Course Content. Module 1

According to the World Health Organization^[1], “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”.

On the other hand, wellbeing as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary^[2] is “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” However, it is important to realize that wellbeing is a much broader concept than moment-to-moment happiness. While it does include happiness, it also includes other things, such as how satisfied people are with their life as a whole, their sense of purpose, and how in control their feelings. In this respect, the New Economics Foundation describes wellbeing as the following: ‘Wellbeing can be understood as how people feel and how they function, both on a personal and a social level, and how they evaluate their lives as a whole”^[3].

Question:

These definitions do not include the term “digital”. Do you think they also cover the concepts of digital health and wellbeing? If not, what would you add?

In order to answer the question, let us keep in mind the definition of digital health and wellbeing provided by JISC^[4], defining digital health and wellbeing as “the capacity to look after personal health, safety, relationships and work-life balance in digital settings”. Some aspects related to digital health and wellbeing also include:

■       using personal digital data for positive wellbeing benefits.

■       using digital media to foster community actions and wellbeing.

■       acting safely and responsibly in digital environments.

■       managing digital stress, workload and distraction.

■       acting with concern for the human and natural environment when using digital tools.

■       balancing digital with real-world interactions appropriately^[5].