Is Child Health Important to You?
Written by admin, January 23, 2015
January 22, 2015 – The Ontario Child Health Study is Coming to Peterborough
You’ve probably heard – 1 in 5 Ontario children/youth have a mental health issue…
Is that number still true? We don’t know. That number came from the last Ontario Child Health Study, conducted in 1983. Thirty years ago the world was a very different place.
The largest and most comprehensive study on child and youth mental health that has ever been done in Ontario is now underway. The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (2014 OCHS), conducted by Statistics Canada, will invite over 13,500 families with children and youth aged 4-17 years living in 180 communities to participate. In addition, more than 200 schools from these same communities will be asked to participate in the School Mental Health Surveys, conducted by McMaster University. This companion study will examine the link between schools and student mental health. The information gathered through both studies will provide a more complete overview of our children and youth than ever before.
“More and more children are born into social and economic disadvantage, which increases their risk for poor health and lowers their life chances. It is up to us to find strengths in families, neighbourhoods and schools that can offset these disadvantages and to challenge the health care system to better meet the needs of children and youth confronting mental health issues,” said Dr. Michael Boyle, Principle Investigator & Canada Research Chair in the Social Determinants of Child Health.
To obtain an accurate picture of child and youth mental health in Ontario, the 2014 OCHS partner, Statistics Canada, has randomly selected families across Ontario, including Peterborough. Letters were sent to these families at the beginning of October 2014 and, in the next couple of months, Statistics Canada will be following-up by phone to enlist willing families for the 2014 OCHS. For most families, participation involves a one-and-a-half to two hour home visit with an in-depth series of questions about mental and physical health, social relationships, home life, the cyber world and more.
Agreeing to participate in the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study will make a real difference in the lives of our children and youth. Results from the 1983 Study led federal and provincial governments to invest heavily in new child development initiatives such as the Ontario Early Years Centres. It’s been 30 years since we examined child and youth mental health in Ontario. What should we be doing now to improve the mental health of our children and youth? It’s time to look again. Please say yes if asked to participate.
For more information about this project or the School Mental Health Surveys, and our media kit, go to their website: www.ontariochildhealthstudy.ca
Follow us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/2014OCHS
Or on Twitter @ 2014OCHS Hashtags: #2014OCHS, #SMHS, #SayYES
Or contact: Laura Duncan – Project Coordinator
Phone: 905 521 2100 ext. 74358 Email: duncanlj@mcmaster.ca
For more information about the methodology, content and collection process of the 2014 Ontario Child Health
Study conducted by Statistics Canada, visit http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/survey/household/3824 or contact:
Statistics Canada Media Hotline at 613-951-INFO (951-4636) or email: mediahotline@statcan.gc.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Gail Chislett
Health Promoter
705-743-1000, ext. 266