Theme 1: Wellness Critique through an Equity Lens
Wellness Critique through an Equity Lens delves deep into understandings about wellness and well-being concerning the social context of people’s lives, paying attention to issues of equity about race, gender, gender/sexual identity, and disability; this is an essential critique because it puts pressure on our common paradigms about wellness, highlighting that wellness should not be looked at as “one thing fits all”, but rather it is a culturally sensitive contextual phenomenon which evolves.
Wellness equity entails recognition of past wrongs as well as how they led to unequal health outcomes across multiple groups. Wellness is subjected to critical scrutiny, viewing it from an equity perspective to move from individual behaviours to looking into structural and institutional determinants of health disparity (Basas, 2014). These discussions revolve around wellness but may address issues like how historical trauma affects the health of Indigenous communities or disproportional burdens of disease that are found in marginal racial and ethnic groups.
Gender and sexual identity within this framework highlight the problems that emerge in society because of social norms and discrimination. This emphasizes the need to formulate all-inclusive wellness approaches that acknowledge and affirm different genders and sexual identities(Basas, 2014). This is a critique of how most wellness paradigms are embedded with the beliefs inherent towards heteronormative and cisnormativity assumptions.
Integrating disability and class into an equity perspective explains how different oppressions significantly impact health (Basas, 2014). Therefore, this case involves the demounting of physical and social obstacles, championing a safe atmosphere and dealing with economic gaps that limit these resources’ availability for people’s welfare.
Additionally, the Wellness Critique through an Equity Lens critiques commercialized wellness and its ability to strengthen and maintain current social relations(Basas, 2014). It advocates for moving from a market-oriented, individualist approach toward the community and a collaborative model, which is directed upon the rights of those left out the most.
Essentially, the Wellness Critique through an equity lens calls for a reassessment of the underlying assumptions of the wellness paradigm. This means considering the social determinants and challenging systemic prejudices towards people according to their social identities and circumstances while implementing whole-body understanding that is all-inclusive, culturally competent and socially justified to promote healthy living for everybody.
Theme 2: Socio-cultural and Political Dimensions of Wellness Promotion
A critical examination of socio-cultural and political aspects of social determinants of health in exploring wellness and well-being. Examined through these race, Indigeneity, gender, gender/sexual orientation, disability, and social class lenses, wellness reveals larger society’s structures. The socio-cultural aspects recognize the influence that culture, values, and social relations have on health. To be culturally competent in health promotion, more is needed to recognize different points of view and bring them to life (Iniesta-Arandia et al., 2014). Thus, tailored interventions become necessary to promote genuine inclusivity, considering these unique needs that arise from various cultural contexts.
Political dimensions of wellness promotion highlight how policy, governance structures and power relations impact health results (Prilleltensky, 2011). Through an equity lens, the truth about the systematic inequities, discriminating practices, and power imbalances, which significantly contribute to health differences, presents itself. Wellness promotion engages political engagement as a vital element that needs advocacy for serious policies focusing on life’s social determinants. Hence, deconstructing institutions that sustain inequalities is critical for attaining an equal health terrain. Intersectionality argues that people exist in different identity groups, and each group faces separate hurdles that cannot be understood by just looking at one identity.
Moreover, the critical aspects employed in this course provide a detailed evaluation of the notion of wellness or well-being, which are questioned on their intentions to deepen the existing inequality in the society where they could serve one’s interests. Therefore, this interrogation invokes a search for other frameworks that emphasize the common good instead of individualism (Prilleltensky, 2011). Understanding that issues with social constructions of health and well-being are inherent in our current worldview is imperative towards deconstructing entrenched prejudices. It then becomes clear that there is a need for genuine interventions that provide appropriate services for marginalized heterogeneous people because not all of them require the same interventions.
Socio-culturalIn light of an equity-centred socioeconomic perspective of SDH and political aspects of health equity, health promotion offers a more elaborate analysis of inequitable health outcomes or gaps by providing contextual reasons for the phenomenon (Iniesta-Arandia et al., 2014). This approach forces practitioners to go deep into their work and goes far beyond shallow personalist interventions. It makes them touch those causes whose roots are deep in society and culture. This course teaches a culture of examining critically and challenging precepts to enable advocators to transform. The ultimate vision is authentic wellness, transcending socially constructed boundaries to create an all-inclusive and just worldview.
Theme 3: Primary Research on Wellness Initiatives
This study attempts to comprehensively analyze this emerging area by critically reviewing relevant peer-reviewed publications. Firstly, it seeks to get into one or two pivotal journals to understand marketing perspectives and perceptions of health in that industry. The study aims to delve deeper than mere surface-level appraisal of the possible consequences of wellness campaigns on different social categories and analyze wellness ads on TV and in magazines given tourism (Lee & Kim, 2023).
The research acknowledges the changing scenery in marketing strategy regarding health tourism advertisements. The study is submerged into scientific journals to establish trends, innovations, and methods adopted by other industries’ stakeholders. The analysis will consider that wellness is not universal, and it takes a variety of market strategies and the different needs of the potential tourist. These strategies become paramount in forming views, determining choices, and eventually achieving the goal of wellness tourism.
This research gives a deep understanding of the significance of health programs in different communities. However, this should be looked at more deeply than just regarding accessibility and cost practical. It should show that diversity within the wellness tourism industry is inclusive and has widespread appeal among different groups (Lee & Kim, 2023). The research analyses how these interventions impact society to determine whether they promote or contradict social norms. Wellness tourism is defined and examined through its social, cultural, and economic aspects by ensuring that these wellness experiences cater to and benefit all types of society.
Also, the study extends its scope to include the influence of mainstream media in moulding society’s perception. This exam examines how the wellness messages in tourism contribute to or challenge socially constructed standards for health. Therefore, it is vital to decode implicit messages hidden in media-based promotion of health-oriented recreation that determine people’s perceptions about wellness tourism (Lee & Kim, 2023).
This holistic research integrates scholarly findings with the mainstream media perspective analysis. The study takes a deep dive into the sophistication associated with wellness marketing strategies, perceptions, and societies’ influence on wellness in tourism, all aimed at providing pertinent information that meets modern travellers’ expectations.
Conclusion
This study explores the wellness critique through an equity lens, socio-cultural and political dimensions of wellness promotion, and primary research on wellness initiatives in tourism industries. These themes point to a paradigm shift in wellness thinking in the public health talk. The Wellness Critique criticizes orthodox traditions of wellness foundations and suggests new concepts that encourage a more holistic approach toward cultural sensitivity and social justice. Conceptually, the theme of the Socio-cultural and Political Dimensions examines the larger social structures and politics that shape health, recognizing that it is necessary to intervene beyond the individual level by addressing the underlying roots within the social, cultural, and political setting.
Consequently, primary research on Wellness Initiatives involves an interesting angle focusing on the tourism industry. The second theme acknowledges the impact of marketing approaches on shaping perceptions about healthiness within society. The study aims to uncover the level of inclusivity in wellness tourism initiatives by examining how they affect different categories of people and deconstructing media portrayals that may convey subliminal messages.
References
Basas, C. G. (2014). What is Bad about Wellness? What the Disability Rights Perspective Offers about the Limitations of Wellness. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 39(5), 1035–1066. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-2813695
Iniesta-Arandia, I., García-Llorente, M., Aguilera, P. A., Montes, C., & Martín-López, B. (2014). Socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services: uncovering the links between values, drivers of change, and human well-being. Ecological Economics, 108, 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.09.028
Lee, J., & Kim, J.-J. (2023). A Study on Market Segmentation According to Wellness Tourism Motivation and Differences in Behavior between the Groups—Focusing on Satisfaction, Behavioral Intention, and Flow. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1063. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021063
Prilleltensky, I. (2011). Wellness as Fairness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 49(1-2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9448-8
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