Reference framework

Universal accessibility is defined as "the character of a product, process, service, informational element or environment that, with equity and inclusiveness in mind, enables any person to perform activities independently and achieve equivalent results”.

This issue of OPUS focuses on outdoor recreational facilities, specifically facilities that are freely accessible to the public, are not reserved for members of an organization, enable the practice of recreational or sports activities and meet the needs of residents. Recreational areas such as splash parks (with the exception of swimming pools and wading pools), sports fields, walking areas and bicycle paths included in parks and green spaces are just a few examples. This issue is intended…

Vulnerability is a concept that remains poorly defined and widely debated. Its many applications in different contexts and disciplines are constantly transforming its contours and redefining its form. Thus, vulnerability can be seen as immanent to all forms of life, or it can be reduced to a potential risk of being injured or affected in a well-defined context (e.g., the risk of suffering from a respiratory disease in a context of repeated exposure to air pollution).

The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) has collaborated with the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) to develop a public policy analysis tool adapted to rapid decision-making contexts. This tool is particularly relevant in the context of a health emergency, where decisions must be made at an accelerated pace. The NCCHPP is making this tool available to public health actors who have to conduct such analyses as part of their mandate and who wish…

A framework for integrated health promotion and prevention actions based on a competency approach

The framework for integrated promotion and prevention actions in schools seeks to promote the development of competencies that contribute to academic success and are common to a range of subjects related to health and well-being. It is aimed at counteracting the tendency to compartmentalize actions (e.g., healthy eating, sexuality). The framework also lays out the…

The literature in public health ethics and other key documents exhibit a wide variety of values that offer many potential guides for assessing or orienting action. Among these many values, which ones are most relevant for conducting ethical analysis of public health actions? And are they valid for all public health interventions, or only some? How are these values defined?

This Framework of Values to Support Ethical Analysis of Public Health Actions was produced precisely to address…

A new government intervention plan was adopted in early 2013 to protect public health against West Nile virus (WNV) infection, since WNV infection epidemiological activity had resumed in Québec in 2011 and 2012. This new plan establishes the strategy to be pursued for the years 2013 to 2015. The primary objective of the strategy adopted by public health authorities is to prevent the complications and human mortality related to WNV infection.

Interventions are planned to combat…

The underlying impetus of the occupational health framework is a desire to enact change. This tool aims to address the modernization challenges outlined in the Programme national de santé publique (MSSS, 2008) [Québec's updated public health program] and the Plan stratégique du Réseau de santé publique en santé au travail (MSSS, 2010) [the strategic plan of Québec's public health network in occupational health, and it offers a wide range of opportunities for organizational and professional…

The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) is a public health expertise and reference centre in Québec that engages in research, monitoring, training, knowledge translation, public policy development, and the production of scientific advisory reports. These are considered the organization's cross-cutting functions. Mastery of the scientific processes underlying these functions is essential to the improvement of the materials produced by the INSPQ and the services offered to…

Environmental health is a rapidly evolving field, and people working in this field have to deal with increasingly complex situations. Many environmental health practitioners need to develop new professional practices and update their competencies continuously in order to adapt to the new realities in the field. A group of public health experts set out to develop this environmental health competency framework in order to give practitioners an opportunity to engage in a process of continuing…