Identifying Opportunities to Support The Evaluation of Upstream Health Promotion Initiatives in BC

Details

Health promotion interventions are more likely to be effective when they address the social conditions in which people are born, live, and age. Increasingly more public health initiatives in BC are intervening at this “upstream” level, targeting public policies, systems, and structures that perpetuate health inequities including food insecurity, housing, and early childhood development. However, evaluating these initiatives remains challenging because their impacts are often long-term, complex, and influenced by multiple intersecting systems.

We conducted a jurisdictional scan to identify current upstream evaluation efforts in BC. We interviewed two groups of health promotion professionals working in the regional health authorities and provincial health organizations: those conducting evaluations and those using evaluation findings to inform decisions. The findings highlighted a growing interest from both groups in building upstream evaluation capacity but also identified common barriers, including limited methodological guidance, data limitations, inconsistent use of evaluation frameworks, and a need for stronger cross-sector collaboration and knowledge sharing. Participants identified priorities for strengthening upstream evaluation capacity across the province, including developing shared resources to support upstream evaluation practice and evidence-informed decision-making.

Learning Objectives
• To explore current BC public health initiatives intervening ‘upstream’
• To identify tangible strategies for strengthening BC upstream evaluation capacity

Please contact Pamela Lee for attendance details.

Dr. Kimberly Thomson

Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Kimberly Thomson is an Assistant Professor at the Children’s Health Policy Centre within Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. Her research focuses on how children’s early social environments influence mental health and well-being across the life course. Her interests include evaluating the health and social impacts of public policies and systems supporting healthy early environments for children and families.

Shubh Athwal, MSc Student

children’s health policy centre, faculty of health sciences, simon fraser university

Shubh Athwal is a Master of Science student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University’s Children’s Health Policy Centre. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, also from SFU, where she developed an interest in health equity and the social determinants of health. Her graduate research broadly focuses on understanding the health developmental trajectories of newcomer children. She is also interested in the role of community-based approaches in informing research and better understanding the experiences of marginalized communities.