An environment and comprehensive wellbeing (ECW) conceptual framework: exploring environmental relationships with...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Wellbeing and environment are interconnected, requiring integrated assessment frameworks.
• Existing models often fail to comprehensively link environmental factors with holistic wellbeing.
• Understanding these links is crucial for sustainable development, especially in vulnerable regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the novel Environment and Comprehensive Wellbeing framework.
• To assess the impact of environmental conditions and policy on wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries.
• To explore the interaction between objective and subjective wellbeing indicators within their environmental context.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel framework integrating objective and subjective wellbeing indicators.
• Application of a mixed-method approach in the Volta Delta, Ghana.
• Analysis of environmental factors (climate, landscape) and policy interventions' impact on wellbeing.

Main Results:

• The framework successfully captured the environment-wellbeing nexus in a vulnerable region.
• A dichotomy of low objective and high subjective wellbeing was observed in drought-affected agricultural areas.
• The study highlighted the synergistic benefits of combining objective and subjective wellbeing assessments.

Conclusions:

• The Environment and Comprehensive Wellbeing framework offers a robust tool for multiscale research.
• Integrated assessment is vital for understanding wellbeing in environmentally sensitive contexts.
• Policy and research should consider both objective and subjective dimensions of wellbeing for effective interventions.