Reducing the Gaps: Evidence and Action CPHA Conference: June 3, 2008 Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI)

Outline Overview of CPHI and it’s priority themes Gaps in Health: what we know and what we still need to know… Activities and Partners Synergies and Spin-offs

CPHI Mission: –To foster a better understanding of factors that affect the health of individuals and communities –To contribute to the development of policies that reduce inequities and improve the health and well-being of Canadians Functions: –Knowledge generation and synthesis –Policy synthesis and analysis –Knowledge transfer and reporting –Knowledge exchange

Population Health? …a way of understanding and acting upon underlying causes of health and illness …an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups…looks at and acts upon the broad range of factors and conditions that have a strong influence on our health … the full spectrum of social, economic and environmental health determinants (

CPHI’s Key Themes 2007–2010 Mental Health & Resilience Place and Health Reducing Gaps in Health Promoting Healthy Weights

What do we mean by gaps? –Research consistently demonstrates a link between socioeconomic status and health. –Gaps in health can be related to differences in a wide variety of other determinants. –The extent and timing of exposures to different determinants across the lifespan may also be important factors

Inequality or inequity? Health: –Inequalities Differences Disparities Variations –Inequities –Gaps!

Reducing the Gaps In Health CPHI Goal: –To create an improved understanding of the relationship between health and the many complex (and potentially modifiable) factors that, together, may contribute to gaps in health.

Canadians are among the world’s healthiest but not all Canadians benefit equally from good health

Differences in Life Expectancy: Men

Income Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), Statistics Canada, 2005

Education Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), Statistics Canada, 2005

Personal Health Practices by Income Groups Source: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), Statistics Canada, 2005

What we know less about… Causality Interventions – what works, in what context and what levels? Indicators – Equity Local level data

Future Directions Learning more about health disparities –Causality –Effective interventions Effectively track disparities –Routine capture of SES data –Climate for data linkages

CPHI Activities Planned for –Conceptualizing the topic –Synthesizing the evidence base –Conducting an inventory of income-related policies in order to determine which policies could be evaluated for their impact on health –Promoting publications that focus on CPHI-funded research related to this theme area –Engaging stakeholders on the issue, through research and policy think tanks or workshops

CPHI Activities to Date –Common Agenda for Reducing the Gap in Health (partner meetings): Nov. 22/07 and Mar. 18/08 –Reducing Gaps in Health: Knowledge Synthesis, Translation and Exchange (workshop): April 2007 –Canadian Reference Group of the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health

CPHI Activities to Date Reports: –Nov/08: Urban Health and Poverty –2005: Urban Inequality and Neighbourhood Influences on Health (Nancy Ross) –2004: What Have We Learned Studying Income Inequality and Population Health? (Nancy Ross) –2004: Improving the Health of Canadians –2003: Policy Approaches to Address the Impact of Poverty on Health - A Scan of Policy Literature (David Ross) – The Impact of Poverty on Health - A Scan of Research Literature (Shelley Phipps)

Partners Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC) Public Health Agency of Canada WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health Senate Sub-Committee on Population Health National Collaborating Centres Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) + many provincial, regional and local groups

Partner Activities Winter 2008Senate Subcommittee on Population Health (3 interim reports) Spring/Summer 2008 CPHA Annual Conference Chief Public Health Officer first Annual Report WHO Commission on SDOH – Final Report Fall 2008CPHI Pan-Canadian Urban Health and Poverty Report CDPAC National Conference Senate Subcommittee Final Report

Synergies and Spin-offs CDPAC: Poverty and Chronic Disease Recommendations for Action

Thank you