Sense of Community Belonging and Health in Canada: A Regional Analysis
Sense of Community Belonging and Health in Canada: A Regional Analysis
复制标题
DOI：
10.1007/s11205-011-9830-9
复制
发表时间：
2012-05-01
影响因子：
3.1
通讯作者：
Chowhan, James
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kitchen, Peter;Williams, Allison;Chowhan, James
本文探讨了加拿大不同规模的住区之间的社区归属感和健康之间的关联，并跨越城市到农村的连续体。利用最近的2007/2008年加拿大社区健康调查的数据，目标是确定社区归属感的主要健康、社会和地理决定因素，并考虑旨在改善某些人口阶层归属感的政策选择。研究发现，归属感与健康，特别是心理健康之间存在显著而一致的关联，即使在控制地理和社会经济地位的情况下也是如此。与此同时，社区归属感在整个城市和农村连续体中逐步提高，在加拿大的最外围地区，归属感明显较高。尽管加拿大农村和小城镇存在健康赤字，但该文件假定这些社区能够克服健康挑战，创造有利于积极归属感的条件。总体而言，归属感在老年人、居住在独立式住宅的人和有孩子的夫妇中最高，在青年人、高层公寓居民和单亲家庭中最低。最后，在解决归属感不足的背景下，本文探讨了最近的几项政策发展，旨在改善加拿大的精神卫生服务。
This article investigates the association between sense of community belonging and health among settlements of different size and across the urban to rural continuum in Canada. Using data from the recent 2007/08 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the objective is to identify the major health, social and geographic determinants of sense of community belonging and to consider policy options aimed at improving sense of belonging among certain segments of the population. The research found a significant and consistent association between sense of belonging and health, particularly mental health, even when controlling for geography and socio-economic status. At the same time, sense of community belonging improved progressively across the urban to rural continuum with remarkably high levels of belonging evident in the outer most regions of Canada. Despite the health deficit that exists in rural and small-town Canada, the paper postulates that these communities are able to overcome health challenges to create conditions conducive to a positive sense of belonging. Overall, sense of belonging was also found to be highest among seniors, people residing in single-detached homes and among couples with children and was lowest among youth, residents of high-rise apartments and among single-parents. Finally, in the context of addressing deficiencies in sense of belonging, the paper examines several recent policy developments aimed at improving mental health services in Canada.