Knowledge Translation in Public Health: An Intersectionality-based Policy Analysis of Substance Use and Problem Gambling in the Province of British Columbia

Drs. Young and Smith-Carrier received a BC Ministry of Health Institutional Grant to study government policies related to substance use and problem gambling across BC ministries and related agencies.

Keen et al.’s (2022) recent study on the prevalence of mental illness and substance use in the Province of British Columbia (BC) found that one in five residents (n=921,346) sought care for a substance use disorder or mental illness in the past five years, and almost one in ten had sought care in the past year alone. People who use drugs (PWUD) and/or who have mental disabilities (including gambling addiction) comprise two of the most misunderstood and highly stigmatized populations in society (Corrigan & Kleinlein, 2005; Ti et al., 2012). Research also demonstrates that problem gambling is associated with substance use and/or other mental disorders (Rush et al., 2008). These issues are salient for the strategic health policy development by the Government of BC and will remain so in the foreseeable future. Using public health criteria (e.g., burden of illness), the goal of this research is to identify leading practices and opportunities to inform strategic policy development and reduce the burden of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and gambling on BC’s health system. The proposed study draws on the social determinants of health, and the critical theoretical lens of intersectionality, to employ an Intersectionality-based Policy Analysis (IBPA) on government policies related to substance use and problem gambling in BC. These policies will be assessed for coherency, specificity, alignment with evidence-informed practices, and attention to equity.