York University health researchers have
joined forces with other leading academics to publish a critical examination
of health and health care in Canada, released earlier this week.
This
book is the first to consider the health of Canadians and the organization
of the health care system from four distinct perspectives: epidemiology,
sociology, political economy, and human rights.
Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and
Health Care, is co-edited by York professors Dennis Raphael and Marcia Rioux,
and Toba Bryant, who is a post-doctoral fellow at St. Michael’s
Hospital’s Centre for Research in Inner City Health. Raphael
and Rioux are professors in York’s Atkinson School of Health
Policy and Management, which becomes part of the university’s
new Faculty of Health when it launches in July, 2006.
“ The key issues surrounding the health of Canadians and
the health care system have been largely neglected due to the narrow
focus
of much health research,” said Raphael.
“ This
book is our answer to that.”
While attention has been placed on diseases, risk factors and treatments,
Raphael said that health researchers must examine how societal structures
influence opportunities for good health.
“ The primary determinants of health are the availability
of income and affordability of quality housing and food. These determinants
are shaped by government decisions that reflect prevailing political
ideologies, and these ideologies also shape the organization and delivery
of health care services,” said Raphael.
Epidemiology links living conditions to disease and sociological approaches
show how the organization of society influences health and health care.
In addition, the volume adds perspectives that consider how political
and economic forces shape these issues. And importantly, the book places
health and health care as basic human rights and examines whether Canada
has met its commitments to uphold these human rights. Within these
frameworks, issues of special focus are the private-versus-public debate,
the evolution of Canada’s health care system, and the roles social
security and the social safety net play in shaping Canadians’ health.
“ It doesn’t make any sense to study narrow aspects
of health and disease without considering the sociological and political
context,”
Raphael said.
“ It’s a bit like a
jigsaw puzzle. You have to bring together all these areas in order
to find
sustainable solutions.”
Of particular importance is how the thrust
towards privatization of public resources is shaping both the health
of Canadians and the organization of the health care system. York professors weigh in on health care issues from a variety of perspectives.
Joel Lexchin shows how the regulation of the drug industry in Canada
has been weakened by the turning over of these duties to the private
sector. Marcia Rioux considers how views of disability shape how people
with disabilities and illness are treated by service systems. Pat Armstrong
considers how women’s health is influenced by the organization
of the health care system. Georgina Feldberg considers the history
of the health care system and Mary Wiktorowicz analyzes recent reforms
in Canada’s and other nations’ health care systems.
The volume showcases York’s interdisciplinary focus on health
research -- the mandate of the new Faculty of Health, which brings
together health researchers from a range of disciplines: kinesiology
and health science, health policy and management, nursing and psychology.
It is published by Canadian Scholars' Press Inc.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching
university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at
the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most
international city. The third largest university in the country, York
is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000
faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s
10 faculties and 22 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking
research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic
boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing
students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to
real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit
corporation.
News
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or activity. The views stated in the article above are not necessarily
those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released
by the University of York (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), on
07 April 2006. For further information, please visit their
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