We know that enjoyable activities, that allow us to explore our interests, contribute to positive health and wellbeing.
However, there are differences in how much time and resource people can give to taking part in activities that matter to them. Some people face lots of challenges to accessing spaces and opportunities.
What did we want to find out?
To help inform the development of Hapus, Public Health Wales wanted to understand:
· The differences across Wales in mental wellbeing outcomes.
· How people engage with activity that supports their wellbeing.
· Which groups do not think that mental wellbeing is important.
· Which groups do not prioritise activity to protect and improve their mental wellbeing.
· What helps, and does not help, different people to take part inactivity that matters to them.
· Where best to focus action to help reduce differences in mental wellbeing.
What did we do?
We collaborated with the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR), part of Cardiff Metropolitan University to listen to adults across Wales.
CAWR ran an online survey and in depth group conversations. 1293 people took part in the survey, and they were largely representative of the adult population of Wales.
A sample of people from different groups were invited to complete the online survey. The survey was also promoted through voluntary and community sector organisations.
This made sure that the results included responses from people living in a range of social and economic circumstances, different age groups and ethnicities. The people involved had similar characteristics to people overall in Wales, although slightly more females took part.
A further 39 people took part in group conversations in community settings.
What did we learn?
There are differences in mental, social and community wellbeing.
We know that wellbeing in Wales has been decreasing over time. (National Survey for Wales). We found differences in the mental wellbeing of individuals, depending on their characteristics.
Individual mental wellbeing was lower amongst:
· Younger age groups
· Females
· Ethnicities other than white
· Those reporting a disability
· Those reporting being in bad health
These things had much more influence on mental wellbeing than people’s access to resources and opportunities.
We also found differences in social wellbeing
This means how much people are able to enjoy the social world around them.
Social wellbeing was lower for:
· Those reporting a disability
· Those reporting being in bad health
· Younger age groups
· Those with access to fewer resources and opportunities
Community wellbeing was also not the same for everyone
This means how connected people feel to people and places around them. Those who belong to an ethnic group other than white feel much more connected to their communities.
Community wellbeing was lower amongst:
· Those reporting a disability
· Those reporting being in bad health
· Younger age groups
· Those with access to fewer resources and opportunities
Although our survey results showed that those who have access to fewer resources and opportunities, feel less connected to their communities, this was not the view shared during group conversations with people in Wales. Here people told us that they thought more wealthy and urban areas had a lower sense of community than poorer and rural areas.
Overall, only 22% of people felt they could influence decisions impacting their local area, and only half expressed trust in their neighbourhood.
Supporting mental wellbeing is important to people
93% agreed that it is important to take action to improve and protect their wellbeing. More females and people in good health felt this was important.
Fewer people, 79% overall – knew what actions they could take to support their wellbeing. But this was not equal across different groups. Those who were less likely to know were; males (74%), 18-29 year olds (70%), those who reported a disability (72%) and bad health (62%).
Around half of the people who took part in our survey were satisfied with the opportunities they had to do activities that matter for their wellbeing, either on their own or with other people in their communities.
Lots of different activities matter
There is no single activity that protects and improves mental wellbeing for everyone. People across Wales told us about a range of things that help them to feel good. It was most important that people were making the time to do things that matter to them, and the enjoyment people took from the activities.
People with fewer resources and opportunities, those reporting a disability, and those reporting bad health were more likely to never or rarely engage in all of these different types of activities.
Age made a difference to what kind of things people are taking part in. For example, 30-39 year olds were most likely to spend time in nature. Gender also had an influence. More females engaged in creative activities and more males were connecting with others through sport, social, or other clubs and organisations.
People who spoke with us as part of group conversations highlighted the important role of sleep in protecting their mental wellbeing, alongside making time for yourself, and getting outside into natural spaces.
Being with family or friends was very important to people. Particularly having friendship groups with shared interests that could provide support and understanding.
Our free time is important
People told us how they feel about the amount of free time they have to do things that matter to their wellbeing. Only around half of the people we spoke with were satisfied with the amount of free time they have.
62% were able to find the time to do the things that matter to them. This differed between groups:
· 59% of females
· 55% of people living in circumstances with fewer resources and opportunities
· 54% of those who reported a disability
· 52% of 18-25 year olds
· 28% of those who reported being in bad health
And 29% said they don’t have any time to do things that matter to them.
There are things that can help people take part in activity that supports wellbeing
Confidence to engage with new people and activities in the community was particularly important for parents. This felt difficult both for new parents, and when children had left home and social groups were changing.
Finding time to do things that matter for their wellbeing was particularly difficult for carers, and people with babies or young children.
How will we respond?
We will use this information to further develop the national conversation on mental wellbeing. We want to prioritise action with and for those most in need.
This will include working with partners on national and local approaches to addressing the barriers that people face. Especially those that prevent people from regularly taking part in wellbeing promoting activities.
Activities that bring communities together were important for the people we heard from. We will continue to work in ways that help individuals to build confidence, and enable community empowerment.
Thanks and acknowledgments
This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr Kate Isherwood, Dr Britt Hallingberg, Dr Rachel Sumner, Jodie Horsfall, Anna Richards and Professor Diane Crone, at the Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR), Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Public Health Wales and CAWR jointly developed the questionnaire and focus group questions for analysis; CAWR, Public Health Wales, and Beaufort Research Agency collected the data; CAWR analysed the data and wrote up the findings which formed the basis of this report. Support from Professor Carolyn Wallace and Dr Juping Yu from the University of South Wales for the use of the South Wales Social Well-being Scale is also gratefully acknowledged.
The authors would also like to thank Beaufort Research Agency who were integral in the collection of data from a representative sample across Wales and the other organisations who took part in the research.
You might also like...
Finding flow to boost your mood and make life meaningful
How do leisure activities help our mental wellbeing?
