Page 579 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

546 n WeLLneSS

promote healthy weight among Americans, athleticism, and liberty (p. 3). Ardell pro-
long-term, lifestyle-change intervention duces a weekly wellness report and is active
W–Z studies are vital, using qualitative and quan- in helping people to age without becoming
titative measurements of physical and psy- old prematurely (Ardell, n.d.).
chosocial weight management strategies. The topic of wellness has been discussed
for the past 50 years with great strides being
Sue A. Popkess-Vawter made. There is a great need for further
research as our health industry is changing.
Wellness has become an important focus and
the illness challenge has changed to staying
Wellness healthy.
The Internet has opened up the arena
to research, to evaluate, and to understand
The definition of wellness dates back to the the topic of wellness. Travis who was a pio-
time of hippocrates and the definition con- neer of wellness has his own websites that
tinues to be revised. early definitions were are devoted to wellness as well as many oth-
focused on wellness as freedom from disease ers. Today Travis states that you have view
processes. Current understandings of well- the consciousness of the world if you address
ness are influenced by changes in society. wellness (Travis, n.d.). how a person views
From a nursing perspective, wellness the world determines their experience with
can be viewed as a progression to better wellness (Travis, n.d.).
health, including encouraging activities that The Medical home Model is the start of
promote health. you have to feed the body the new wellness revolution. There will be
correct nutrition, to exercise to improve the a need for studies in the future to see if the
body, and to spiritually connect to the body Medical home Model works. This is a new
to engage in the outcome of wellness. nurses arena that will demand research to validate
have always had an impact on influencing and find new areas that will improve health
patients to make lifestyle changes that can and wellness.
improve wellness.
Dunn in the late 1950s was one of the Joyce Johnston
first to use the term wellness. Wellness was
described by Dunn as a complex state that is
a combination of different levels of wellness
(Dunn, 1959). In the 1970s emerged others WidoWs and WidoWers
like Ardell, hettler, and Travis who was also
interested in wellness. In the 1980s, Smith,
Laffrey, Walker, Sechrist, and Pender were Between 2003 and 2010, nurse researchers
all instrumental in the wellness movement. expanded knowledge about widows and
hettler cofounded the national Wellness widowers, especially particular subgroups.
Institute in 1975. In 1976, hettler developed however, the main focus remained on
the 6 Dimensional Model of Wellness (hettler, bereavement rather than longer term circum-
n.d.). This model also became known as the stances of widowhood. Of the 30 full-length
hexagonal model (hettler, n.d.). reports retrieved from CInAhL and PubMed,
Ardell (2010) has developed numerous only 1 was an intervention study. Qualitative
wellness models since the 1970s. The ReAL methods were used in 27 of 29 descrip-
wellness model was developed by Ardell in tive studies. The work clustered around
2010; ReAL stands for reason, exuberance, four themes: (a) retrospective reflections on