A Survey of Multidimensional Health and Fitness Indexes

Abstract

This article discusses the fi ndings of a brief assessment of the literature on existing, multidimensional measures of wellness. The aim is not to present an exhaustive list of available metrics purporting to assess wellness, but rather to select several exemplar indexes that can serve as a model for developing an index to assess, in a holistic, mul- tidimensional way, the state of an individual’s health and fi tness that goes beyond just the absence of disease or injury. Each index review provides an introduction to the index and a more detailed discussion of how the index does or does not address the descriptive criteria outlined within the report. A brief concluding discussion about the utility of these indexes for use in assessing service member total force fi tness follows. The four indexes reviewed are: The Wellness Inventory, SaluGenecists Smart Tools, the Global Assessment Tool (GAT), and the TestWell: Holistic Lifestyle Questionnaire.