Abstract
Health is multidimensional (WHO, 1946) and can include aspects of physical, social, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Social Ecological Models (e.g., Sallis 2012; Van Dyck, et al., 2010) suggest that individuals’ personal experiences of health and wellness and lifespan historical narratives are embedded within community resources and built and natural environments. PURPOSE: To investigate how adults articulate the intersections of multiple dimensions of health throughout the lifespan with regard to the historical development of built and natural environments supporting health. METHODS: An oral history approach was used to allow participants (N=11) to articulate moments in their lives that offered clarity and definition to their self-described meanings of health. Interviews included conversations about physical activity, use of community resources, and the integration of built environment features into personal-historical articulations of health. RESULTS: Semi-structured oral history interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998). Transcripts were coded for content themes using the multiple dimensions of wellness as an organizing model. Inter-coder reliability was established through the use of multiple, independent coders and an iterative discussion process to connections among key themes. Results indicate 1) the importance of historical moments in structuring both natural and built environments to promote health for individuals’ narratives of health, and 2) intersections between dimensions of health within individuals’ oral histories of lived experiences. Preliminary results suggest generational differences in the articulation of the historical importance of public resources and definitions of wellness. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size and preliminary nature of this study, results support the importance of both built and natural environments for promoting health for how individuals think about and articulate wellness across multiple dimensions. Oral history accounts of personal interactions with built and natural environments offer a useful mechanism for exploring how health emerges in community spaces.
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