Date of Award

January 2015

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Joan Monin

Second Advisor

Melinda Irwin

Abstract

Individuals in the United States suffer from an unnecessarily high rate of preventable chronic disease. One reason for this may be the nation's focus on tertiary care rather than preventive care. Health is multi-dimensional and should therefore be approached in an integrative manner. The current study proposes an integrative and preventative approach to health care services that utilizes Rath and Harter's (2010) five dimensions of well-being. We measured the impact of preventative health services in addition to tertiary care services on the general well-being of individuals over a two-month period of time. We found that those receiving preventative care in addition to tertiary care improved faster than those receiving only tertiary care over a two-month period of time. We conclude that our model of health care in the United States should include services that integrate all components of well-being rather than focusing on disease.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

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