known as Zeno's Paradoxes, pointed to the seemingly logical impossibility of the everyday experience of physical movement.
His considerations have perplexed and troubled philosophers and scientists even since. Various assumptions that underpin our modern technologies and sciences were taken for granted. We take for granted that there is always a physical cause for every physical effect - as exemplified by scientists researching to find physical cures for disease, cancer and viruses; and to find the physical genes or brain cells responsible for thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and the experience of love, creativity and joy.
Now, with the advances in the field of quantum physics, we know that a 2,450 year era is nearing its end .. an era in which it has been assumed that our physical brains, bodies and the entire physical universe is continuously existent. An era in which each part (atom, virus, cell, organ, person, planet) was assumed to be continuously existent and functional, with every part contributing to the running of, or dysfunction of, the machinery of life.
We stand at the edge of a grand new understanding of our universe, and ourselves. As Visa International founder Dee Hock foretells, a new era
Confidence, Wellbeing and Resilience
What is resilience, and how do we develop or strengthen it?
Generally, we understand resilience as that admirable quality of being able to face adversity and bounce back after mishap.
Confidence in the face of adversity requires a deep certainty of eventual well-being and success – that we can 'come through' unpleasant experiences, and be enriched by them.
It's an inner strength that enables a positive outlook, despite negative circumstances and events.
Brains and Beliefs
The field of neuroplasticity is offering valuable and useful insights into how the brain functions.
Recommended viewing is this interview by Kerry O'Brien (ABC TV's 7.30 Report with Dr Norman Doidge).
From the interview:
In a broader context, Visa International founder, Dee Hock voiced a similar perspective a few years ago ...
[from this FastCompany.com article ]
