Books in the Culture of Health series

At the 2018 Sharing Knowledge to Build a Culture of Health conference, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation staff and leaders from diverse sectors explored what a Culture of Health looks like in practice. We engaged in robust discourse around programs, policies, and data related to improving health, well-being, and equity. In this book, we bottle and highlight that discourse.

Cities and countries around the world, from New Zealand to Singapore to Iceland, are starting to take a well-being approach by reorienting policies, budgets and other actions to advance human and planetary well-being. Well-being metricsΓÇöholistic measurements of an individual''s or population''s capacity to thrive, including the condition of their community, society, and environmentΓÇöprovide a nuanced and predictive view that transcends purely economic measures; theyilluminate conditions of inequity and despair that other tools ignore, and expand the notion of health beyond simply the absence of disease.Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress summarizes the experiences and insights of practitioners, researchers and innovators from around the world, gathered together by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to explore how a well-being approach might further spread in the United States. Centered in the commitment to balance economic growthΓÇöthe traditional dashboard of progressΓÇöwith well-being, this book is a combination of scientific papers, case studies from the field, andexcerpts from a lively, multidisciplinary discussion which intentionally connects issues of measurement to the imperative for action. Rich with insights on policy and practice, narratives and culture, equity and shifts in power, alignment with other movements, and cross-sector collaboration, it is intended toinspire governmental leaders, policymakers, economists, measurement scientists, reporters, and others who crave a more integrated and balanced pursuit of progress.

The case for evidence and collaboration in pursuit of health equityIn this second volume of the Culture of Health series, Advancing Health and Well-Being convenes experts from academia, policy, journalism, and community-based organizations, to examine how data and narrative can catalyze progress toward building a national Culture of Health. Tackling topics such as health inequity, mass incarceration, and climate change, Advancing Health and Well-Being does more than draw lines between cause and effect; its 70+ voices lend context and lived experience to critical conversations that may lack such elements. The result is a work that shows the power and promise of evidence and collaboration.