Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

The focus of this project is on examining the relationship between Ontario health policy, access to physiotherapy services, and its subsequent impact on the health outcomes, specifically on the rates of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) in individuals from racialized communities. Current physiotherapy policy in Ontario only allows for access in certain circumstances and groups of people leaving everyone else in between, the majority of the population, without access to care, especially those who lack private insurance or other means to pay. Existing research shows that people from racialized communities face healthcare barriers like lack of awareness, language issues, past experiences of discrimination and financial constraints. Along with this, racialized people also experience significantly greater rates of precarious and unstable employment leading to significant impacts on their health outcomes exemplified in higher rates of chronic pain and workplace injuries. Through the use of secondary data analysis and the theoretical framework of critical theory, drawing on critical race theory and a social determinants of health approach, this project aims to shed light on the role of current policy as it relates to access to physiotherapy services, playing a major role in the poor health outcomes of persons from racialized communities. This research will thereby contribute to the field of health sciences by addressing the gaps in understanding the impact of Ontario health policy as it relates to access of physiotherapy services and its subsequent impact on the health outcomes of persons from marginalized communities.