The Canadian Action Framework for Social Change

Project Description

Challenge

There has historically been a lack of understanding of the social context of children with neurodisabilities and their family caregivers in Canada: how factors such as income, environment, education, and family life, known as the social determinants of health (SDOH), can impact their lives.

Project Summary

The Social Determinants of Health project, renamed “The Canadian Action Framework for Social Change,” aims to increase that understanding by creating a conceptual framework based on social science evidence. Before now, no other research team had developed or applied an SDOH framework to neurodisability in childhood.

Constant feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders, including parents, service providers, and KBHN research teams, were used to develop the framework. The team has been able to gain more knowledge about social determinants such as income trajectories, economic hardship and poverty in the U.S., education, and many more factors, with this work published (see below).

Result

What researchers found often went against common assumptions. While income would traditionally be regarded as a determinant of the presence or absence of impairments or health issues, under the new model, income and other barriers such as school and work relationships, social networks are a determinant of health issues as well as a challenge to quality of life for the child and their family. The framework has increased capacity among investigators at KBHN to understand how SDOH applies to children with neurodisabilities and their families.

Researchers have used the framework with neurodisability research and advocacy communities at key conferences such as the Kids Brain Health Network Conference. This framework has also been the backbone of the development and planning of the Navigation Resource project.

Publication: Angela M. Filipe, Aline Bogossian, Rosslynn Zulla, David Nicholas & Lucyna M. Lach (2020): Developing a Canadian framework for social determinants of health and well-being among children with neurodisabilities and their families: an ecosocial perspective, Disability and Rehabilitation, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1754926

Funding

This project was part of the larger “Social Determinates of Health Program.” As part of the program, this project was funded $800,000 by the Kids Brain Health Network and $640,431 by participating partners.