Career & Personal Development: Determinants of Health Assignment

Living a long, healthy life is one obvious goal of pretty much all of us. We are told, over and over, to change our "lifestyles" and accept that if we become ill, we have likely brought it on ourselves. Yet, hundreds of studies, over the past four decades, tell the real story: the living and working conditions we experience every day play a determining role in our health. How income and wealth, housing, education and adequate food are distributed, whether or not we are employed, and the working conditions we experience -- not medical treatments nor so-called wellness lifestyles -- determine whether we stay healthy or become ill. These living and working conditions reflect the social inequalities that are associated with social class, gender, race and other social locations in Canadian society. The third edition of Health and Illness shows how inequitable distribution of the social determinants of health are determined by public policy decisions. Dennis Raphael updates information that connects health and illness to the worsening levels of inequality in Canada - the rich are getting richer and the rest of us are getting sick! This edition also includes a chapter on the social determinants of who got sick and died from COVID-19. The experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic make the clear case that we need to restructure work and living conditions through public policy that more equitably distributes economic resources. It is only through such actions that we will be able to promote the health of Canadians and prevent illness in an effective manner.

LGBT people pervasively experience health disparities, affecting every part of their bodies and lives. Yet many are still grappling to understand the mutually reinforcing health care challenges that lead to worsened health outcomes. Bodies and Barriers informs health care professionals, students in health professions, policymakers, and fellow activists about these challenges, providing insights and a road map for action that could improve queer health. Through artfully articulated, data-informed essays by twenty-six well-known and emerging queer activists--including Alisa Bowman, Jack Harrison-Quintana, Liz Margolies, Robyn Ochs, Sean Strub, Justin Sabia-Tanis, Ryan Thoreson, Imani Woody, and more--Bodies and Barriers illuminates the health challenges LGBT people experience throughout their lives and challenges conventional wisdom about health care delivery. It probes deeply into the roots of the disparities faced by those in the LGBT community and provides crucial information to fight for health equity and better health outcomes. The contributors to;Bodies and Barriers look for tangible improvements, drawing from the history of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and from struggles against health care bias and discrimination. At a galvanizing moment when LGBT people have experienced great strides in lived equality, but our health as a community still lags, here is an indispensable blueprint for change by some of the most passionate and important health activists in the LGBT movement today.

Chapters include: Background -- Income security -- Education, skills training and employment -- Mental health -- Housing -- Communities and neighborhoods -- National poverty reduction strategy -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendices.

The health disparities affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada might well be understood as a national epidemic. Although progress has been made in the last decade towards both understanding and ameliorating Indigenous health inequalities, very little research or writing has expanded a social determinants of health framework to account for the unique histories and present realities of Indigenous peoples in this country. This timely edited collection addresses this significant knowledge gap, exploring the ways that multiple health determinants beyond the social - from colonialism to geography, from economy to biology - converge to impact the health status of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Appropriate throughout a range of disciplines, including Health Studies, Indigenous Studies, Public and Population Health, Community Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work, this engaging text broadens the social determinants of health framework to better understand health inequality.

"Health Promotion in Canada is a comprehensive profile of the history, current status, and future of health promotion in Canada. This fourth edition maintains the critical approach of the previous three editions but provides a current and in-depth analysis of theory, practice, policy, and research in Canada in relation to recent innovative approaches in health promotion. Thoroughly updated with 15 new chapters and all-new learning objectives, the edited collection contains contributions by prominent Canadian academics, researchers, and practitioners as well as an afterword by Ronald Labonté. The authors cover a broad range of topics including inequities in health, Indigenous communities and immigrants, mental health, violence against women, global ecological change, and globalization. The book also provides critical reflections on practice and concrete Canadian examples that bring theory to life.

Chapters include: Introduction -- Inequality and family -- Inequality and education -- Inequality and health -- Inequality and social justice -- Canada and global inequality.

"This book is intended primarily to provide nursing students with an accessible guide to the health of Canadian First Nations, Métis and Inuit-the Indigenous peoples of Canada. This book provides an explanation of how their values and worldview may differ from those of their colleagues but can still be accommodated within the profession."

The interconnected mechanisms of oppression bear many similarities across time and across earth's geography. They include genocide, cultural genocide, policy-created poverty, and numerous actions and inactions that create and sustain systems of dominance. At the heart of oppression is structural power. While individuals can exert social and cultural power over other individuals, it is structural power in systems such as education, governance, law, and health that cements and sustains oppression over time and over geographies. The cycle of oppression, described in more detail below (updated 2nd Edition version), shows how individual acts of stereotyping and discrimination form an integral link in creating and sustaining systemic oppression. As Iris Marion Young (1990) tells us, oppression refers to "the vast and deep injustices some groups suffer as a consequence of often unconscious assumptions and reactions of well-meaning people in ordinary interactions, media and cultural stereotypes, and structural features of bureaucratic hierarchies and market mechanisms.

The third edition of Social Determinants of Health focuses on the socio-economic conditions that shape the health of individuals and communities. This edited collection includes contributions from top academics and high-profile experts from across the country. The chapters take a public policy approach that sees the mainsprings of health emerging from the social distribution of resources. The collection as a whole integrates insights from the health sciences, the sociology of health, and the political economy of health. This revised edition has been well updated and includes a greater focus on the political pathways and mechanisms that explain how the social determinants of health come to be distributed amongst the population; early childhood development in Canada in relation to other developed nations; Indigenous health and its determinants; public policy and the social safety net; and the growing network of civil society organizations addressing the inequitable distribution of the social determinants of health.

This new edition of Staying Alive provides readers with a fresh perspective on health, health care, and illness in Canada and abroad. Grounded in a human rights approach to health, this edited collection includes chapters on the social construction of illness and disability, social determinants of health, and current critical issues in the field. The third edition has been thoroughly updated and includes recent national and international developments in health care, with current world statistics and an emphasis on austerity-related changes and their effects on health and health care systems. It includes chapters on pharmaceutical policy, social class, women's health, and the impact of economic forces such as globalization and privatization in health care.

Chapters include: Introduction: Health care in Canada: What works? What needs to be done? -- Defining our terms: What is health policy? What is health? -- What is health care? -- How is health care paid for and delivered? -- How does Canada do it? -- Health care in Canada: International comparisons -- How should we decide what is worth paying for? -- Pressing Issues -- Treating health care: How can we make it better? What might make it worse?.

"Under-Served brings together the perspectives of academics, front-line heath care providers, and policy-makers to examine the historical, political, and social factors that influence the health and health care of under-served populations in Canada, focusing particularly on Indigenous, inner-city, and migrant populations. This vital text broadens the traditional determinants of health—the social, economic, environmental, and behavioural elements—to include factors like family and community, government policies, mental health and addiction, homelessness and housing, racism, youth, and LGBTQ identity. With a foreword by former Chief Public Health Officer of Canada David Butler-Jones and contributions from leading scholars, this edited collection comprises 28 chapters divided into 6 sections including those on research for under-served groups and ways to promote change through education, advocacy, and system changes. Featuring section introductions, learning objectives, critical thinking questions, and additional resources, this edited collection will engage students in health studies, nursing, and social work in crucial topics such as health promotion, social inequality, and community health."

Chapters include: Introduction -- Outdoor air pollution, socio-economic status and health inequalities -- Heat extremes, socio-economic status and health inequalities -- Conclusions -- There's more on the web! -- Appendices.

Well-Being as a Multidimensional Concept contributes to our understanding of the ways that culture and community influence concepts of wellness, the experience of well-being, and health outcomes. This book includes both theoretical conceptualizations and practice-based explorations.