Health Promotion Clearinghouse

Action on the social determinants of health (SDH) is an emerging and exciting area of public health. To support this development, WHO has created Action:SDH, an electronic Discussion Platform, which aims to foster discussion and debate and to provide a clearing house to share experiences of actions aimed at improving health equity through addressing the social determinants of health. In so doing, WHO joins forces with a range of other organizations and networks around the world that are also committed to this agenda.

The purpose is to provide decision makers with better access to published and unpublished information about proven and emerging “best” practices models, theories, methods, research evidence and practical experience. It also consolidates multiple sources of interventions, practices and resources for health promotion and chronic disease prevention that are recommended by experts across Canada and internationally.

CCS KEN develops information packages outlining the most effective practices in chronic disease prevention, healthy living and palliative care. Procedures for collecting evidence have met the criteria established by the Public Health Agency of Canada Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention.

Funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, this is a web-based evaluation platform to help chronic disease prevention practitioners and program managers understand what works in what context.  The CAPTURE Platform enables users to share their work, find resources and connect with others. Once fully developed, it will offer a range of other solutions that cover program planning, evaluation and dissemination.

Nova Scotia Community Counts presents socio-economic and other data that illustrate the unique nature of each community. With easily accessible information, Community Counts also allows comparisons of community resources among regional, provincial, and national levels to present a more complete picture of Nova Scotian communities.

This is a free American resource for Task Force evidence-based recommendations and findings about what works to improve public health. The Community Guide is based on a scientific systematic review process aimed at answering questions such as: Which program and policy interventions have been proven effective? Are there effective interventions that are right for my community? What might effective interventions cost; what is the likely return on investment? The Community Guide includes systematic reviews on approximately 20 topics, including adolescent health, diabetes, nutrition, oral health, tobacco, the workplace, health communication, vaccines and more.

The KnowledgeCentre™ is a group subscriber-based service whose goal is to advance public health practice in Canada.  It includes a wide selection of resources including a library of reports, tools, books, journals, guidelines, manuals, policy documents, evaluated websites and resources.  It also includes e-Learning opportunities; current news and events; collaborative online communities; and career opportunities and job postings.

Affiliated with McMaster University, EHPP produces evidence synthesis documents, including systematic reviews, for health practitioners and decision makers in order to inform the planning and delivery of public health services in Canada. In addition to conducting systematic reviews, EHPP has produced a number of resources focused on research methods and tools involved in synthesizing and appraising research evidence.

This resource will be of interest to public health practitioners and researchers across the country, and is designed to: enhance knowledge about key players that support action on the determinants of health;  and increase connections among public health professionals who address health equity. This list is a preliminary scan of public health and health organizations that are taking action on the social determinants of health and advancing health equity.

The ultimate goal of this site is to facilitate the adoption and implementation of effective policies, programs and/or interventions at the local and regional public health decision making levels across Canada. The main feature of this web site is a free online registry of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of public health and health promotion interventions.  The registry is one component of a comprehensive knowledge translation site that is intended to support users in accessing and interpreting research evidence. The strategy is also aimed at connecting users across Canada (and internationally), who work in similar areas, or have similar interests.

This database provides a wealth of healthy living resources related to physical activity, healthy eating, tobacco intervention, as well as heart disease and stroke prevention. Recreational facilities and family resource centres are also listed. Resources are searchable provincially, as well as by each of Nova Scotia District Health Authorities.

The OCDPA Directory is a searchable database of Chronic Disease Prevention Initiatives in Ontario. Searching the Directory is available to anyone with internet access. Users can search generally or filter by risk factor, chronic disease, determinant of health, location, target audience, and setting.

The Health Promotion section of PHAC’s website includes resources under the following topics: Healthy Pregnancy and Infancy, Healthy Living, Injury Prevention, Mental Health, National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Obesity, Physical Activity, Population Health, Rural Health, and Seniors Health

Launched by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation in 2007, this free online database of resources is designed for health services organizations that wish to use research better. The database collects resources identified and developed by the foundation and others and provides a one-stop shop for tools that can help health system managers, policy makers, and their organizations acquire, appraise, adapt, and apply relevant research in their work.

TEIP is a program of the Ontario Public Health Association directed at increasing both the application and the generation of evidence in community-based health promotion and chronic disease prevention initiatives. It aims to strengthen the effectiveness of local health promotion and chronic disease prevention initiatives by building capacity for evidence-informed decision-making and the planning, implementation and use of realistic local program evaluations.