Student Blog

2024

Addressing Healthcare Inequities in Scarborough

September 19, 2024

The Toronto district of Scarborough is known for its diversity, comprising 59% new Canadians and 74% who are visible minorities (Scarborough Health Network Foundation, 2024). According to the 2016 census, its top ten immigrant populations include people from China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong, Guyana, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Trinidad & Tobago (City of Toronto, 2019). Unfortunately, health care in Scarborough has been left behind for decades.     I was born and raised in Scarborough, with Guyanese immigrant parents. In 2023, my family…

2023

Mitigating Vaccine Hesitancy for Future Pandemics: Lessons from COVID-19

November 14, 2023

Brian Ellis-Legault is completing his Masters of Public Health at Simon Fraser University. The recent rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations across Canada should serve as a stark reminder that the impacts of this pandemic are far from fleeting.1 As researchers predict a high probability of similarly scaled pandemics occurring in the coming decades,2 it is critical that public health actors take concrete steps to improve on our nation’s pandemic response. 

Canada has fared well among high-income nations when it comes to COVID-19…

A Public Health Perspective on the Relationship between Sex Work and HIV Transmission in Canada

October 11, 2023

Siobhan Bruce is completing her Masters of Public Health at Queen's University.

The relationship between sex work and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a longstanding global debate. Global social attitudes vary, with research from some regions indicating that sex work is responsible for high transmission rates while other regions, including Canada, show a very low association.1 A review of the impact of Canadian sex work legislation, public and self-identified stigma as well as current research evidence paints a more complex and nuanced picture…

Big Alcohol and the Commercial Determinants of Health: What can public health do?

April 6, 2023

Callie Anderson is completing her Masters of Public Health at the University of Waterloo. She currently works as a Health Promoter developing programs and advocating for policies to improve public health and health equity at the community level.

What are the Commercial Determinants of Health? The commercial determinants of health (CDoH) are “the strategies and approaches the private sector uses to promote products and choices that are detrimental to health.”1 The concept of the CDoH has only relatively recently emerged as…

How public health should address high rates of mental illness in South Asian communities in Canada

April 6, 2023

It is imperative to address why some populations benefit from health services, while others do not. One example is the persisting low mental health rates among South Asian (SA) groups in Canada, which are significantly due to a lack of service uptake stemming from cultural barriers and lack of trust in the Western health care system. Given that strides have been made in ensuring mental illness awareness and healthcare opportunities, targeted solutions are needed to increase the use of mental health services by SA communities and other racialized populations. 

The Statistics…

What public health workers can do to improve First Nations family health: Dealing with health disparities that arise due to race

February 27, 2023

There are many different definitions of what a health disparity is, but the general agreement is that “[h]ealth disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources” between different groups of people.1

One health disparity that is currently very prevalent in society is race. 

An article from the Canadian Journal of Public Health states well that “[r]ace is often…

Post-COVID Condition, Data Collection, and Health System Capacity: Preparing for Canada’s future

February 16, 2023

Over the past two years, evidence has emerged to suggest that the impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) extend beyond the acute phase of illness. This chronic illness, known as long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), affects more than 1.4 million Canadians1 who are experiencing prolonged multi-system symptoms three months or longer after an initial COVID-19 infection.2—5 In a recent review of 102 primary studies, approximately 50% of the included studies reported PCC-related social impairment, worker absenteeism, and loss of employment.6 PCC…

Household food insecurity: it’s not just about food

January 13, 2023

Food bank use in Canada reached its highest level in history in March 2022. At nearly 1.5 million visits, this represents a 15% increase since 2021 and a 35% increase since 2019. This record occurs while many Canadians are experiencing crushing costs of living and inflation combined with wages and social supports that do not keep up with needs. In fact, food bank use significantly underestimates the severity of food insecurity. The pervasive focus on food banks as a strategic solution to household food insecurity highlights misplaced government priorities and a lack of progress. 

2022

Africa’s first local manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines forced to shut down?

October 6, 2022

In November 2021, Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa finalized an agreement to manufacture Africa’s first ever COVID-19 vaccine. This monumental deal meant that Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccine lead, could finally have some peace of mind. 

In a statement issued by Aspen, Mr…

Phthalates and BPA: Inaction by the Government of Canada Poses a Health Risk to Canadians

May 16, 2022

As a Canadian consumer, it is likely that the detergent, cosmetics, or toys you bought on a recent shopping trip, as well as the packaging of your food and your shopping receipt, contains chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). Phthalates are a large group of chemicals, often used to make plastics more flexible and durable, but they can also be found in shampoos and detergents, cosmetics, and even plastic packaging. The most common types of phthalates that are found in consumer goods include DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in the…