Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Population Health in Canada: Issues and Challenges for Policy, Practice and Research

  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The population health movement has gained prominence in Canada and elsewhere with policy makers, program planners and researchers taking note that health is strongly influenced by factors that lie largely beyond the health-care system. The development of population health in Canada was the focus of the National Conference on Shared Responsibility for Health & Social Impact Assessments: Advancing the Agenda held May 2–3 1999 in Vancouver, Canada. A longer version of this paper was distributed to conference participants to provide some common knowledge and vocabulary. It also introduced and discussed definitional, normative, logistical, political, methodological, structural and resource considerations with respect to furthering the population health agenda in Canada.

Abrégé

Le mouvement pour la santé de la population gagne en importance au Canada et ailleurs. Les stratèges, les planificateurs de programme et les chercheurs se rendent compte que la santé est grandement influencée par des forces et des facteurs qui se situent en grande partie à l’extérieur du système de soins de santé. L’évolution de la santé de la population au Canada était le point central de la Conférence nationale sur le partage de la responsabilité relativement à l’évaluation des répercussions sociales et sur la santé qui s’est tenue les 2 et 3 mai 1999 à Vancouver (Canada). Une version plus longue de cet article a été distribuée à la Conférence afin de fournir des savoir et vocabulaire communs. Afin de faire avancer le dossier de la santé de la population au Canada, elle introduisait et discutait aussi les considérations qui touchent les définitions et le normatif, de même que les considérations logique, politiques, méthodologiques, structurelles et de ressources.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organization. The Verona Initiative: Investing for health in the context of economic, social and human environment. Geneva: WHO, 1998;1.

    Google Scholar 

  2. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe. HEALTH21: An introduction to the health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region. Copenhagen, 1998;2.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Frenk J. The new public health. Annu Rev Public Health 1993;14:469–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. McBeath W. Health for all: A public health vision. Am J Public Health 1991;81(12):1560–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Wass A. The new public health - The Liverpool experience. Venereology 1996;9(3):206.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Frankish CJ, Green LW, Ratner PA, et al. Health Impact Assessment as a Tool for Population Health Promotion and Public Policy. Institute of Health Promotion Research, University of British Columbia. Ottawa: Report for Health Canada, May 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health. Strategies for Population Health: Investing in the Health of Canadians. Prepared for the Meeting of Ministers of Health in Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 14–15, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  8. McGrail K, Ostry A, Thomas V, et al. Determinants of Population Health: A Synthesis of the Literature. Ottawa: Report to Health Canada, December 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hayes MV, Dunn JR. Population Health in Canada: A Systematic Review. Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Corin E. The social and cultural matrix of health and disease. In: Evans RG, Barer ML, Marmor TR (Eds.), Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants of Health of Populations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  11. World Health Organization. WHO Constitution, Geneva: WHO, 1948.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Evans RG, Stoddart GL. Producing health, consuming health care. In: Evans RG, Barer ML, Marmor TR (Eds.), Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants of Health of Populations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Green LW, Kreuter MW. Health Promotion Planning: An Educational and Environmental Approach 2nd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co., 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rootman I, Raeburn J. The concept of health. In: Pederson A, O’Neill M, Rootman I (Eds.), Health Promotion in Canada: Provincial, National and International Perspectives. Toronto: W.B. Saunders Canada, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Berlin S. Current status and indicator needs of the Canadian healthy communities project. In: Feather J, Mathur B (Eds.). Proceedings of an Invitational Workshop: Indicators for Healthy Communities. Winnipeg: Prairie Region Network on Health Promotion Knowledge Development, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Labonte R. Death of program, birth of metaphor: The development of health promotion in Canada. In: Pederson A, O’Neill M, Rootman I (Eds.), Health Promotion in Canada: Provincial, National and International Perspectives. Toronto: W.B. Saunders Canada, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Evans RG, Barer ML, Marmor TR (Eds.). Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants of Health of Populations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Poland B, Coburn D, Robertson A, et al. Wealth, equity and health care: A critique of a “population health” perspective on the determinants of health. Soc Sci Med 1998;46(7):785–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zöllner H, Lessof S. Population Health - Putting Concepts into Action: Final Report. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, August 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rogers EM. Diffusion of Innovations 4th ed. New York: The Free Press, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Saunders LD, Wanke MI, Noseworthy TW, et al. Identification and Assessment of Population Health Research in Canada and Identified Countries. Report prepared for the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lomas J, Contandriopoulos AP. Regulating limits to medicine: Towards harmony in public- and self-regulation. In: Evans RG, Barer ML, Marmor TR (Eds.), Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants of Health of Populations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Rutten A. The implementation of health promotion: A new structural perspective. Soc Sci Med 1995;41(12):1627–37.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Schwartz R, Smith C, Speers M, et al. Capacity building and resource needs of state health agencies to implement community-based cardiovascular disease programs. J Public Health Policy 1993;14:480–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Burr K, McKee B, Foster L, et al. Interprovincial data requirements for local health indicators: The British Columbia experience. Health Rep 1995;7:17–24, 19–27.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Whitehead M. The concepts and principles of equity and health. Health Prom Int 1990;5:217–28.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Health Promotion Research, The University of British Columbia, Room 308, LPC Building, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    James Frankish PhD (Acting Director), Gerry Veenstra PhD & Glen Moulton BA, BEd

Authors
  1. James Frankish PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gerry Veenstra PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Glen Moulton BA, BEd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Frankish PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Frankish, J., Veenstra, G. & Moulton, G. Population Health in Canada: Issues and Challenges for Policy, Practice and Research. Can J Public Health 90 (Suppl 1), S71–S75 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403587

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403587

Search

Navigation