Hindawi Publishing Co po a ion
Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions
Volume 2012, A icle ID 596749, 10 pages
doi:10.1155/2012/596749
Resea ch A icle
De elopmen o Pe sonal Wellness In o ma ion Model o
Pe asi e Heal hca e
An o Sepp¨
al¨
a,1Pi kko Nyk¨
anen,1and Pekka Ruo salainen2
1eHeal h Resea ch G oup, School o In o ma ion Sciences, Uni e si y o Tampe e, P.O. BOX 607, 33014 Uni e si y o Tampe e, Finland
2Depa men o In o ma ion, Na ional Ins i u e o Heal h and Wel a e, P.O. Box 30, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Co espondence should be add essed o An o Sepp¨
al¨
a, an o[email p o ec ed]
Recei ed 2 Ma ch 2012; Accep ed 8 Augus 2012
Academic Edi o : Rui Zhang
Copy igh © 2012 An o Sepp¨
al¨
a e al. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License,
which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
Pe asi e heal hca e and ci izen-cen e ed ca e pa adigm a e mo ing he heal hca e ou side he hospi al en i onmen . Heal hca e
deli e y is becoming mo e pe sonalized and decen alized, ocusing on p e en ion and p oac i e se ices wi h a comple e iew o
heal h and wellbeing. The concep o wellness has been used o desc ibe his holis ic iew o heal h, which ocuses on physical,
social, and men al well-being. Pe asi e compu ing makes i possible o collec in o ma ion and offe se ices any ime and
anywhe e. To suppo pe asi e heal hca e wi h wellness app oaches, seman ic in e ope abili y is needed be ween all ac o s and
in o ma ion sou ces in he ecosys em. This s udy ocuses on he domain o pe sonal wellness and analyzes ela ed concep s,
ela ionships, and en i onmen s. As a esul o his s udy, we ha e c ea ed an in o ma ion model ha ocuses on he ci izens’
pe spec i es and concep ualiza ions o pe sonal wellness. The model has been c ea ed based on empi ical esea ch conduc ed wi h
ocus g oups.
1. In oduc ion
Heal hca e deli e y is unde going a no able shi owa d
pe sonalized se ices wi h dis ibu ed ca e p ocesses ha
emphasize a mo e holis ic iew o heal h and wellness
wi hin a ci izen-cen e ed ca e model [1–6]. The new ci izen-
cen e ed ca e pa adigm ocuses on he heal h, unc ioning,
and well-being o people as a whole [7]. The ocus, hen,
is mo e on p e en i e, p oac i e se ices wi h he ci izen a
he co e o his/he ca e, ins ead o jus ea ing diseases and
symp oms [1,2,4–6]. In he u u e, i will no be enough
o jus access medical his o ies o es esul s, bu ci izens’
li es yle in o ma ion, beha io al choices, and moni o ing
and measu emen da a will need o be conside ed o ensu e
p e en i e, p oac i e se ice [2,4–6].
Such a iew o heal h is no en i ely new. The Wo ld
Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) de ined heal h as ea ly as 1948
as “a s a e o comple e physical, men al and social well-being
and no me ely he absence o disease o in i mi y” [8,
page 100]. This de ini ion acknowledged a holis ic iew o
heal h and suppo ed a ocus beyond disease ea men .
Despi e his WHO’s de ini ion, he concep o heal h may
cause misunde s andings because usually i is unde s ood
o e e o a pe son’s s a e when ee o diseases, and he
ocus is on medical well-being. Howe e , heal h can be
de ined in many ways, o example, i can be seen as a
s a e o s able physiological unc ion, lack o diseases, and
absence o illnesses. One e m ha has been used o desc ibe
mo e comple e heal h and well-being o people is wellness.
Wellness is hough o be a subjec i e eeling o heal h
and well-being [9]. Wellness conside s indi iduals’ gene al
unc ioning as a whole, co e ing no only physical bu
also social and psychological aspec s [9,10]. Wellness is a
mul idimensional concep , and i is cu en ly being s udied
in many diffe en scien i ic a eas, such as medicine, public
heal h, occupa ional heal h, and men al heal h [9].
2. Resea ch Con ex and Objec i es
Pe asi e heal hca e can be de ined ei he as he applica ion
o pe asi e compu ing—in o he wo ds, ubiqui ous
compu ing, p oac i e compu ing, o ambien in elligence—
o heal hca e, heal h, and wellness managemen , o as
making heal hca e a ailable any ime and anywhe e [11].
2 Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions
The basic idea behind pe asi e heal hca e is o in eg a e
heal hca e echnologies and concep s in o people’s e e yday
li es. Pe asi e heal hca e is seen as suppo ing he shi
owa d ci izen-cen e ed ca e [12,13]. Ve y closely ela ed
o pe asi e heal hca e is he esea ch being done in he
pe asi e and ubiqui ous compu ing ields. These echnology
pa adigms ocus on embedded, mobile, p oac i e, con ex -
awa e, collabo a i e, and senso sys ems [13].
Pe asi e heal hca e applica ions a e designed o suppo
decen alized and p e en i e ca e. Pe asi e heal hca e will
also help ci izens manage hei pe sonal heal h and wellness
ou side he p o ide ne wo k. This model highligh s a
wellness-cen e ed app oach by helping ci izens o s ay well
physically, men ally, and socially and o u ilize diffe en sel -
managemen and assis i e se ices [13]. Wi h pe asi e com-
pu ing echnologies, i is i possible o collec all kinds o da a
any ime and anywhe e [11,14]. Da a collec ion can be done
by using in elligen senso s and measu emen echnologies.
The objec i e o in o ma ion modeling is o desc ibe he
in o ma ion in a ce ain domain o in an o ganiza ion. In o -
ma ion models can be used o cap u e use s’ pe cep ions and
unde s anding o sys em complexi ies [15]. In his s udy, we
a e ocusing on he concep ual le el o modeling. Concep ual
modeling akes as i s poin o in e es knowledge abou he
domain, and he idea is o build a ep esen a ion o he
eal-wo ld seman ics [16,17]. Concep ual modeling can be
pe o med using in o mal o semi o mal models. Despi e o
he o mali y le el o used modeling no a ion, he main aim
is o cap u e concep s and ela ionships in he a ge domain
[18,19].
Wi h pe asi e heal hca e and mo e pe sonalized, holis-
ic, and ci izen-cen e ed se ices, we need a be e unde -
s anding o he pe sonal wellness domain. This equi es mo e
in o ma ion han ypical heal h eco ds include. To ully
suppo he new ways o managing heal h and wellness wi h
ICT and pe asi e compu ing, we need o achie e seman-
ic in e ope abili y among diffe en s akeholde s, sys ems,
de ices, senso s, and o he in o ma ion sou ces and use s. To
achie e seman ic in e ope abili y, a con ex -awa e pe sonal
wellness on ology is needed. This on ology can be used
o c ea e sha ed unde s andings and allow o sha ing o
he e ogeneous in o ma ion among all ac o s and sys ems in
he pe sonal wellness ecosys em.
This s udy is a pa o a esea ch p ojec ha examines
he us ed use o pe sonal heal h and wellness in o ma ion
in u u e ubiqui ous compu ing en i onmen s [20]. In his
esea ch p ojec , we aim o c ea e a us ed con ex -awa e
on ology o li elong pe sonal wellness managemen and an
a chi ec u e model o us ed use o mul isou ce he e oge-
neous in o ma ion. Be o e we can s a building a pe sonal
wellness on ology, we ha e o unde s and wha wellness is,
wha i s componen s a e, wha in o ma ion is ela ed o
i , how people manage and main ain wellness, and wha
in luences wellness. Basically, we ha e o unco e he scope
and con en s o he concep o wellness. This s udy de elops
he wellness concep u he and builds he basis o he
de elopmen o a pe sonal wellness on ology.
The i s esea ch objec i e o his s udy was o analyze
he domain o pe sonal wellness. This includes bo h how
he concep o pe sonal wellness is de ined in he li e a u e
and how people concep ualize i as well as he scope o he
domain. The second objec i e o his s udy was o c ea e a
high-le el pe sonal wellness in o ma ion model o p esen
ela ed concep s, cha ac e is ics, and con ex ual aspec s.
Wi h his high-le el in o ma ion model, we can unde s and
he concep o pe sonal wellness and s a o c ea e a mo e
o mal model, in o he wo ds, a pe sonal wellness on ology.
3. Me hods
As a guiding amewo k o ou esea ch, we ha e used a
design science esea ch (DSR) app oach [21,22]. DSR can be
seen as a p oblem-sol ing p ocess in which ac ual business
needs a e add essed by building ac ual a i ac s o appli-
ca ions. DSR is usually conside ed o add ess pa icula ly
p oblema ic si ua ions ha a e cha ac e ized by uns able
equi emen s and cons ain s, complex in e ac ions, a en-
dency o change in e ms o design p ocesses o a i ac s, and
dependence upon human cogni i e and social abili ies [22].
DSR is based on wo design p ocesses: build and e alua e.
These wo p ocesses p oduce IT a i ac s, which can be
cons uc s, models, me hods, o implemen a ions. Usually
build and e alua e p ocesses a e pe o med i e a i ely o
imp o e he quali y o he a i ac . He ne e al. [22]ha e
de eloped se en guidelines o DSR, and we ha e ollowed
hese du ing ou esea ch. These guidelines a e (a) design
as an a i ac , (b) p oblem ele ance, (c) design e alua ion,
(d) esea ch con ibu ion, (e) esea ch igo , ( ) design as
a sea ch p ocess, and (g) communica ion o esea ch. In
his s udy, we ocus on building and e alua ing bo h he
cons uc s and a model in he pe sonal wellness domain.
The cons uc s de ine he basic concep s, he uni e se o
discou se, and he ela ions and a ibu es o he concep s.
Mos o he wo k done in he domain o pe sonal wellness
is ela ed o he measu emen o assessmen o wellness o
well-being. They ocus on diffe en hings han wha we need
o de elop a pe sonal wellness on ology. These models a e
high-le el desc ip ions wi h limi ed analysis o he concep s
o ela ions. Mo eo e , en i onmen al ac o s a e de ined
qui e na owly. In ou esea ch, we a e mo e in e es ed in
iden i ying and de ining main componen s, concep s, and
ela ions in he pe sonal wellness domain. We a e c ea ing
a mo e comple e and concep ually ocused model o suppo
he ield o pe asi e heal hca e.
This s udy had h ee main me hods o in o ma ion
modeling:
(1) an analysis o he li e a u e, which explo es he
concep ualiza ion o pe sonal wellness, pe sonalized
heal hca e, and a holis ic iew o heal h;
(2) a con ex analysis o iden i y in e nal and ex e nal
con ex s o pe sonal wellness;
(3) ocus g oups o unde s and how people unde s and
he concep o pe sonal wellness, how i can be
concep ualized, and which ac o s affec pe sonal
wellness.
Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions 3
Table 1: Focus g oup mee ings.
G oup Du a ion Pa icipan s Focus
G oup 1 2 mee ings,
4hou seach
Young, heal hy depa men s affmembe s, open olun a y
call o ou depa men ’s mailing lis (5 and 4 pa icipan s)
Iden i y and desc ibe basic concep s o pe sonal
wellness
G oup 2 1 mee ing,
2hou s In e nal p ojec mee ing (4 pa icipan s) Speci ica ion o concep s, edundancy educ ion,
and abs ac ion le els
G oup 3 1 mee ing,
2hou s
Ou uni e si y’s heal h in o ma ics pos g adua e s uden s
(5 pa icipan s)
Concep speci ica ion and ca ego iza ion and
ex e nal con ex s
G oup 4 2 mee ings,
2hou seach
Females aged 48–62 (9 and 10 pa icipan s); g oup was
o med on a olun a y basis by sending in i a ions o
pa icipan s in ano he well-being- ela ed s udy
Discussion abou pa icipan s’ iews on pe sonal
wellness in gene al and hen ou models in mo e
de ail
3.1. Li e a u e Analysis. As a basis o he s udy, we ca ied
ou an analysis o scien i ic li e a u e conce ning pe sonal
wellness. The analysis included Google Schola and diffe en
scien i ic publica ion da abases: Associa ion o Compu ing
Machine y (ACM), ESBCOhos Academic Sea ch P emie ,
IEEE, PubMed, ScienceDi ec , and Sp inge Link. Fo mo e
de ailed analysis, we chose a icles conce ning holis ic and
mul idimensional iews on heal h and wellness ha possibly
we e ela ed o he componen s o a ci izen-cen e ed heal h-
ca e pa adigm. We manually analyzed a ound 100 a icles
conce ning hese opics.
3.2. Con ex Analysis. The con ex analysis was pe o med
using basic echniques om he equi emen s elici a ion
p ocess. Requi emen s elici a ion is a p ocess used o ind
necessa y equi emen s o compu e -based sys ems [23].
In ou case, he a ge was he exis ing knowledge in he
li e a u e. We analyzed he applica ion domain, iden i ied
he sou ce documen s ela ed o ou domain, and ecognized
and analyzed ela ed s akeholde s. The s akeholde s, in ou
case, we e he in e nal and ex e nal con ex s in pe sonal
wellness. We iden i ied bo h ex e nal en i onmen and
in e nal en i onmen , he la e o which consis s o ac o s
ela ed di ec ly o he pe son he sel , such as hings ha she
he sel can affec , con ol, in luence, o manage.
3.3. Empi ical S udies wi h Focus G oups. F om he li e a u e
and con ex analysis, we ob ained he ma e ial ha o med
he basis o ou empi ical esea ch, which was pe o med
wi h ocus g oups. A ocus g oup is a me hod o g oup in e -
iews in which emphasis is on he communica ion be ween
he pa icipan s. The numbe o g oups o pa icipan s may
a y, bu acco ding o Ki zinge [24], he ideal numbe o
pa icipan s in he g oup is om ou o eigh . The idea is
o gene a e da a based on in e ac ion and communica ion,
ins ead o he esea che asking he pa icipan s di ec
ques ions. Focus g oups a e a use ul me hod o explo ing
knowledge and expe iences o people because hey can
help people explain and cla i y hei hough s and iews.
I is especially sui able o si ua ions in which he exis ing
knowledge is inadequa e, he subjec is e y complex wi h
many a iables, and he esea ch ques ions a e e y open.
Some imes, hough, he g oup dynamics migh silence some
pa icipan s o ideas. Me hods o conduc ing ocus g oup-
cen e ed esea ch may a y, depending on se e al ac o s,
such as he numbe o pa icipan s o g oups, how he g oups
a e o med (p eexis ing o unknown), and he homogenei y
o he e ogenei y o he pa icipan s [24,25].
The o al numbe o ocus g oup mee ings in ou
s udy was six, wi h ou diffe en g oups (see Table 1).
The ocus g oup mee ings we e o ganized such ha one
o he esea che s ac ed as a head o he mee ings and he
esea che s collec ed he esul s based on he discussions.
To suppo he mee ings, we had some hemes and models,
bu he s uc u e o he ocus g oups mee ings was qui e
elaxed and in o mal, and he pa icipan s we e encou aged
o discuss hei iews openly. The objec i e o he ocus
g oups was o ga he empi ical ma e ial abou how pe sonal
wellness is unde s ood and concep ualized and wha kinds o
con ex s a e ela ed o i . This mean ha i was impo an o
collec concep s and he ideas behind hem ha we e e ealed
du ing he g oups’ communica ion.
The esul s o he i s wo mee ings we e documen ed in
a mind map. Mind mapping was chosen because i is an easy
way o ep esen in o ma ion, simple ca ego iza ions, and
simple ela ions be ween concep s. Mo eo e , mos people
a e amilia wi h his echnique. Based on he i s wo ocus
g oup mee ings and he pe o med analyses, we s a ed o
model he pe sonal wellness domain in a mo e o mal way by
using a simpli ied en i y ela ionship (ER) no a ion. The idea
behind he use o he simpli ied ER model was ha he model
could be easily unde s ood and modi ied by people wi hou
any modeling expe ience. The esul s and modi ica ions
made by he ocus g oup pa icipan s we e modeled by he
esea che s. Al hough we pe o med he modeling ou sel es
based on he ocus g oup mee ings, we ied, o he ex en
possible, o keep he model based on he ac ual discus-
sions, concep s, and iews p esen ed by he ocus g oup
pa icipan s. The modeling wo k was di ided in o se en
sub-models, which oge he o m he high-le el in o ma ion
model o pe sonal wellness. The ocus g oup mee ings we e
o ganized o suppo i e a i e build-e alua e- ype p ocess.
4. Resul s
4.1. Concep ualizing Pe sonal Wellness: Resul s om he Li e -
a u e and Con ex Analysis. Wellness is a mul idimensional
and mul idisciplina y concep . Al hough de ini ions may
a y depending on he con ex , gene ally, wellness is hough
o be a balanced s a e o a heal hy body, mind, and
4 Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions
En i onmen
Social ne wo ks
Li es yle
Heal hca e
Emo ional and men al
wellness Occupa ional
wellness
Physiological
wellness
Figu e 1: Pe sonal wellness domain.
spi i [7,9,10,26–28]. Wellness can be seen as a high-
le el concep ha in eg a es mul iple domains, including
he physical, psychological, social, and spi i ual domains,
and i may a y acco ding o age o cul u al con ex [29].
Also, heal h p omo ion, p e en ion, and be e unc ioning
a e closely ela ed o wellness [7,27,30,31]. Wellness is a
comple e, holis ic iew ha ocuses on he indi idual and
his speci ic needs. I akes in o accoun he whole pe son and
he en i onmen , acknowledging li es yle, beha io , cul u e,
belie s, expe iences, and o he aspec s ha affec a pe son’s
li e [9,10,27,31–33].
Some holis ic wellness models ha e been de eloped in he
ield o clinical and counseling psychology [34]: he Wheel
o Wellness by Sweeney and Wi me [35], he Indi isible
Sel by Mye s and Sweeney [26], he Ci cle o Heal h by
Saylo [36], and an ecosys emic app oach o heal h, well-
being, and wellness by Ki s en e al. [28]. All ou models
ake a holis ic, mul idimensional iew o heal h and wellness.
The models we e qui e high-le el, in o mal, and gene al, and
hei pu pose was diffe en om ou s, bu we we e able o
ex ac some o hei concep s and o he cha ac e is ics. Fo
mo e in o ma ion abou hese models and analyses, see [37].
Based on he li e a u e and con ex analyses, we we e
able o iden i y some common concep s, cha ac e is ics, and
p ope ies o pe sonal wellness. As a esul o he analyses,
we we e able o disco e how wellness is de ined as a high-
le el concep , as well as he common cha ac e is ics and
componen s wellness is gene ally hough o ha e [37]:
(i) I is a holis ic, mul idimensional, and mul idiscipli-
na y iew o heal h and well-being;
(ii) Wellness is a b oade concep han mos iews on
heal h as de ined by heal hca e; i akes in o accoun
en i onmen al, emo ional, in ellec ual, occupa ional,
social, and spi i ual aspec s o well-being;
(iii) I ocuses on comple e heal h and well-being, p e en-
ion, and p oac i e se ices;
(i ) I is dynamic and con ex -dependen .
4.2. Empi ical Re inemen o he Pe sonal Wellness Concep .
Based on he li e a u e and con ex analyses and he i s
wo ocus g oup mee ings, we c ea ed ou own iew o
pe sonal wellness (Figu e 1). The iew o pe sonal wellness
consis s o i e in e nal componen s and wo ex e nal
con ex s. The in e nal componen s a e: li es yle, emo ional
and men al wellness, occupa ional wellness, heal hca e, and
physiological wellness. The wo ex e nal con ex s a e: social
ne wo ks and en i onmen . In ou iew, all componen s a e
linked oge he , which ep esen s he comple e and holis ic
na u e o pe sonal wellness in which he e a e many diffe en
ela ionships be ween componen s. This iew emphasizes he
no ion ha pe sonal wellness is much mo e han jus physical
heal h and well-being. In his ligh , i is clea ha i should
be examined in a mul idisciplina y and mul i-p o essional
con ex .
The li es yle componen is a kind o backg ound com-
ponen ha di ec ly affec s he o he ou in e nal compo-
nen s. The li es yle componen includes concep s ega ding
ac i i ies, beha io s, choices, and isk ac o s ela ed o
pe son’s li es yle. Emo ional and men al wellness ocuses
on concep s conce ning indi idual iden i y, psychological
concep s, in ellec ual wellness, emo ions, eelings, and so
Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions 5
o h. Emo ional and men al wellness also includes a pe son’s
iews and alues ha affec choices and beha io s.
Occupa ional wellness is abou well-being ela ed o peo-
ple’s occupa ions, and in his con ex , occupa ion can mean
ha he pe son is wo king, s udying, unemployed, e i ed, o
an en ep eneu . Occupa ional wellness conside s he ac ual
occupa ion and i s effec s on pe sonal wellness. Physiological
wellness ocuses on in o ma ion ela ed o heal h and
wellness ha is no bound o ce ain heal hca e p o ide , o
example, condi ions, disabili ies, unc ioning, gene ics, mon-
i o ing and measu ing da a, pe sonal obse a ions, and so
o h. The heal hca e componen is abou he heal hca e sys-
em. I includes p o ide s, medical documen s, and se ices.
All o hese in e nal componen s o pe sonal wellness
a e su ounded and affec ed by ex e nal con ex s—social
ne wo ks and en i onmen . Social ne wo ks include all social
ela ions ha affec a pe son. En i onmen desc ibes he dig-
i al and physical en i onmen s ela ed o he pe son in ques-
ion. I includes, o example, li ing en i onmen , se ice
en i onmen , socie y, cul u al aspec s, and egula ions. The
en i onmen su ounding a pe son is e y dynamic, lexible,
and sensi i e, and i may change o e he cou se o a li e ime.
F om he i s wo ocus g oup mee ings alone, we
al eady had qui e a lo o diffe en concep s ela ed o
pe sonal wellness. We had ga he ed hese concep s in o wo
mind maps, so we had some ca ego iza ion and simple
ela ions be ween hese concep s. F om hese mind maps,
we s a ed o ca ego ize concep s in o models, loosely based
on he simpli ied ER diag am. We c ea ed se en diffe en
models o ep esen all he componen s o pe sonal wellness.
In hese models, we ocused mo e on he concep s and
hei ca ego iza ion because hese a e co e componen s o
on ology de elopmen .
We s a ed going h ough hese models wi h he diffe en
ocus g oups o ge a mo e de ailed iew and o disco e
he necessa y concep s ela ed o pe sonal wellness. In he
ocus g oup mee ings, he pa icipan s we e encou aged o
openly discuss cu en hemes. Be ween he ocus g oup
mee ings, we analyzed he discussions and he eedback o
he mee ings and based on his, we e ised he models,
analyzed and added new concep s in o he models, educed
edundan concep s, and conside ed diffe en ela ionships
be ween concep s. The esul ing high-le el pe sonal wellness
in o ma ion model will be in oduced in mo e de ail in he
nex sec ion.
4.3. Pe sonal Wellness In o ma ion Model. As a esul o he
combina ion o all h ee me hods, we we e able o c ea e
an in o ma ion model ha desc ibes ou iew o pe sonal
wellness. The li es yle componen desc ibes he domain o
pe sonal li es yle and consis s o ac i i ies, beha io s, and
choices ha affec he pe son’s daily li e. I also includes ac i e
wellness ac i i ies and managemen concep s. These concep s
a e such ha hey can usually be affec ed, con olled, in lu-
enced, o managed by he pe son he sel . Li es yle ocuses on
concep s ha a e qui e dependen on he pe son he sel , and
hei emphasis may a y a lo be ween people. Lis ed below
a e he main concep s and subconcep s o li es yle:
(i) li elihood;
(ii) nu i ion—expe iences, his o y, ood dia ies, die ;
(iii) es / elaxa ion, sleep;
(i ) isk ac o s—beha io al, en i onmen al, inhe i able;
( ) sexual beha io ;
( i) wellness ac i i ies—objec i es, sel -de elopmen ,
wellness main enance (pe sonal esponsibili y, ac i e
ac ions; sel -e alua ion), hobbies, leisu e, i ness/
exe cise;
( ii) Wellness beha io —wellness managemen (ac i i y
managemen , al e na i e medicine, beha io man-
agemen , condi ions, de ices, medica ion, non-
p esc ibed medica ion), heal h educa ion, p e en-
ion.
The emo ional and men al componen ocuses on ele-
men s ela ed o people’s minds, eelings, emo ions, iden i-
ies, and pe sonali ies (Figu e 2). The concep s in emo ional
and men al wellness desc ibe pe sonal iews, eelings, and
a i udes owa ds li e, pe sonali y, and expe iences. They
also include men al heal h and possible diso de s. This
componen is aimed a desc ibing wha is going on in he
pe son’s mind, how he will eac o diffe en si ua ions,
and how he can cope men ally. In he emo ional and
men al componen , we used he ca ego iza ion o Emo ion
Anno a ion and Rep esen a ion Language (EARL) [38] o
desc ibe he emo ions o a pe son.
Occupa ional wellness desc ibes well-being ela ed o
pe son’s occupa ion. A pe son’s occupa ion can be, o exam-
ple, wo k, s udying, o being unemployed o e i ed. The
concep o occupa ion desc ibes he ac ual occupa ion, i s
p ope ies, o how he pe son eels abou i . I has some
subconcep s, which include: app ecia ion, bene i s, equali y,
unc ioning, meaning ul, mo i a ion, pe o mance, espon-
sibili ies, espec , ewa ding, igh s, and ype. Occupa-
ional wellness includes also ollowing concep s: educa ion,
employe , en i onmen , income, occupa ional sa e y and
heal h, quali y o wo king li e, social ela ions, aca ion,
olun ee ing, wo k bu den, wo k clima e, wo k cul u e
(including leade ship and managemen ), wo king abili y,
and wo king ime.
Physiological wellness has o do wi h heal h and wellness-
ela ed in o ma ion ou side he heal hca e p o ide ne wo k.
I will help he ci izen o collec , obse e, and manage he
pe sonal heal h in o ma ion. I will include diffe en heal h
and wellness de ices and hei moni o ing and measu ing
o da a as well as in o ma ion abou a pe son’s condi ions
and unc ioning. Physiological wellness is closely ela ed
o he concep o he pe sonal heal h eco d, bu he
idea is o be mo e ho ough and comple e h ough an
emphasis on in o ma ion and e en s ou side he heal h-
ca e p o ide ne wo k. I includes he ollowing concep s:
condi ions, demog aphic in o ma ion, disabili y, unc ion-
ing, gene ic in o ma ion, measu emen and moni o ing
da a, obse a ion, o gan sys em, i al signs, and wellness
de ices.
The heal hca e componen ocuses on he clinical side o
wellness. I has o do wi h he egula ed heal hca e sys em

6 Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions
Emo ional and men al
Emo ion (EARL)
S essBeha io
Posi i e hough s
Ca ing
Quie posi i e
Posi i e and li ely
Nega i e hough s
Nega i e and passi e
Nega i e and no in con ol
Nega i e and o ce ul
Agi a ion
Reac i e
Objec i es in li e
Achie emen
Ful illmen
Make a di e ence
Happiness
Balance and ha mony
Sel -con ol
Time managemen
Li elihood
Independency
Func ioning and pe o ming
P oblems and di icul ies In ellec ual
Abili y o make choices
Indi idual iden i y
Religion
Belie s
Values
Consciousness
A i udes
Pe sonali y
Wo ld iew
Sha ing
Expe iences
Mo al
Diso de
Awa eness
Li e acy
C i ical hinking
Sel -e icacy
Obse a ion
Adap i e beha io
Facing si ua ions
C isis
Cul u al iden i y
Sel -knowledge Loneliness
Accep ing ailu es
Figu e 2: Emo ional and men al wellness.
and he ac ual ca e ha he pe son ecei es. The model
consis s o wo main concep s: se ice and p o ide . The
se ice concep is di ided in o h ee subconcep s, o ypes:
p e en ion, diagnosis, and ea men . All o hese diffe en
se ices c ea e medical documen s, and om hese docu-
men s, he medical his o y o a pe son is c ea ed. P o ide s
a e di ided in o ou subconcep s, o ypes: p e en i e,
cu a i e, p omo ional, and ehabili a i e.
The social ne wo ks componen desc ibes he diffe en
social ela ions and ne wo ks ha a e ela ed o a pe son.
I includes amily, ela i es, and iends, bu also diffe en
communi ies and social en i onmen s, and he social pa ici-
pa ion o a pe son wi hin hese con ex s. Mos o he ex e nal
con ex s ha affec people’s li ing and pe sonal wellness
a e loca ed in he en i onmen componen . This includes
diffe en kinds o en i onmen s, such as socie y, cul u al
no ms, o he media (Figu e 3). The en i onmen affec s he
pe son in many ways, and i may shape he possibili ies o
handling pe sonal wellness. These ex e nal ac o s a e hea ily
con ex -dependen and may diffe om coun y o coun y.
All se en componen s combined c ea e a high-le el in o -
ma ion model o he pe sonal wellness domain (Figu e 4).
5. Discussion
As a esul o his esea ch, we we e able o c ea e a high-le el
in o ma ion model o he pe sonal wellness domain. Usually,
heal h- ela ed in o ma ion models and on ologies a e buil
om he heal hca e sys ems and he se ice p o ide s’
iewpoin . He e, howe e , we ha e ins ead c ea ed ou model
om he ci izens’ iewpoin . The ci izens’ iewpoin is based
on he empi ical esea ch pe o med wi h he ocus g oups.
We ied o ge a comp ehensi e iew wi h pa icipan s om
diffe en age g oups wi h diffe en backg ounds bu as he
ocus g oups we e c ea ed on a olun a y basis om a limi ed
pool o people he e can be some limi a ions in he model.
Also he pa icipan s can be seen being mo e in e es ed in
hei heal h and wellness han egula ci izens as hey a e
willing o pa icipa e in his kind o olun a y esea ch.
Wi h ocus g oups we ha e c ea ed a model based on ac i e
Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions 7
En i onmen
Accessibili y
A ailabili y
Go e nmen
Heal hca e
Commune/ci y
S a e
Socie y
Sa e y
Social sa e y ne
Equali y
Cul u al alues
His o y
Ideology/model
Cul u al backg ound
Se ice en i onmen
Cul u e
His o y
Religion
Language
Economy
Regula ions
Legal
Social
Economic de elopmen
Educa ion
Physical en i onmen
Media
Global
Digi al en i onmen
3 d sec o
Na ional iden i y
Home Spa ial de elopmen
Li ing en i onmen
Figu e 3: The en i onmen componen .
Pe sonal wellness
Heal hca eDiagnosis
P o ide s
T ea men
P e en ion
Rehabili a i e
P e en i e
P omo ionalCu a i e
Emo ional and men al
Emo ion (EARL)
S ess
Beha io
Objec i es in li e
Happiness
Balance and ha mony
Sel -con ol
In ellec ual
Indi idual iden i y
Consciousness
Pe sonali y
Sha ing
En i onmen
Go e nmen
Heal hca e
Socie y
Cul u e
Regula ions
Media
Global
Li es yle
Risk ac o s
Wellness beha io
Wellness ac i i ies
Nu i ion
P e en ionWellness managemen
Heal h educa ion
Hobbies Leisu e
Fi ness/exe cise
Res
Li elihood
Sexual beha io
Occupa ional
Educa ion
Occupa ion
Wo king ime
Wo k bu den
Vaca ion
Volun ee ing
Wo king abili y
En i onmen
Social ela ions
Occupa ional sa e y and heal h
Wo k clima e
Physiological in o ma ion
Func ioning
Moni o ing da a Obse a ion
O gan sys em
Vi al signs
Disabili y Gene ic in o ma ion
Condi ion
Social ne wo ks
Communi y
Family
F iends
Rela i es
Social en i onmen
Social pa icipa ion
Income
Diso de
Demog aphic in o ma ion
Se ice en i onmen
Physical en i onmen
Digi al en i onmen
3 d sec o
Measu emen da a
Obse a ion
C isis
Sel -knowledge
Sel -e icacy
Adap i e beha io Loneliness
Li ing en i onmen
Home
Quali y o wo king li e
Wo k cul u e
Employe
WMain enance
Figu e 4: The highes le el concep s o pe sonal wellness.
and conscious people who a e no heal h p o essionals o
ep esen a i es o any heal h o ganiza ions.
The model is based on he ocus g oup esea ch, and we
ha e ied o model he domain and he concep s acco ding
o he pa icipan s. The guiding p inciples o he modeling
wo k we e how ci izens see hei pe sonal wellness, wha hey
conside o be he impo an concep s, how hey ca ego ize
hese concep s, and how hey unde s and he no ion o
comple e, holis ic heal h and wellness. The esea ch p ocess
8 Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions
was pe o med i e a i ely, ollowing he build-e alua e idea
o design science esea ch.
We ha e iden i ied he main componen s o pe sonal
wellness and desc ibed ela ed in o ma ion and i s concep u-
aliza ion. In he model, we ha e iden i ied he en i onmen al
and ex e nal con ex s ela ed o pe sonal wellness. In ou
model, we p esen many impo an concep s. Based on ou
ca ego iza ion o hese, we can come o unde s and he
basic ela ions be ween concep s, and we can see some is-
a ela ionships. The e a e s ill some limi a ions ela ed o
he de ined concep s in e ms o he de elopmen o he
on ology, as some o he concep s a e qui e abs ac , and hei
explici de ini ion can be challenging. Also, he e is a g ea
numbe o ela ions and ela ionship ypes in he domain,
and mos o he concep s a e in e connec ed.
He ne e al. [22] ha e de ined se en guidelines ha
should be ollowed when pe o ming design science esea ch.
The i s guideline is o design as an a i ac . In ou esea ch,
we ha e buil a i ac s such as mind maps o desc ibe
common concep s— he cons uc s o he domain—and a
high-le el in o ma ion model o desc ibe he domain, how
i is concep ualized, i s scope, and some ela ionships. The
second guideline is p oblem ele ance, which means ha
he esea ch p oblem should be ele an and sol e some
impo an p oblem in he cons i uen communi y. Pe asi e
heal hca e and a mo e pe sonalized, comple e way o manag-
ing pe sonal heal h and wellness a e eme ging, ye cu en ly
he e is no eal consensus ega ding wha pe sonal wellness
ac ually is o i s componen s. Mos o he esea ch done on
wellness has ocused on he measu emen o assessmen o
wellness. Also, he models ela ed o wellness a e high-le el
desc ip ions wi h limi ed concep ual de ini ions and ela-
ionships. Mos o he in o ma ion models and on ologies in
he heal h domain a e ep esen a ions om he heal h se ice
p o ide s, clinical, o medical poin s o iew. Ou esea ch
b ings new pe spec i es in o he pe sonal wellness domain by
de ining he ci izens’ pe spec i e o suppo he de elopmen
o a pe sonal wellness on ology and seman ic in e ope abili y
in he domain. Thus, ou esea ch p oblem is ele an in he
pe sonalized heal h and wellness domain.
The hi d guideline is abou design e alua ion. He ne
e al. [22] emphasized ha he u ili y, quali y, and efficacy
o an a i ac mus be demons a ed by e alua ion, which
is a c ucial pa o he design p ocess. Ou design p ocess
was i e a i e, so we buil and e alua ed he model in
a ious phases, bu he e alua ion o he model alone s ill
insufficien . The s udy con inues wi h an assessmen phase,
in which he de eloped model is e alua ed wi h espec o
i s alidi y and po en ial impac on ci izens’ pe sonal heal h
and wellness. The model will be e alua ed wi h use cases
and usage scena ios. Design science esea ch, acco ding o
he ou h guideline, should clea ly con ibu e in a leas
one o he ollowing ways: he design a i ac , design con-
s uc ion knowledge, o design e alua ion knowledge [22].
Ou esea ch makes a signi ican con ibu ion by de ining he
pe sonal wellness domain, how i is concep ualized, and wha
he necessa y concep s and ex e nal ac o s a e.
The i h guideline emphasizes ha he esea ch should
be conduc ed wi h igo ous me hods. As he domain in
ques ion was complex, mul idimensional, qui e abs ac , and
based on ci izens’ pe spec i es, we began wi h quali a i e
me hods, like ocus g oups and in o mal modeling me hods.
Al hough, he in o mal models lacked wi h o malism we
we e able o ep esen he complex and mul idimensional
domain and he models we e a he easy o a e age ci izens
wi h no modeling expe ience o unde s and, e alua e, and
modi y. We had se e al diffe en ocus g oups o ge mo e
he e ogeneous iews o pe sonal wellness so ha we could
ackle he six h guideline. This guideline emphasizes he
impo ance o an i e a i e design p ocess and insis s ha
design should be a p ocess o sea ching such ha he design
p oblem becomes mo e ocused and he solu ion mo e
ele an [22]. The nex s ep in his s udy is he de elopmen
o he on ology and con ex -awa e a chi ec u e. Thus, he
solu ion will be ede ined in a p ocess o sea ching. The
se en h guideline is ha he esea ch should be communi-
ca ed o echnology and managemen audiences. This will be
ealized in la e phases o he p ojec .
6. Conclusions
In his esea ch, we ha e app oached comple e, holis ic
heal h and well-being om he ci izens’ pe spec i e. We ha e
u he e ined he concep o pe sonal wellness h ough
empi ical me hods. Based on an analysis o he li e a u e,
a con ex analysis, and empi ical esea ch, we ha e c ea ed
ou own iew o pe sonal wellness. In o de o suppo in e -
ope able, ci izen-cen e ed se ices wi h upcoming pe asi e
wellness ools, we ha e iden i ied he scope o he pe sonal
wellness domain. As a esul o his esea ch, we ha e de el-
oped a high-le el in o ma ion model ha desc ibes he main
concep s and some ela ionships ela ed o pe sonal wellness.
Wi h his in o ma ion model, we ha e s a ed o de elop a
con ex -awa e on ology. Ou esea ch b ings new knowledge
o he ield o pe asi e heal hca e by iden i ying he ci izens’
pe spec i es and concep ualiza ions o pe sonal wellness.
Ou model desc ibes he domain o pe sonal wellness
in mo e de ail han o he models ha ha e been de eloped
in clinical and counseling psychology. Such p e ious models
emain gene al, while we ha e gone deepe in o he pe sonal
wellness domain by de ining mo e concep s, ela ionships,
and p ope ies. Mo eo e , he ocus o ou model is diffe en
om p e ious wo k, as we a e add essing he p oblem om
an in o ma ion sys em science pe spec i e, and we a e using
adiffe en kind o ep esen a ion s yle ha is mo e sui able
in ou con ex . We a e ocusing on he pe asi e heal hca e
ield, and ou in en ions a e o suppo he de elopmen o
a pe sonal wellness on ology o li elong pe sonal wellness
managemen and an a chi ec u e model o us ed use o
mul isou ce he e ogeneous in o ma ion.
The nex phases in ou esea ch a e an assessmen o
ou model and he de elopmen o he pe sonal wellness
on ology. The assessmen phase ocuses on he e alua ion o
he alidi y and u ili y o he model and he iden i ica ion o
he impac he sha ed use o wellness in o ma ion has on ci -
izens’ wellness managemen and on how ci izens can con ol
and manage he use o hei in o ma ion. In he de elopmen
o he pe sonal wellness on ology, we ha e o model he
Jou nal o Compu e Ne wo ks and Communica ions 9
con ex ual aspec s ha a e ela ed o diffe en concep s
o suppo mul iuse and mul isys em en i onmen s wi h
he e ogeneous in o ma ion sou ces. Fu he mo e, we ha e
o conside p i acy, con iden iali y, and da a secu i y issues
in he on ology, as mos o he in o ma ion is p i a e and
pe sonal, and i s p ocessing may be egula ed by legisla ion.
By modeling such p i acy and secu i y aspec s, we can ensu e
ha , in he u u e, pe asi e heal hca e will allow ci izens o
con ol he p ocessing o hei in o ma ion dynamically.
Acknowledgmen
The au ho s acknowledge he unding o his T us ed eHeal h
and eWel a e Space (THEWS) esea ch p ojec by he Finnish
Academy o Sciences in he MOTIVE Resea ch P og amme
du ing 2009–2012.
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