Curtis Lori J, Pennock Michael
Canada Research Chair in Health Economics and Technology, Department of Economics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON.
Can J Public Health. 2006 Sep-Oct;97 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):S4-10, S4-11. doi: 10.1007/BF03405391.
A mounting body of evidence indicates that lone mothers and their children are at higher risk of a variety of health problems. The dynamics of the relationship between social assistance, poverty and health are not well understood, and the study of this population presents substantial challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the state of research on lone parents, social assistance and health in an effort to make recommendations that will move the research forward.
Reviews of the relevant literature and social policies were conducted to identify (1) trends in social assistance policy and the extent of interprovincial variation in policy, and (2) research gaps. A series of interviews were conducted with key informants in government, non-governmental organizations and academia to gather information regarding research obstacles, opportunities and priorities. Finally, a consensus-building workshop was held to form research recommendations.
A substantial degree of variation exists among provinces and territories with regard to social assistance policies. The nature of the variation, however, is complex and does not fall into tightly defined categories. This variation creates the possibility for "natural experiments" to examine the health implications of policies and practices. The pace of policy change, however, creates problems with respect to evaluation of specific policy initiatives. Interviewees and workshop participants recognized substantial impediments to research in this area, particularly regarding the availability of appropriate data.
A research agenda, data development and dissemination activities were proposed to increase the research activity; these would be based upon multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral collaborations using multiple methodologies. The creation of a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral national consortium in social assistance and health, reflecting the appropriate mix of urban, rural, anglophone, francophone and First Nations communities, is proposed.
越来越多的证据表明，单身母亲及其子女面临各种健康问题的风险更高。社会救助、贫困与健康之间关系的动态变化尚未得到充分理解，对这一人群的研究面临重大挑战。本文旨在对单亲家庭、社会救助与健康的研究现状进行分析，以期提出推动该研究前进的建议。
对相关文献和社会政策进行综述，以确定（1）社会救助政策的趋势以及政策在各省之间的差异程度，（2）研究空白。与政府、非政府组织和学术界的关键信息提供者进行了一系列访谈，以收集有关研究障碍、机会和优先事项的信息。最后，举办了一次共识达成研讨会以形成研究建议。
各省和地区在社会救助政策方面存在很大差异。然而，这种差异的性质很复杂，并不属于严格定义的类别。这种差异为“自然实验”创造了可能性，以检验政策和实践对健康的影响。然而，政策变化的速度给评估具体政策举措带来了问题。受访者和研讨会参与者认识到该领域研究存在重大障碍，特别是在获取适当数据方面。
提出了一项研究议程、数据开发和传播活动，以增加研究活动；这些将基于使用多种方法的多学科、多部门合作。建议创建一个社会救助与健康领域的多学科、多部门国家联盟，体现城市、农村、英语区、法语区和原住民社区的适当组合。
