Transcript Increasing the Reliability of Wellness Metrics in Unique

Increasing the Reliability of
Wellness Metrics in Unique
Groups
3rd International Conference on Gross
National Happiness
Bangkok: 26 November 2007
Presented by Linda A. E. Nowakowski,
Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand
Development
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Human Development Index (HDI)
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Life span - objective
Literacy - objective
GDP - objective
GDP
Gross National Happiness
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What is happiness?
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Subjective
Cultural
Linguistic
Requires a degree of emotional/linguistic
maturity
How is it related to development?
What is development?
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Health of a country or group of people
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Economic
Physical
Mental
Intellectual
Social
Spiritual
Cultural
Regression – Why measure
development?
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Report on who is better than whom?
To assess areas that the people are
doing well in and where they need
work?
Assist in guiding program development?
GDP
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Using GDP as the measure of
development only tells you how much
the country has participated in the
western economic model.
HDI
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Gives you a measure of GDP
Tells how you are doing in getting
people to go to school
Gives you a hint at the physical health
Gross National Happiness
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Provides some broad and fuzzy feeling
of well-being.
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No indicators of the economy
No indicators of health
No indicators of education
Thailand’s GNH
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It has shown a decline over recent
reporting periods.
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What does it mean?
Northern Uganda - 1980
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The richest farmland in the country
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Large commercial farms
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Educated population
Northern Uganda - 2007
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Civil war for the last 20 years
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People living in IDP camps
External dependence for everything
Child soldiers
Broken educations
HIV/AIDS pandemic
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Has killed XXXX people in YYYY years.
Peace on the horizon
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It is safe to return to their lands
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Land has been fallow for 20 years
Homes and equipment are gone
The people are gone
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Uganda has thousands of child-headed
households
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Parents killed in the war
Parents killed by HIV/AIDS
The children are gone
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Children who have not had the
opportunity to play or learn
Children who have been raped and
forced to be soldiers
Children who have had to assume the
roles of adults
Hurting children with the responsibility
of raising other hurt children
The community wisdom is gone
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What crops grow best?
What do you do about the local pests?
What plants and herbs are safe to eat?
What plants and herbs can be used as
local medicines?
Opok Farms
An Organically Grown Community
Sufficiency Economy
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Sufficiency entails three components:
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moderation
reasonableness
a self-immunity system, i.e. being able to cope with shocks
from internal and external changes.
Two underlying conditions are necessary to achieve
this sufficiency:
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knowledge (breadth and thoroughness in planning, and
carefulness in applying knowledge and in the
implementation of those plans are required)
morality (people are to possess honesty and integrity, while
conducting their lives with perseverance, harmlessness and
generosity)
Evaluating this development
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Sufficiency Economy models generate
little to no GDP
The children have broken educations
Many of the children are already HIV
positive
What is happiness here?
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These children will need to work for the
first time in their lives
These children have few adult role
models
These children have no money, no
education, no vocational training and
few skills
These children must behave as
responsible adults
Coming up with new metrics
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Maslow
Max-Neef
Being (qualities)
Subsistence
Physical and mental health
Protection
Care, adaptability, autonomy
Affection
Respect, sense of humor, generosity, sensuality
Understanding
Critical capacity, curiosity, intuition, communities
Participation
Receptiveness, dedication, sense of humor
Leisure
Imagination, tranquility, spontaneity
Creation
Imagination, boldness, inventiveness, curiosity
Identity
Sense of belonging, self-esteem, consistency
Freedom
Autonomy, passion, self-esteem, open-mindedness
UN Millenium Development Goals
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Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Improve maternal health
Achieve universal primary education
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
diseases
Promote gender equality and empower
women
Ensure environmental sustainability
Reduce child mortality
Develop a global partnership for development
Health of a country or group of
people
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Physical health – individual and family
Mental / psychological health – individual,
family and community
Mental / intellectual health – individual, family
and community
Political health – community and nation
Social health – family and community
Spiritual health – individual, family and
community
Financial health – individual, family and
community
Needs
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A list of indicators for each area
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Objective
Subjective
Specific
Guidance for communities on how to
set goals
Goals and toolbox – what next?
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Selection of indicators by the
community based on the goals.
Administration of the survey
Evaluation
Sample list
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Physical health – individual:
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Adequate diet
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Calories
Under-development
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Access to health care
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Other
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Contraceptive use
Infant mortality rate
Low birth rate
Children born with attending health care professional
Availability of oral rehydration therapy (ORT)
Immunizations – measles, tuberculosis
Incidence of tuberculosis
Number of children under 5 with fever receiving anti malarial drugs
Days absent from school or work due to illness.
Healthy life style
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Height
Weight
Insecticide treated bed nets
Sustainable access to clean water
Sustainable access to sanitary
CO2 emissions per capita
Prevalence of smoking
Prevalence of drinking
Life expectancy
Population growth rate
Shelter – living in permanent shelter
Clothing – changes of clothes and appropriateness
A toast:
To a future of community
defined, driven and
evaluated development