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Can the Canadian Heart Health Initiative Inform the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada?

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada (PHIRIC) is to build capacity to increase the quantity, quality and use of population health intervention research. But what capacity is required, and how should capacity be created? There may be relevant lessons from the Canadian Heart Health Initiative (CHHI), a 20-year initiative (1986-2006) that was groundbreaking in its attempt to bring together researchers and public health leaders (from government and non-government organizations) to jointly plan, conduct and act on relevant evidence. The present study focused on what enabled and constrained the ability to fund, conduct and use science in the CHHI.

Methods

Guided by a provisional capacity-building framework, a two-step methodology was used: a CHHI document analysis followed by consultation with CHHI leaders to refine and confirm emerging findings.

Results

A few well-positioned, visionary people conceived of the CHHI as a long-term, coherent initiative that would have impact, and they then created an environment to enable this to become reality. To achieve the vision, capacity was needed to a) align science (research and evaluation) with public health policy and program priorities, including the capacity to study “natural experiments“ and b) build meaningful partnerships within and across sectors.

Conclusion

There is now an opportunity to apply lessons from the CHHI in planning PHIRIC.

Résumé

Objectifs

L’Initiative de recherche interventionnelle en santé des populations du Canada (IRISPC) a pour but de développer les capacités d’accroître la quantité, la qualité et l’utilisation de la recherche interventionnelle en santé des populations. Mais quelles sont les capacités requises, et comment les développer? Il pourrait y avoir des leçons intéressantes à tirer de l’Initiative canadienne en santé cardiovasculaire (ICSC), qui s’est échelonnée sur 20 ans (1986-2006) et a été la première à rassembler des chercheurs et des responsables de la santé publique (issus des gouvernements et des organisations non gouvernementales) afin de planifier et d’exécuter de la recherche pertinente et d’en mettre les résultats en pratique. La présente étude porte sur les facteurs qui ont habilité ou limité le financement, la conduite et l’utilisation de la recherche scientifique dans le cadre de l’ICSC.

Méthode

En nous guidant sur un cadre provisoire de renforcement des capacités, nous avons opté pour une méthode en deux temps: nous avons analysé les documents de l’ICSC, puis consulté les dirigeants de l’ICSC pour peaufiner et confirmer les résultats de l’analyse.

Résultats

L’ICSC est le fruit du travail de quelques visionnaires idéalement placés, qui envisageaient une initiative influente, cohérente et de longue durée et qui ont créé l’environnement nécessaire pour la concrétiser. Pour cela, il fallait développer a) la capacité de faire concorder la science (la recherche et l’évaluation) avec les priorités des politiques et des programmes de santé publique, notamment la capacité de mener des «expériences dans des conditions naturelles» et b) la capacité de créer des partenariats constructifs entre différents secteurs d’activité et au sein de ces secteurs.

Conclusion

Il est maintenant possible d’appliquer les leçons de l’ICSC à la planification de l’IRISPC.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Cancer Society’s Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation, University of Waterloo, Lyle S. Hallman Institute North, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Barbara L. Riley PhD & Roy Cameron PhD

  2. Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada

    Sylvie Stachenko MD & Gregory Taylor MD

  3. Health Canada, Canada

    Elinor Wilson PhD

  4. Canadian Cancer Society Manitoba Division, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, Canada

    Dexter Harvey EdD

  5. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, Canada

    Jane Farquharson MSc

  6. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

    Catherine Donovan MD

Authors
  1. Barbara L. Riley PhD
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  2. Sylvie Stachenko MD
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  3. Elinor Wilson PhD
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  4. Dexter Harvey EdD
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  5. Roy Cameron PhD
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  6. Jane Farquharson MSc
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  7. Catherine Donovan MD
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  8. Gregory Taylor MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara L. Riley PhD.

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Riley, B.L., Stachenko, S., Wilson, E. et al. Can the Canadian Heart Health Initiative Inform the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada?. Can J Public Health 100, I20–I26 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405505

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405505

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