Not one of the 186 communities ranked for today’s report improved its overall well-being index score by a statistically significant margin in the last two years compared with previous two-year periods, according to the new data. The report tracks the well-being of American adults in five areas that are considered essential elements of a life well lived, explains Dan Witters, the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index research director. Those five elements are: purpose (liking what you do each day), social (having supportive relationships and love in your life), financial (the ability to manage your economic life in a way that reduces stress and increases security), community (liking where you live and feeling safe), and physical (having good health and feeling energized). Gallup has collected similar data for U.S. communities since 2009. “The purpose of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index is to measure the well-being of American adults,” Witters says. “[The report identifies] internal best practices to learn from and for others to emulate.” And across those areas, the data in this year’s report show the 365 days of 2017 have been unusually tough for communities all over the country.
Naples, Florida, Tops the List (Again) When It Comes to Well-Being
The rankings are based on 337,690 telephone interviews that were conducted in 2016 and 2017 with individuals from the 186 U.S. communities (or broader metropolitan areas) included in the index. (At least 300 interviews were conducted per community.) Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, and via cell phones as well as landline telephones. Overall, the Well-Being Index score for the entire U.S. dropped to 61.5 in 2017 (for the 100-point index), down from the score of 62.1 for 2016. (Those numbers were released in an earlier report, in November.) Newly reported today were the community-level data. The Naples–Immokalee–Marco Island region in Florida had the highest well-being ranking overall for the third year in a row with a score of 67.6. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts (a community on Cape Cod), came in second place, and the third spot was secured by Boulder, Colorado. Seventeen of the 25 communities with the top well-being scores came from just five states: seven of those communities are in California, four are in Florida, and two each are in Colorado, North Carolina, and Virginia. The worst well-being ranking was for Fort Smith, Arkansas (the metropolitan area includes parts of Oklahoma) with a score of 58.2. Others on the low end of the rankings for 2017 include Canton-Massillon, Ohio; Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina; and Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi. About half of the lowest 25 communities are in the south. Another revelation from today’s data is that none of the 186 communities’ overall well-being score improved in the 2016–2017 survey period compared with previous two-year periods. Interestingly, many communities with high well-being scores consistently scored high in a range of general health areas, while communities with lower well-being scores overall ranked lower in those general health areas, which were: obesity prevalence, smoking habits, and exercise habits (higher scores went to communities with individuals reporting getting 30 minutes of physical activity or more, three times a week), according to the report. In the South, there are startlingly high levels of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic physical pain, coupled with high smoking rates and poor exercise and eating habits, explains Witter. “It’s a lot about tackling physical wellness, but financial well-being and the meeting of basic needs are other real challenges, too,” he adds. The same trends were true for financial security and having a sense of purpose and satisfaction with what you do each day.
In the Sunshine State, a New Wellness Initiative Likely Helped Change the Score
“Naples distinguished itself by improving two of the five elements [measured], even as the state of Florida and the U.S. declined. It illustrates how local communities can buck national trends if they have the right leadership and buy-in from residents,” Witter says. One factor that likely contributed to Naples’s success was the support it received from the Blue Zones Project, a longevity community well-being transformation initiative run by Sharecare. This year’s Gallup-Sharecare index included a case study of the effectiveness of the program in southwest Florida, which was sponsored by NCH Healthcare System, a nonprofit healthcare network based in Naples. The program helps implement wellness policies and educate the community on research-backed ways to improve well-being. In Naples, the project helped facilitate collaborations between city planners and schools to make it easier for residents to walk around the community; it worked with grocery stores and schools to help make healthier foods available; and it ran mindfulness workshops to teach people stress-relief strategies. Naples jumped from having the 73rd highest well-being score in 2011 to its current top spot for 2016–2017. The Blue Zones Project launched in Naples and other communities in southwestern Florida in 2013. The Blue Zones Project runs its programs in communities across the U.S.; involvement requires a big commitment from local leadership in terms of time and money, Witter notes.
Well-Being Is Multifaceted
“The decline in well-being is likely a reflection of multiple facets, including [potentially] our current political climate. But policies aimed at isolating populations and reducing public health funding no doubt also contributed to a drop,” notes Danielle Brittain, PhD, an associate professor of community health education at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Brittain was not involved in the Gallup-Sharecare report. What’s most disheartening is that drastic declines in well-being can happen quickly, which highlights the need for strong community engagement, advocacy, and public health programs, Dr. Brittain adds. “We must understand the barriers and facilitators that impact well-being and find out what’s causing such low levels in some communities as well as what’s working to improve lives in others,” she says.
