New Zealand’s engagement with the Five Ways to Wellbeing: evidence from a large cross-sectional survey

Abstract

The Five Ways to Wellbeing were developed in 2008 as a set of simple daily practices for individuals to improve their wellbeing. While there is some evidence to support the association between individual practices and wellbeing, it is unknown whether engaging in multiple practicesand in certain combinationsis associated with higher levels of wellbeing. A survey was undertaken with 10,012 adults throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand, to assess individual wellbeing and participation in the Five Ways to Wellbeing (Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Be Active). Wellbeing was assessed with the Flourishing Scale (Md = 46, IQR 39-49). Three objectives explored the cross-sectional association between the Five ways to Wellbeing and wellbeing: (1) multiple wellbeing practices and wellbeing, (2) clustering of multiple wellbeing practices, and (3) wellbeing practices as predictors of wellbeing. Results show that levels of wellbeing increased with each additional practice (rho = .53, p < .001), regardless of the combination. However, the most important predictors of wellbeing were Keep Learning (β = .23, p < .001) and Take Notice (β = .22, p < .001). Studies investigating ways to increase participation in the Five Ways to Wellbeing are warranted to promote wellbeing in Aotearoa.

Development of a casual video game (Match Emoji) with psychological well-being concepts for young adolescents

“…These messages were based upon a combination of psychological well-being theories. The two primary theories involved were the Five Ways to Wellbeing 25 and the Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor and Values (DNA-V) model of behaviour change. 26 The Five Ways to Wellbeing are simple daily practices for individuals to improve their well-being that include connect, be active, take notice, keep earning, and give.…”

“… 27 Although all core processes of each model were not used within the game; both theories provided a basis for formulating messages as both theories are culturally and developmentally appropriate for young adolescents in New Zealand. 25 – 28 …”

An Examination of the Impacts of Volunteering and Community Contribution at a Community Festival Through the Lens of the Five Ways to Wellbeing

“…There has also been international engagement with the framework—the Singaporean Agency for Integrated Care and National Arts Council ( 2018 ) promote an arts and health toolkit with activities guided by the FWW. In New Zealand, a large cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess individual wellbeing and participation in the Five Ways, finding a positive association between participation and wellbeing (Mackay et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Encouraging individuals to adopt the FWW to promote wellbeing has been incorporated into different events and festivals, awareness-raising campaigns, galleries and museums, self-help websites and literacy tools (Aked & Thompson, 2011 ). Although there is little detail on implementation or evidence on effectiveness, it has been used at all intervention levels: individual, collective/group, organization, population and strategic (Aked & Thompson, 2011 ; Keeman et al, 2017 ; Mackay et al, 2019 ; Smith, 2015 ). Cameron et al ( 2013 ) used the FWW framework in conjunction with an arts-based framework to evaluate the potential health and wellbeing benefits of participatory arts projects within communities, combining the frameworks enabled them to draw connections between the health discourse and arts discourse.…”

“…People’s ability to engage with the FWW may vary according to their capacity to carry out the actions, their surroundings and the places and spaces they have access to (Phillips et al, 2015 ). There is also little discussion regarding levels of engagement with each action, for example it is undefined whether engaging in several actions in specific combinations correlates to higher levels of subjective wellbeing (Aked et al, 2008 ; Mackay et al, 2019 ).…”