Exploring Public Health's roles and limitations in advancing food security in British Columbia

OBJECTIVES: This research analyzes the roles and limitations of Public Health in British Columbia in advancing food security through the integration of food security initiatives into its policies and programs. It asks the question, can Public Health advance food security? If so, how, and what are its limitations? METHODS: This policy analysis merges findings from 38 key informant interviews conducted with government and civil society stakeholders involved in the development of food security initiatives, along with an examination of relevant documents. The Population Health Template is used to delineate and analyze Public Health roles in food security. RESULTS: Public Health was able to advance food security in some ways, such as the adoption of food security as a core public health program. Public Health's leadership role in food security is constrained by a restricted mandate, limited ability to collaborate across a wide range of sectors and levels, as well as internal conflict within Public Health between Food Security and Food Protection programs. CONCLUSIONS: Public Health has a role in advancing food security, but it also faces limitations. As the limitations are primarily systemic and institutional, recommendations to overcome them are not simple but, rather, require movement toward embracing the determinants of health and regulatory pluralism. The results also suggest that the historic role of Public Health in food security remains salient today

Lower the Stakes: A Public Health Approach to Gambling in British Columbia: Provincial Health Officer’s 2009 Annual Report

Permission to include in Alberta Gambling Research Institute research repository granted by Intellectual Property Program on October 24, 2013. File Number: 7200003122This Provincial Health Officer’s annual report examines gambling in BC using a comprehensive public health approach. A public health approach considers preventive interventions, health promotion, health protection, and assessment and surveillance, and addresses issues related to quality of life for all members of the community. In applying such an approach, this report acknowledges and incorporates the health, social, and economic dimensions of gambling. It reviews the history of gambling in Canada and BC, describes current gambling policies and programs in BC, and examines evidence-based strategies to minimize the negative effects of gambling while optimizing the potential benefits.YesThis report represents a collaborative effort of the Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC), the University of Victoria, and the BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer