A Scoping Review of Foci, Trends, and Gaps in Reviews of Tobacco Control Research.

Introduction: The burden of disease associated with tobacco use has prompted a substantial increase in tobacco-related research, but the breadth of this literature has not been comprehensively examined. This review examines the nature of the research addressing the action areas in World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the populations targeted and how equity-related concepts are integrated.

Method: A scoping review of published reviews addressing tobacco control within the primary prevention domain.

Indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies: a locally driven collaborative project in Ontario.

Introduction: Funded by a Public Health Ontario 'Locally Driven Collaborative Project' grant, a team led by public health practitioners set out to develop and test a comprehensive set of indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies (LPHAs).

Methods: The project began with a scoping review, consultation with content experts, and development of a face-validated set of indicators aligned with the four public health roles to address health inequities (NCCDH, 2014), plus a fifth set of indicators related to an organizational and system development role. We report here on the field testing of the indicators for feasibility, face validity (clarity, relevance), reliability, and comparability in four Ontario LPHAs.

Participatory action as a research method with public health nurses.

Aim: This article explores and describes participatory action research (PAR) as a preferred method in addressing nursing practice issues. This is the first study that used PAR with public health nurses (PHNs) in Canada to develop a professional practice model.

Background: Participatory action research is a sub-category of action research that incorporates feminist and critical theory with foundations in the field of social psychology.

Organizational level indicators to address health equity work in local public health agencies: A scoping review.

Objective: To determine what organizational level indicators exist that could be used by local Ontario public health agencies to monitor and guide their progress in addressing health equity.

Method: This scoping review employed Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) six-stage framework. Multiple online databases and grey literature sources were searched using a comprehensive strategy.

Reorienting Public Health Nurses' Practice With a Professional Practice Model.

Purpose Documents articulating public health nurses' (PHNs') roles, including Canadian standards and competencies, depict a broad focus working at multiple levels to improve population outcomes through the promotion of health equity. Conversely, Canadian experts depict a looming crisis, based on the rising disconnect between daily activities and ideal practice. While perfectly positioned, PHNs' skills and abilities are under-utilized and largely invisible.

Report of an equity-focused health impact assessment of a proposed universal parenting program in Manitoba.

Objectives: To assess potential inequitable impacts of a proposed Teen Triple P Positive Parenting Program (Teen PPP) in Manitoba to achieve equity of access and outcomes for families of diverse backgrounds; recommend (if required) alternative actions to promote greater equity of access and outcomes for families participating in Teen PPP; and evaluate the influence of recommendations on implementation of the proposed program.

Intervention: An equity-focused health impact assessment (EfHIA) of the proposed Teen PPP was conducted, using a standard EfHIA framework. Methods used to assess potential Teen PPP impacts included: a literature review, key informant interviews and 14 community consultations.

A multiple case study of intersectoral public health networks: experiences and benefits of using research.

Background: Network partnerships between public health and third sector organisations are being used to address the complexities of population level social determinants of health and health equity. An understanding of how these networks use research and knowledge is crucial to effective network design and outcome evaluation. There is, however, a gap in the literature regarding how public health networks use research and knowledge.

Does public health advocacy seek to redress health inequities? A scoping review.

The public health (PH) sector is ideally situated to take a lead advocacy role in catalysing and guiding multi-sectoral action to address social determinants of health inequities, but evidence suggests that PH's advocacy role has not been fully realised. The purpose of this review was to determine the extent to which the PH advocacy literature addresses the goal of reducing health and social inequities, and to increase understanding of contextual factors shaping the discourse and practice of PH advocacy. We employed scoping review methods to systematically examine and chart peer-reviewed and grey literature on PH advocacy published from January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2015.

A Conceptual Framework of Organizational Capacity for Public Health Equity Action (OC-PHEA).

The Canadian public health sector's foundational values of social justice and equity, and its mandate to promote population health, make it ideally situated to take a strong lead in addressing persistent and unacceptable inequities in health between socially disadvantaged, marginalized or excluded groups and the general population. There is currently much attention paid to improving understanding of pathways to health equity and development of effective population health interventions to reduce health inequities. Strengthening the capacity of the public health sector to develop, implement and sustain equity-focused population health initiatives - including readiness to engage in a social justice-based equity framework for public health - is an equally essential area that has received less attention.

The role of public health agencies in addressing child and family poverty: public health nurses' perspectives.

Poverty rates among child-bearing families in industrialised countries remain unacceptably high and have significant implications for population health. Both today and in the past, public health nurses have observed the impact of poverty on family health and well-being every day in their practice; yet, their perspectives on their role in addressing child and family poverty are currently absent from the literature. This paper presents findings of a qualitative descriptive study that explored perspectives of public health nurses in an urban Canadian setting about the impact of poverty on the well-being of children and families, and the potential roles of health organisations and public health nurses in addressing this issue.

Developing guidelines for quality community health nursing clinical placements for baccalaureate nursing students.

Rapidly increasing enrollment in Canadian schools of nursing has triggered the development of innovative clinical placement sites. There are both opportunities and challenges inherent in the delivery of clinical nursing education in diverse community settings. As part of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing's (CASN) ongoing work to assist its members and ensure baccalaureate graduates are prepared to meet the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice at an entry-to-practice level, the CASN Sub-Committee on Public Health (funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada) conducted extensive national consultations with representatives from both academic and practice settings, as well as key national organizations.

Community health clinical education in Canada: part 2--developing competencies to address social justice, equity, and the social determinants of health.

Recently, several Canadian professional nursing associations have highlighted the expectations that community health nurses (CHNs) should address the social determinants of health and promote social justice and equity. These developments have important implications for (pre-licensure) CHN clinical education. This article reports the findings of a qualitative descriptive study that explored how baccalaureate nursing programs in Canada address the development of competencies related to social justice, equity, and the social determinants of health in their community health clinical courses.

Community health clinical education in Canada: part 1--"state of the art".

This paper presents the findings of a survey of community health clinical education in twenty-four Canadian pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing programs. A qualitative research design was used, involving a content analysis of Canadian course syllabi and supporting documents for community health courses. This study afforded a cross-sectional understanding of the "state of the art" of community health clinical education in Canadian schools of nursing.

Preparing the community health nursing workforce: internal and external enablers and challenges influencing undergraduate nursing programs in Canada.

The Canadian Schools of Nursing (CASN) task force on public health was mandated to facilitate Schools of Nursing to provide students with the foundation required to meet the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice. This paper reports on an environmental scan that explored barriers and enablers influencing the integration of community health nursing content in baccalaureate education in Canada. Data was collected over three phases including: 1) a pan-Canadian survey of nursing schools, 2) completion of open-ended workbook questions by educators, policy makers, administrators, and community health nursing managers attending a pan-Canadian symposium on community health nursing, and 3) recorded notes from the symposium.

Development of the role of public health nurses in addressing child and family poverty: a framework for action.

Aim: The purpose of this paper is to invite dialogue about how public health nurses could best address child and family poverty. Their current role is reviewed and a framework for expanding this role is presented.

Background: The negative health consequences of poverty for children are well-documented worldwide.

Barriers to population-focused health promotion: the experience of public health nurses in the province of Manitoba.

There is growing evidence that population health is influenced by broad socio-environmental factors that require population-focused health promotion strategies. The author reports on a study of the perspectives of public health nurses (PHNs) on the nature of their health promotion practice in the Canadian province of Manitoba, highlighting their perceptions about barriers to population-focused health promotion. A descriptive, exploratory research design was used to conduct standardized open-ended interviews with 24 PHNs in 3 geographically and demographically diverse health authorities.

Population health as a framework for public health practice: a Canadian perspective.

I explored the discourse on population health within 3 diverse regional health authorities in Manitoba, Winnipeg, with a focus on the public health sector. At all study sites, population health was viewed primarily as an epidemiological tool for population health assessment and surveillance rather than as an approach to taking action on the broad determinants of health. My findings suggest that concerns about the limitations of population health as a framework for public health efforts to reduce inequities in health are warranted.