Details for Measurement of and target-setting for well-being

Author: The WHO Regional Office for Europe

A second expert meeting on measurement and target-setting for well-being was held in Paris, France in June 2012. Its overarching aim was to provide advice for the WHO Regional Director for Europe on how to assist in setting targets on well-being, which is one of the overarching targets of the European Health 2020 policy. The meeting reviewed previously commissioned work on measuring well-being and on its definitions, concepts and domains; advised WHO on the definition and concept of well-being to be used in the context of Health 2020; and determined what work was required to develop well-being indicators and targets. The meeting also agreed a working definition: ‘Well-being exists in two dimensions, subjective and objective. It comprises an individual’s experience of their life as well as a comparison of life circumstances with social norms and values’.