Population health promotion: responsible sharing of future directions

Do great local minds think alike? Comparing perceptions of the social determinants of health between non-profit and governmental actors in two Canadian cities

Cities are important sites for intervention on social determinants of health (SDOH); yet, little is known about how influential local actors, namely workers in municipal governments (GOVs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), perceive the SDOH. Capturing and comparing perceptions between these groups are important for assessing how SDOH discourse has permeated local actors' thinking--a meaningful endeavour as local-level health equity action often invokes inter-institutional partnerships. This paper compares SDOH perceptions between CBO workers in Hamilton, Ontario, with politicians and senior-level staff in GOVs in Vancouver, British Columbia, based on two studies with surveys containing identical questions on SDOH perceptions. Overall, there was high comparability between the groups in their relative ratings of the SDOH. Both groups assigned high levels of 'influence' and 'priority' to 'healthy lifestyles' and 'clean air and water' and lower levels to 'strong community' and 'income'. Given the importance of a shared vision in collaborative enterprises, the comparability of perceptions between the groups found here holds promise for the prospect of inter-institutional partnerships. However, the low rating assigned to more structural health determinants suggests that more work is needed from researchers and advocates to effectively advance a health equity agenda at the local level in Canada.

Creating a place for population health: Interpreting the spaces of a new School in Auckland, New Zealand

Although the reconfiguring of health care within the hospital sector has gained considerable attention by social scientists, the tertiary education sector's response to new health philosophies and practices has proceeded largely unexamined. This paper considers the new School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, accounts for its origins and considers the synergies between its design and workplace organisation. The results of a thematic analysis of narratives offered by 24 employees collected in 2004 are then presented. Findings suggest that the amassing of academics from a range of health-related backgrounds is advancing interdisciplinary dialogue even if the nature and purpose of population health remains unclear to some. A key concern of respondents was the openness of the workplace which encourages a collaborative atmosphere but also generates distraction. The degree to which conduct within the new building is perceived as regulated was also of concern. Place clearly matters in the story of the new School: the form of the building (featuring an architecture of openness) complements its function (generating new collaborations and creative thinking about health). However, the question of how 'salutogenic' a setting it is remains contested.

The political ecology of health: perceptions of environment, economy, health and well-being among ‘Namgis First Nation

Informed by Mayer's (Progr. Hum. Geogr 20 (1996) 441) political ecology of disease framework, this paper investigates First Nation's perceptions of the links between environment, economy and health and well-being. A case study of 'Namgis First Nation (Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada) is used to explore the risks and benefits of salmon aquaculture for British Columbia's First Nations. Analysis of interview data (n = 23) indicates strong links between reduced access to environmental resources, marginal participation in the economy, and declining community health and well being. Results suggest that aquaculture development has further decreased the community's access to environmental resources, thereby restricting those economic, social, and cultural activities that determine good health and well-being for this community.