School of Health Policy and Management
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Browsing School of Health Policy and Management by Author "Ahmad, Farah"
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Item Open Access The Creation of Barriers and Isolation for Seniors Through the Increased Societal Dependence of Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic(2021-09-28) Li, Jessica; Raume, Geoffrey; Ahmad, FarahResearch done in the past on senior technology and of the newer research done on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic provides deeper insights into the functional, structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal barriers that seniors face when dealing with technology. Not only have devices and platforms not been made user-friendly for seniors with age-related declines, but the continuous attempts to push seniors intousingthe newest technologies have only built-up fear, anxiety and negative attitudes in seniors. Both society and seniors themselves need to address the ageist assumptions that they have about the limitations and behaviours associated with old age. The results and suggestions from this research will further advance the pre-existing research and add a relevant COVID-19 lens. Hopefully, it will also advance the field of critical disability scholarship and draw more attention to the discrimination seniors face because of their age.Item Open Access Examining Mental Health Apps Potential in Providing Equitable Access to Care in the Global North and Global South: A Scoping Review(2019-08-09) Rasendran, Raneeshan; Ahmad, Farah; Morrow, MarinaPromising, ongoing research on online mental health interventions or mental health applications (MHAPPs) has presented the global mental health care community with a potential solution to fill in the gaps in access to mental health care. Many of the MHAPPs have focused on conditions of depression and anxiety. Yet, it remains unclear whether such interventions can address the access to care gap in an equitable manner by reaching the diverse communities both in the global North and global South. The countries of Canada and United States were chosen as exemplars for the global North and China and India as exemplars for the global South. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodical framework, a scoping review was conducted on academic and grey literature published since 2015. Under critical social paradigm, the synthesis of review studies employed the social determinants of health lens along with role of macro forces like neoliberalism and collectivism-individualism. The results reveal that MHAPPs for depression and anxiety have been shown to be efficacious in studies both in the global North and global South, though few of the efficacious apps have been made freely available. Further, the guided-online interventions in the global North and global South are also found to facilitate program adherence, especially in rural settings. However, the review reveals that several barriers exist in the global South to make online interventions widely available and accessible. The identified barriers include mental health stigma and discrimination, financial and social challenges, difficulties in using the technology-based applications, and cultural barriers to ‘self-management’. In conclusion, this review has identified the potential of MHAPPs in broad settings; however, there is a need to design these programs by incorporating the social determinants of health framework to better address the structural barriers to access care. Policy makers should be cautious in steadily implementing MHAPPs in disadvantaged communities, as broader policies are needed to address the logistical capabilities of accessing online mental care. Further studies on MHAPPS are also needed with a bottom-up approach to adapt to various cultural context and reach marginalized communities. Given the specific focus of the presented review on Canada and United States as global North and China and India as global South, the findings need to be interpreted carefully. Further work by including additional geographic regions is needed to advance the scholarly understanding.Item Open Access Pathologizing Abuse: Examining Public Health Approaches to Addressing Intimate Partner Violence in Canada(2018-10-24) Nandakumar, Manasi; Raphael, Dennis; Ahmad, FarahThis paper aims to examine the medicalization of intimate partner violence (IPV) using critical political economy, feminist political economy and Foucault’s theory of power. A critical discourse analysis of publications released by public health and medical associations reveal explanations of IPV that avoid addressing the socio-political context in which family violence takes place. Additionally, the limiting epistemological frameworks guiding medical and public health disciplines give rise to professional and societal discourses that remain uncritical of larger political and social structures that perpetuate inequalities. Biologically and psychologically rooted theorizations of violence are shown to perpetuate a victimization model that places the locus of change at the individual. Drawing from concepts of decommodification and defamilisation, the MRP will explore the role of the Canadian welfare state in facilitating women’s dependency on the family. I argue that current approaches and initiatives proposed in the Chief Public Health Officer’s (CPHO) Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2016: A Focus on Family Violence in Canada, A Year in Review: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the Screening for Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse of Elderly and Vulnerable adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement and the Intimate Partner Violence Consensus Statement by the Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Canada fails to address the overall poor social standing of women that arises from inequitable macro-social policies. Findings of the analysis elucidate the ways in which abused women are further disenfranchised by policies informed by medical and public health discourses.Item Open Access 'The Supports Exist - Why Can't We Access Them?' : Unveiling the Barriers in Accessing Home Care Services for the Unpaid Caregivers of Children With Medically Complex Needs In Ontario(2017-08-18) Mora Severino, Samadhi; Ahmad, Farah; Rioux, MarciaExisting research, and my personal experiences and observations indicate that caring for a child with medically complex needs without formal support causes caregiver burnout. An additional layer of complexity relates to the duality of being both parent and caregiver, and societies’ failure to understand how these intersect to cause undue burden on parents. The primary aim of the Major Research Paper is to examine why and how caregivers are facing these barriers in accessing home care supports in Ontario, along with the related health implications for children for their unpaid caregivers. This research is informed by the principles of critical social theory and emancipatory approaches along with human rights and intersectionality lenses. My comprehensive review of human rights frameworks demonstrated that rights to access home care supports are unequivocally established in international, national and provincial laws and conventions. In contrast, the qualitative interviews with ten caregivers of children with medically complex needs demonstrated several rights violations when accessing home care supports. The key findings include: negative impacts to caregivers’ health due to difficulty accessing home care supports; withholding information resulted in unpaid caregivers being unable to trust CCAC staff; and the financial impacts of not having access to home care. Based on participant interviews, changes to the home care system need to include a proactive not reactive approach, and an emphasis on creating partnerships with unpaid caregivers in policy creation.Item Open Access The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Nurses in Canada(2023-08) Kaur, Charandeep; Morrow, Marina; Ahmad, FarahMental health stress and conditions have become key health issues, particularly for nurses working in Canada. Nurses for years have experienced psychological distress from their work environments, which have worsened since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The consequences nurses are facing are dire and have placed them in vulnerable positions within the Canadian healthcare system. The vulnerability of nurses in society is associated with systemic factors including power relations within the political economy that undervalues this healthcare profession. This political and stereotypical view of nurses is problematic in promoting nurses’ wellness and mental health even in crises like Covid-19. Moreover, there is a lack of focus given by health organizations and the Canadian government on mental health and its associated symptoms on a long-term basis. This paper utilizes a feminist political economic and an intersectional framework to examine policymaking to understand how systematic factors influence the mental health state of nurses in Canada. Analyzing their experiences and the effects of the system at multiple dimensions offers insights on the need for more services and supports for nurses’ mental health for a robust health workforce now and under crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.Item Open Access Youth-Serving Organizations' Inclusivity of LGBTQ Newcomers - A Content Analysis(2019-08-09) Flett, Joseph; Morrow, Marina; Ahmad, FarahLGBTQ newcomer youth in Canada experience unique challenges due to their intersecting identities which may negatively impact their well-being and development. For those lacking support at home and in school, youth-serving organizations provide various services and socialization that can effectively address these challenges. In a two-stage content analysis, this study explored LGBTQ newcomer inclusivity in 39 youth-serving organizations in Toronto and Vancouver, as well as programs and services offered to this population specifically. Stage 1 findings demonstrate that few organizations displayed inclusion of and supports for LGBTQ newcomers. Stage 2 findings show that approaches to programs and services offered to this population can be categorized into four themes: cultural and linguistic sensitivity, skills development & education, socialization & community connections, and health & well-being. The efficacy of their approaches is largely supported by the literature. Recommendations for best practices are discussed, with an emphasis placed on the importance of inclusive policies that incorporate an intersectional understanding of youth.