Social Determinants Of Health

by Raphael, Dennis

• ISBN13: 9781551302379
• ISBN10: 1551302373
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-23
• Publisher: Canadian Scholars Pr

Summary

Genetics and traditional risk factors such as activity, diet, and tobacco-use are not the best predictors of whether we stay healthy or become ill. What, then, are the predictors of adult-onset diabetes, heart attacks or stroke, and many other diseases? Social determinants provide the answer. Social determinants of health are the socio-economic conditions that influence the health of individuals, communities, and jurisdictions as a whole. These determinants also establish the extent to which a person possesses the physical, social, and personal resources to identify and achieve personal aspirations, satisfy needs, and cope with the environment. This perspective is the key to understanding patterns of health and illness in Canada today. Uniting top academics and high-profile experts from across Canada, this contributed volume is the first of its kind in Canada. It summarises how socio-economic factors affect the health of Canadians, surveys the current state of eleven social determinants of health across Canada, and provides an analysis of how these determinants affect Canadians' health. In each case, the book explores what policy options would contribute to better health outcomes and how to ensure that these options are pursued.

Table of Contents

Foreword
The Honourable Roy J. Romanow	ix
Preface	xi
Chapter One: Introduction to the Social Determinants of Health
Dennis Raphael	1	(18)
PART ONE: INCOME SECURITY AND EMPLOYMENT IN CANADA	19	(88)
Chapter Two: Income and Income Distribution
Ann Curry-Stevens	21	(18)
Chapter Three: Income and Health in Canada
Nathalie Auger, Marie-France Raynault, Richard Lessard, and Robert Choinière ...	39	(14)
Chapter Four: Unemployment and the Labour Market
Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay	53	(14)
Chapter Five: Labour Market Flexibility and Worker Insecurity
Michael Polanyi, Emile Tompa, and Janice Foley	67	(12)
Chapter Six: The Unhealthy Canadian Workplace
Andrew Jackson	79	(16)
Chapter Seven: Understanding and Improving the Health of Work
Michael Polanyi	95	(12)
PART TWO: FOUNDATIONS OF LIFE-LONG HEALTH: EDUCATION	107	(64)
Chapter Eight: Early Childhood Education and Care
Martha Friendly	109	(16)
Chapter Nine: Early Childhood Education and Health
Gina Browne	125	(14)
Chapter Ten: The State and Quality of Canadian Public Education
Charles Ungerleider and Tracey Burns	139	(16)
Chapter Eleven: Literacy: One of the Most Important Determinants of Health Today
Barbara Ronson and Irving Rootman	155	(16)
PART THREE: FOUNDATIONS OF LIFE-LONG HEALTH: FOOD AND SHELTER	171	(62)
Chapter Twelve: Food Insecurity
Lynn McIntyre	173	(14)
Chapter Thirteen: Health Implications of Food Insecurity
Valerie Tarasuk	187	(14)
Chapter Fourteen: Housing
Michael Shapcott	201	(16)
Chapter Fifteen: Housing and Health
Toba Bryant	217	(16)
PART FOUR: SOCIAL EXCLUSION	233	(48)
Chapter Sixteen: Social Exclusion
Grace-Edward Galabuzi	235	(18)
Chapter Seventeen: Social Inclusion/Exclusion and Health: Dancing the Dialectic
Ronald Labonte	253	(14)
Chapter Eighteen: The Health of Aboriginal Peoples
Chandrakant P. Shah	267	(14)
PART FIVE: SOCIAL POLICY	281	(80)
Chapter Nineteen: The Political Determinants of Hearth
David Langille	283	(14)
Chapter Twenty: Health Care and Health
Michael Ruchlis	297	(14)
Chapter Twenty-One: The Contribution of the Social Economy towards Healthy Social Policy Reforms in Canada: A Quebec Viewpoint
Yves Vaillancourt, François Aubry, Muriel Kearney, Luc Thériault, and Louise Tremblay	311	(20)
Chapter Twenty-Two: Health, Social Policy, Social Economies, and the Voluntary Sector
Pat Armstrong	331	(14)
Chapter Twenty-Three: Conclusion: Addressing and Surmounting the Political and Social Barriers to Health
Dennis Raphael and Ann Curry-Stevens	345	(16)
Appendix: Strengthening the Social Determinants of Health: The Toronto Charter for a Healthy Canada	361	(6)
References	367	(40)
Contributors' Biographies	407	(8)
Copyright Acknowledgements	415	(2)
Index	417