The way in which the media portray spousal violence and intrafamilial homicide, regardless of whether the focus is on reported incidents or the problem in general, can have an impact on the public’s perception of the problem. For example, media coverage of intrafamilial homicides highlights the sudden and inexplicable nature of such acts, leading to the belief that they are almost impossible to prevent. However, an analysis of records from the coroner’s office revealed that in most of the cases covered by this analysis, the act in question had been preceded by weeks, months or even years of conflict.

Some thought should be given to how certain characteristics of coverage in the print media can affect the people concerned. For example, although the articles analyzed generally...

The issue of work-family balance (WFB) has not been given much attention in terms of its impact on health. Therefore the purpose of this advisory is to examine WFB policies likely to foster the health of working mothers and fathers. The conceptual framework is innovative in that the analysis incorporates the impact of WFB difficulties on health, the role of the neighbourhood, working conditions and public policy in the work-family-health equation.

The statistical portrait of WFB in Québec reveals how the sizeable increase in the proportion of women in the labour market, particularly mothers, has contributed to the emergence of WFB as an issue, similar to what has occurred in many jurisdictions around the world. According to the Québec data, time conflicts seem to be a...

La question de la conciliation travail-famille (CTF) a encore été peu été abordée sous l'angle de son impact sur la santé. C'est ce que fait le présent avis en s'intéressant aux politiques publiques de CTF susceptibles de favoriser la santé des mères et des pères en emploi. Le cadre conceptuel est novateur en ce sens qu'il incorpore, dans son analyse de l'impact des difficultés de CTF sur la santé, le rôle des milieux de vie, des conditions de travail et des politiques publiques dans l'équation travail-famille-santé.

Le portrait statistique de la CTF au Québec montre comment l'augmentation importante de la proportion des femmes actives sur le marché du travail, et plus particulièrement, celle des mères, a contribué à l'émergence de la problématique de la CTF, comme dans...

While Canadians have invested heavily in areas such as health care and education for years, the country has fallen behind in terms of providing resources for our children. Approximately 27% of kindergarten-aged children in Canada do not have all the developmental assets they need to thrive both upon entering school and into the future (Kershaw, Irwin, Trafford & Hertzman, 2005; Willms, 2002).

Public health actors are increasingly aware of the impact this situation can have on the health of Canadians, young and old, in the short and the long term. This briefing note presents a definition of developmental health, discusses the social determinants of developmental health, shows some key figures for Canada and suggests a healthy public family policy framework to support...