Project 172119

Nearly one in five Canadian adults experience a mental illness and this illness disproportionately affects people living in poor neighbourhoods. The total direct and indirect cost of mental health problems was estimated to be dollar14.4 billion in 1998, placing it among the most expensive health conditions in Canada. In order to design cost effective interventions at the community level, prevention efforts must be informed by an understanding of how social determinants of health (SDOH) affect mental health, and the pathways between SDOH, and mental health and wellbeing. The specific aims of our study are: AIM 1 : To explore neighbourhood factors in St. James Town that influence newcomers' and non-immigrants health and wellbeing. AIM 2: To examine the processes and mechanisms that will help explain the relationships between social determinants of health at the neighbourhood level and health outcomes. This proposed research is using the St. James Town (SJT) neighbourhood of Toronto as a case study to explore the implications of perceived neighbourhood attributes on mental health and wellbeing of newcomers. Using a cross-sectional design this study will capture gender specific experiences of two major groups (a) newcomers i.e. Chinese, Tamil, and Filipino and (b) non-immigrant. The study will gather data through structured face-to-face interviews of 1500 adults in the language of the participants. The findings from this case study will help the development of strategies that promote community mobilization and help newcomer communities influence public policy, secure improved local services, and build on existing successful community strengths that promote mental health and wellbeing.