External Resources Directory

provides information on physical activity behavior and policy and environmental supports within each state.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is a barometerof Americans’ perceptions of their well-being. Thenational, annual well-being score is unique because whileit is affected to some extent by national events, suchas economic fluctuations or natural occurrences, it alsoaccurately captures a more nuanced picture of the stateof our nation across the factors impacting our daily lives. Six domains of well-being comprise the national Well-Being Index, including life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and basic access. Over the six years of our well-being measurement, Americans’ life evaluations have improved, emotional health and healthy behaviors have remained stable, and basic access, physical health, and work environment have declined.

The Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index (Global Well-Being Index) is a global barometer of individuals’perceptions of their own well-being — those aspects that define how we think about and experience our daily lives. Well-being has been shown to correlate with metrics such as productivity and healthcare costs. The 10 questions that comprise the Global Well-Being Index and were fielded as part of the 2013 Gallup World Poll allow for comparisons of element-level well-being at the individual, social network, organizational (e.g., employer, health plan, patient population), city, state, country, and global levels. The index includes five elements of well-being purpose, social, financial, community, and physical. In this report, we categorize well-being results from the Global Well-Being Index as thriving, struggling, or suffering for each element, based on participants’ responses.

Multiunit housing residents are at risk of secondhandsmoke exposure from adjoining units and commonareas. We developed this case study to documentstate-level strategies undertaken to address this risk.We explored program documents to identify facilitators,barriers, and outcomes. Three states (Montana,Michigan, and Nebraska) provided detailed informationon multiunit housing efforts in the study timeframe. We conducted a qualitative analysis usinginductive coding to develop themes. Several facilitatorsrelating to existing infrastructure included traditionaland nontraditional partnerships, leadershipand champions, collecting and using data, efficientuse of resources, and strategic plans. We also reportexternal catalysts, barriers, and outcomes. Significantstate leadership and effort were required to providelocal-level technical assistance to engage traditionaland nontraditional partners. Information needs wereidentified and varied by stakeholder type (i.e., healthvs. housing). States recommend starting with publichousing authorities, so they can become resources foraffordable and subsidized housing. These lessons andresources can be used to inform smoke-free multiunithousing initiatives in other states and localities.

This report, the fifth in a series, examines the comparative well-being of Americans ages 55 and older. Nationally, older Americans have higher well-being compared to younger adults, and our research reveals that well-being gets better with age. People 75 and older have even higher well-being than those 65 to 74, and they outscore their younger counterparts by a sizable margin.