The priorities that emerged from PHESC's consultation with Ontario Public Health Units in this Foundational Standard were:
- Introduction to population health assessment
- Epidemiological analysis
- How to develop, adapt, and use health equity indicators
- How to effectively communicate data and knowledge exchange products with communities and partners
The introductory materials provide a grounding for the other three topic areas. We suggest working through them in the order listed, but your needs may vary. Subscribe to our newsletter or search our course catalogue for details about new events and developments! Questions? Email us.
1. Introduction to population health assessment
First Steps
- Wellesley Institute summary: What We Know About Health Inequities in Ontario (PDF)
Training Opportunities
- PHESC online course, developed in collaboration with APHEO: Introduction to Surveillance (available Fall 2019)
- External training ($): OnCore-Encours training in Population Health Assessment
Further Reading
- Public Health Ontario: Six strategic steps for situational assessment (PDF) | Les six étapes stratégiques d'une évaluation situationnelle (PDF)
- Locally Driven Collaborative Project: Public health units and LHINs working together for population health, 2018 - final report
- Locally Driven Collaborative Project: Assessing child and youth surveillance gaps for Ontario public health units, 2017 - summary, final report
- Ontario Community Health Profiles Partnership: Ontario Health Profiles
- Example health status report: Health in Peel - Determinants and Disparities (2011)
Tools
- Wellesley Institute: The Wellesley Institute library of research on health inequities
- Public Health Ontario: Snapshots
Snapshots are a collection of interactive map-based dashboards showing both geographic and temporal trends for key public health indicators by public health unit (PHU) and Ontario overall. Snapshots provide dynamically linked tables, graphs, and maps with pre-calculated statistics. A user guide is available. - Ontario Marginalization Index
The Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) can be used to understand inequalities in health and other social problems related to health among either population groups or geographic areas across Ontario. - CIHI: Measuring health inequalities - a toolkit | Mesurer les inégalités en santé : trousse d’outils
Toolkit for measuring and reporting on health inequalities, with a focus on stratifying health indicators - WHO: Health equity assessment toolkit
The Health Equity Assessment Toolkit is a software application that facilitates the assessment of within-country health inequalities.
Exploring Further
See the Effective Public Health Practice topic area, in particular the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Health Equity Impact Assessment areas.
2. Epidemiological analysis
First Steps
- What is epidemiology? Chapter 1 from the British Medical Journal's Epidemiology for the uninitiated
Training Opportunities
- PHESC online course, developed in collaboration with APHEO: Introduction to Epidemiology (available Fall 2019)
- PHESC online course, developed in collaboration with APHEO: Basic Statistics for Public Health / Introduction à la biostatistique
- External training ($): OnCore-Encours training in Basic Epidemiological Concepts
Exploring Further
See the Effective Public Health Practice topic area, especially the section on the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions.
3. How to develop, adapt, and use health equity indicators
First Steps
- National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health: Population health status reporting: the learning together series / Rapports sur l’état de santé des populations : la série « Apprenons ensemble »
Training Opportunities
- Alliance for Healthier Communities: Using Data to Advance Health Equity - Leading Practices from Community Health slides and script
Further Reading
- Public Health Ontario: Snapshots
Snapshots are a collection of interactive map-based dashboards showing both geographic and temporal trends for key public health indicators by public health unit (PHU) and Ontario overall. Snapshots provide dynamically linked tables, graphs, and maps with pre-calculated statistics. A user guide is available. - Ontario Marginalization Index
The Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) can be used to understand inequalities in health and other social problems related to health among either population groups or geographic areas across Ontario. - Locally Driven Collaborative Project: Develop and Test Indicators of Ontario Local Public Health Agency Work to Address the Social Determinants of Health to Reduce Health Inequities, 2016 - report, user guide
Exploring Further
See the Effective Public Health Practice topic area.
4. How to effectively communicate data and knowledge exchange products with communities and partners
First Steps
- Locally Driven Collaborative Project: Sharing health information with community organizations to promote healthy living for all
Training Opportunities
- PHESC online course, developed in collaboration with APHEO: Communicating Data Effectively
- National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health: Assessing and Reporting on Health Inequities webinar and online discussion
- National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health: Policy Development and Advocacy to Improve Health Equity webinar and online discussion
Further Reading
- Example health status report: Health in Peel - Determinants and Disparities (2011)
- Public Health Ontario: Examining User-Centred Design - How and Why to Design Products and Resources with the End-User in Mind - slide deck, 2018
- Human Factors International: The Return on Investment of User Experience YouTube video
Tools
- Infographic example: Information is Beautiful - What really extends lifespan?
- Interactive dataset example: Public Health Ontario's Interactive Opioid Tool
- Interactive dataset example: Equité santé - Outil REFLEX-ISS: mieux prendre en compte les inégalités sociales de santé
Exploring Further
See the Effective Public Health Practice topic area on effective community engagement and partnerships. All the Health Equity topics are also related, including the Indigenous health equity stream.