Social Determinants of Health: The
Canadian Facts (2nd edition, 2020)
by Dennis Raphael, Toba Bryant, Juha
Mikkonen and Alexander Raphael.
Foreword for the 2nd edition by Claire Betker
National Collaborating
Centre for Determinants of Health, St. Francis Xavier
University.
Foreword for the 1st edition by Hon. Monique Bégin,
Former Minister of National Health & Welfare of Canada
and
Member of WHO Commission on Social
Determinants of Health.
Published in August 2020. 93 pages. Oshawa: Ontario Tech
University Faculty of Health Sciences and Toronto: York
University School of Health Policy and Management.
Funding for the 2nd edition was provided by Ontario Tech
University Faculty of Health Sciences.
Download the 2nd edition in English (2020) "Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts"
Download the 2nd edition in French (2021): "Déterminants sociaux de la santé : les réalités canadiennes"
Order a printed copy:
Amazon.ca (Canada) - Amazon.com (US and other countries)
Summary
The primary factors that shape the health of
Canadians are not medical treatments or lifestyle choices
but rather the living conditions they experience. These
conditions have come to be known as the social determinants
of health. This information – based on decades of research
and hundreds of studies in Canada and elsewhere – is
unfamiliar to most Canadians.
Canadians are largely unaware that our health is shaped by
how income and wealth is distributed, whether or not we are
employed and if so, the working conditions we experience.
Our health is also determined by the health and social
services we receive, and our ability to obtain quality
education, food and housing, among other factors. And
contrary to the assumption that Canadians have personal
control over these factors, in most cases these living
conditions are – for better or worse – imposed upon us by
the quality of the communities, housing situations, work
settings, health and social service agencies, and
educational institutions with which we interact.
Improving the health of Canadians requires we think about
health and its determinants in a more sophisticated manner
than has been the case to date. Social Determinants of
Health: The Canadian Facts considers 17 social
determinants of health:
1. Income and Income Distribution
2. Education
3. Unemployment and Job Security
4. Employment and Working Conditions
5. Early Child Development
6. Food Insecurity
7. Housing
8. Social Exclusion
9. Social Safety Net
10. Health Services
11. Geography
12. Disability
13. Indigenous Ancestry
14. Gender
15. Immigration
16. Race
17. Globalization
The publication outlines why they are important; how Canada is doing in addressing them; and what can be done to improve their quality. The purpose of the document is to provide promote greater awareness of the social determinants of health and the development and implementation of public policies that improve their quality.
