Grant: Knowledge Translation Supplement

Achieving and sustaining improved health outcomes and eliminating health inequities for low-income families continue to be monumental challenges for communities, funders, governments, and universities across the country and globally. Combating health inequities must involve partnerships that go beyond health to include other sectors, and beyond governments to involve communities and other agencies. Putting the Research to Work (PRW), a 10 year old research partnership, is an intersectoral partnership that consists of 17 community, funder, government (municipal, provincial, federal), and university partners representing multiple levels (from frontline to decision-maker) and sectors (e.g., health, children's services, employment). PRW has available to it extensive information in three areas critical for decision-making for low-income families: (a) the health and well-being of over 1100 children and their families over three years, including information on over 1400 variables reflecting demographic characteristics, social determinants of health (e.g., ethnicity, immigrant/aboriginal status, educational attainment, labour market attachment, housing, community participation, social support, use of services), and health outcomes, (b) service delivery dynamics for low-income families; and (c) collaboration among intersectoral partners (e.g., leadership, governance). The PRW partnership has developed a culture that is not only receptive to using research evidence, but is eager to learn how to do it effectively. It has determined the knowledge translation goal to be increasing the capacity of partners to apply evidence within and across their systems. By hiring a knowledge broker and communications specialist, and by hosting a spring institute, partners will have increased capacity to apply evidence within and across their systems to improve health outcomes for low-income families based on the database described above.