Well-being as discourse: Potentials and problems for studies of organizing and health inequalities

The sustained global popularity, prevalence, and influence of the term wellbeing are manifest in the definition of health offered by the World Health Organization since 1948: “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not only the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization, 1948, p. 1). The discursive convergence of the terms health and well-being is echoed in myriad health policies across the world; for instance, in Aotearoa New Zealand, hauora has been understood as both health and well-being, viewed as a whare tapa wha or four-sided house built on spiritual, physical, family, and emotional/mental dimensions (National Health Committee, New Zealand, 1998). The convergence of health and wellbeing can also be seen in an increasing number of health campaigns: A reproductive health campaign in Honduras claims, “Salud Reproductiva, bienestar y vida!” [Reproductive health is well-being and life]. The convergence can also be seen in the slogan and vision of an increasingly large number of health organizations. For instance, the home page of one public health organization states that it is “a membership organization that works to improve the level of health and well-being for all Arizonans through advocacy, education and professional development” (Arizona Public Health Association, n.d.)