Wellness and Social Connection in Richmond
James Broesch, PhD‐ VCH Regional Leader, Population & Public Health Research and Knowledge Exchange
Diane Bissenden, VCH‐Richmond Director Population & Family Health, VCH Regional Public Health Program Director
November 18th, 2016
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Overview
• Small group discussion of social connections and their impact
• Link Between Social Connections and Health• My Health My Community Profile
– Social Connections in Richmond
• Approaches to Promote Social Connection
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Small Group Discussion• In the next 5 minutes, discuss the following questions:
1. What does social connection mean to you?2. What are the positive impacts that social
connection has on your life?3. Have there been negative impacts on your
life?
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Sharing With Larger Group
1. What does social connection mean to you?2. What are the positive impacts that social
connection has on your life?3. Have there been negative impacts on your
life?
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Various Forms of Social Connection• Social Capital
– Access to support, resources, and information due to relationships with others
• Social Cohesion– Perception of belonging to a
‘community’• Social Inclusion
– Full and equal participation in social, cultural and political institutions for all members of a ‘community’
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Image Designed by Alvaro_cabrera - Freepik.com
How Social Connections Impact Wellness• Social Support and Social Cohesion
– Support in times of need/crisis– Direct effects on mental health
(depression, anxiety) – Evidence of impact on mortality as well– Perception alone matters
• Social Inclusion– Increased ability to access resources– Racism and discrimination have been show to
impact mental and physical health
• Negative Effects– Can also lead to people feeling overburdened by
social obligations to others– Can spread/reinforce negative health behaviors
as well as positive ones
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Image Credit: Emma Seppala
My Health, My Community
• Voluntary survey– June 2013‐July 2014– Target of 2% of >18 population
• Snapshot of the health, lifestyle, and neighborhood characteristics
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Richmond Demographics• Similarities to Metro‐
Vancouver: – Age– Gender– Education– Income
• Differences from Metro‐Vancouver< Born in Canada (Metro=64%)> Chinese Ethnicity (Metro= 17%)
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Data Source: My Health, My Community
Health Behaviors• Strengths:
– Lowest Binge Drinking Rate in VCH (15% binge 1+ times per month)
– Lower Smoking Rates than Metro‐Van– Less reports of high stress levels (14% vs.
18% for Metro‐Van)• Opportunities
– Lowest Rates of getting 150+ minutes of physical activity per week in VCH
– Lower fruit and vegetable consumption (21% eating 5+ fruit and veg per day vs. 25% for Metro‐Van)
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Data Source: My Health, My Community
Built Environment• Strengths
– 76% of respondents reported well maintained sidewalks
• Opportunities– Lower Rates of Active Transportation
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Data Source: My Health, My Community
Health Outcomes• Strengths
– Lower rates of Asthma/COPD
– Lower reports of mood or anxiety disorders
• Opportunities– Self‐Rated General Health and Mental Health Significantly Lower than Metro‐Van
– Higher rates of Diabetes– Higher rates of Hypertension
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Data Source: My Health, My Community
Social Connections Q’s on MHMC
Two Forms of Social Connections asked on survey:
– Social Capital: “How many people do you have in your network that you could confide in, tell your problems to, or call when you really need help?”
– Community Cohesion: “How would you describe your sense of belonging to your local community?”
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Social Support
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25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
Bridgeport/East
Cambie/WestCambie
Broadmoor Seafair Gillmore/Shellmont
Blundell City Centre Steveston Sea Island/Thompson
Hamilton/East
Richmond/FraserLands
% of population with 4+ people that they could confide in or turn to for help
Metro‐Vancouver Average
Richmond Average
Data Source: My Health, My Community
Community Belonging
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30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
Hamilton/East Richmond/Fraser Lands
Blundell Broadmoor Gillmore/Shellmont
City Centre Bridgeport/East Cambie/West Cambie
Seafair Sea Island/Thompson
Steveston
% of population with strong sense of community belonging
Metro‐Vancouver Average
Richmond Average
Data Source: My Health, My Community
Policy Approaches to Promoting Social Connections
• Programmatic Approaches– Basic Premise: Bring individuals together around a common activity, and allow social connections to develop
– Evidence for being effective• Built Environment
– Basic Premise: Create spaces and build physical structures that attract people to socialize
– Less researched, based on expert opinion
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Programing for Youth
• Extra‐circular activity programs– Arts– Sports– Other Social Activities
• Can promote:– Social support
(Schafer et al. 2011)
– School connectedness (Linver et al. 2009)
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Image Credit: mycollegeplanningteam.com
Programing for Older Adults• Physical Activity Programs (CDC‐Enhance Fitness)
– E.g. Sports and Exercise– Promote social connection– Low Cost– Have positive impacts beyond social connection
• Social Programing (Cattan et al. 2005)– E.g. Facilitated group discussions aimed at reducing social
isolation, or home visits for isolated individuals– Leads to increased perceptions of social connection and support– More effective when done in group setting rather home visiting
or 1‐on‐1 programs
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Built Environment Micro Features
• Small structures can have substantial impact
• For adults 60+ living in Downtown Vancouver Benches (Ottoni et al. 2016):– Increased Physical Mobility– Increased sense of social connection and belonging
– Particularly impactful for women, more sedentary, and living alone
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Image Credit: freepik.com
Built Environment in Building Design• Guidelines Based on Expert Opinion Developed by City of North Vancouver– External Corridors Indoor Amenity Space
– Outdoor Recreation Area– Outdoor Gardening Area
• Provides spaces for people to meet and mingle naturally
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Questions? / Discussion
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