Population health and well-being is something we create as a society, not something an individual can attain in a clinic or be responsible for alone. Health is more than being free from disease and pain; health is the ability to thrive. Well-being covers both quality of life and the ability of people and communities to contribute to the world. Population health involves optimal physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being.
Power is the ability to achieve a purpose and to effect change. People can build community power when they organize and act together to set agendas, shift public discourse, influence who makes decisions and cultivate relationships with decision makers. Societal rules and how they are created and maintained by those with power are referred to as the structural determinants of health.
Quality of life underscores the importance of physical, mental, social and emotional health throughout the life course. Quality of life reflects internal conditions, such as perceived health, life satisfaction and self-esteem. Quality of life also includes external aspects that enable people to live well, such as environmental and housing quality and community safety. Quality of life data tell us how people assess their overall well-being. Self-assessed health correlates with actual health outcomes. Health-related quality of life focuses on how a person’s health impacts their ability to live a full life.
