Using a Social Determinants of Health framework to examine the health of canadian immigrants Karen M. Kobayashi, PhD Sociology/Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health

Learning Objectives To develop an understanding of the health status of immigrants in Canada To identify the salient barriers that challenge the uptake of health promotion practices among immigrants To identify and critically analyse “promising practices” for health promotion among immigrants in Canada

The Health Status of Immigrants The “healthy immigrant effect” Health risks, i.e., chronic disease Social determinants of health approach

Barriers to the Uptake of Health Promotion Practices among Immigrants Migration Socio-economic Status or Class Language Proficiency and Health Literacy Visible Minority Status Gender Cultural Perceptions around Health and Disease Prevention Age

Health Promotion Practices Healthy Families BC Promising Practice #1: the South Asian Exercise Trial (SAET) Promising Practice #2: Mental Health Promotion within Immigrant Communities

Creating Healthy Public Policies: Recommendations Address issues of inequity as well as inequality Revise social marketing principles to target population sub-groups Adopt a cultural safety and cultural competency perspective Consider language and modes of communication Construct Public Service Announcements (PSAs) Accelerate re-credentialization processes for immigrant health care professionals Conduct evaluation studies that track the efficacy of health promotion initiatives Develop initiatives that acknowledge and reflect the social, economic, cultural, and historical determinants of health

CONTACT Karen Kobayashi, PhD kmkobay@uvic.ca Mushira Khan, PhD candidate mushirak@uvic.ca

Workshop Activity: Health Promotion Practices (25-30 minutes) PART 1 – Healthy Families BC What are some of the challenges to implementing this program specifically with regard to ethnocultural minority groups? What are some practical solutions to address these challenges? Discuss why is it important to “target” and “tailor” health promotion initiatives. PART 2 – Video clip: Managing Your South Asian Diet http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/diabetes/video/vid_southasian.aspx Are the messages in the video “targeted” as well as “tailored” to meet the needs of the South Asian community? Discuss. PART 3 – Promising Practices: #1 (the South Asian Exercise Trial (SAET)) and #2 (Mental Health Promotion within Immigrant Communities). Discuss the merits of and challenges to launching such initiatives.