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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2006 Sep 1;97(Suppl 3):S4–S11. doi: 10.1007/BF03405391

Social Assistance, Lone Parents and Health: What Do We Know, Where Do We Go?

Aide sociale, parents seuls et santé: Que savons-nous? Que pouvons-nous faire?

Lori J Curtis 11,✉, Michael Pennock 21
PMCID: PMC6975903  PMID: 17357541

Abstract

Background

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.

Methods

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.

Results

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.

Conclusion

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.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/BF03405391 and is accessible for authorized users.

MeSH terms: Socio-economic factors, low-income population, maternal health, child health

French language version/Version en Français

41997_2006_BF03405391_MOESM1_ESM.pdf (112KB, pdf)

Aide sociale, parents seuls et santé: Que savons-nous? Que pouvons-nous faire?

Footnotes

Sources de financement: Nous remercions sincèrement l’Institut de la santé publique et des populations des IRSC pour le financement accordé pour ce projet. Nous remercions également le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, la Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation et le Fonds ontarien pour l’innovation qui a fourni des fonds par l’intermédiaire de la chaire de recherche du Canada. Enfin, nous remercions Linda Nichol pour son excellent soutien en matière de recherche.

Acknowledgements of sources of support: Funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research — Institute of Population and Public Health for this project is gratefully acknowledged. Curtis also acknowledges the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust for funding through her Canada Research Chair. We thank Linda Nichol for her excellent research assistance.

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