Online Program

331236
Promoting mental well-being through policies, systems and environments: A local-level assessment


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 12:30 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Brigid Riley, MPH, B. E. Riley Consulting, Minneapolis, MN
Khatidja Dawood, MS, Hennepin County Public Health, Minneapolis, MN
Patty Bowler, MBA, Minneapolis Health Department, Minneapolis, MN
Eileen O'Connell, B. S. M.A. ADCP, Bloomington Public Health, Bloomington, MN
There is growing agreement across many disciplines that mental well-being is an important contributor to overall health. Less clear is what local health departments can do to promote it. As partners in the Centers for Disase Control (CDC) -funded Community Transformation Grant, three local public health departments conducted an extensive assessment to:

1) Describe the contribution of positive mental well-being in preventing chronic disease;

2) Understand what mental well-being means to populations of interest (African American, American Indian, recent immigrants {East African, West African, Latino, Asian Indian}, Chinese American, Hmong American, Vietnamese American, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender);

3) Describe the factors affecting mental well-being;

4) Recommend strategies to address those factors through policies, systems and environments.

Project components included:

  • A review of current scientific literature about mental well-being, its relationship to chronic disease and its presence across the lifespan in populations of interest;

  • Interviews with community, academic, subject and government thought leaders about mental well-being;

  • Identification of best practices/promising approaches to improving mental well-being through policies, systems and environments;

  • Identification of local data related to mental well-being status.

In this session, assessment findings will be reviewed, including a summary of interviews with 40 thought leaders; identification of other countries’ approaches to the topic; strategy recommendations for policy, system and environmental changes; and implementation progress to-date.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe the contribution of positive mental well-being in preventing chronic disease Identify individual and environmental factors affecting mental well-being Discuss how diverse cultural groups describe mental well-being Identify recommendations for promoting mental well-being through policies, systems and environments

Keyword(s): Well-Being, Local Public Health Agencies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have more than 20 years of experience in the public health arena, in both government and non-profit sectors. As a consultant, I continue to work with all types of public health agencies in project and process management capacities. For this project, I conducted the assessment activities, analyzed the collected information and developed the recommendations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.