Grant: Operating Grant

Characteristics of families are among the most important determinants of health in populations of young people. Some basic family-related factors (e.g., how often families eat meals together, whether there is positive adult-child communication, and how families are organized) relate strongly to many important child health outcomes. Using a novel, holistic approach to child health, we wish to examine how such family factors potentially influence composite health outcomes, which include physical, social, emotional and spiritual factors. The study will, efficiently, involve in-depth quantitative analyses of existing health survey data collected as part of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study. It will also involve complimentary qualitative analyses of the experiences and perceptions of groups of young adolescents from across Canada. Knowledge translation will be an important element throughout each phase of this study. Knowledge products will include traditional scientific manuscripts, as well as a series of lay resources containing accessible and practical ideas to assist Canadian families (in all their rich diversity) in creating home environments that are optimal to nurturing a holistic experience of health in children and adolescents.