The factors affecting health and wellbeing1

Protective factors
Healthy conditions Psychosocial Effective health Healthy
and environments factors services lifestyles
Safe physical Participation in civic Provision of Decreased use
environments activities and social preventative services of tobacco and
Supportive economic engagement Access to culturally drugs
and social conditions Strong social networks appropriate health Regular physical
Regular supply of Feeling of trust services activity
nutritious food and Feeling of power and Community Balanced
water control over life participation in the nutritional intake
Restricted access to decisions planning and delivery Positive mental
tobacco and drugs of health services health
Supportive family
Healthy public policy structure Safe sexual
and organisational Positive self-esteem activity
practice
Provision for
meaningful, paid
employment
Provision of affordable
housing

Quality of life, functional independence,

wellbeing
mortality, morbidity, disability

Risk factors
Risk conditions Psychosocial Behavioural Physiological
Poverty risk factors risk factors risk factors
Low social status Isolation Smoking High blood
Lack of social support Poor nutritional intake pressure
Dangerous work
Poor social networks Physical inactivity High cholesterol
Polluted environment
Low self-esteem Substance abuse Release of stress
Natural resource
hormone
depletion High self-blame Poor hygiene
Altered levels of
Discrimination (age, Low perceived power Being overweight
biochemical
sex, race, disability) Loss of meaning or Unsafe sexual activity markers
Steep power hierarchy purpose
Genetic factors
(wealth, status, Abuse
authority) within a
community and
workplace

1. Adapted from Labonte, R. (1998), A community development approach to health promotion:

a background paper on practice, tensions, strategic models and accountability requirements for health
authority work on the broad determinants of health, Health Education Board of Scotland, Research
Unit on Health and Behaviour Change, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.