Abstract

Quality of Life: An Integrated Framework for Research, Public Policy and Community Action

Malcolm Shookner

"Quality of life" has become a topic of national importance, with research activities going on across the country. It has also emerged as an integrating concept for addressing the health and well-being of Canadians by public policy makers, community developers, and researchers. Reports from authoritative sources link quality of life with population health, social development and sustainability. Quality of life (QOL) provides an integrated framework for inter-disciplinary, inter-sectoral research that addresses human and social development in a comprehensive way that is understandable to the public and policy makers. QOL researchers from across Canada met in Halifax in December 2002 to develop a collaborative research agenda. They called for the development of a common framework for QOL research and the development of indicators that are comparable across jurisdictions and communities. This would provide a comparative basis to influence federal, provincial and municipal policies. QOL models can have common features but also must be flexible to respect to local communities. A national working group has been formed to review current models of QOL in pursuit of a consensus model. This paper will provide an overview of current QOL research models and their potential for common use in Canada.

Bio

Malcolm Shookner has an extensive background in social development and population health. He is a recognized expert on quality of life research in Canada. As the Executive Director of the Ontario Social Development Council (1991-2000), he was led the design and development of the Quality of Life Index (QLI) for Ontario. He was the author of "The Quality of Life in Ontario" series of reports published by Ontario Social Development Council (1997-2000) that provided both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the changes in living conditions that affect the quality of life in communities. They made headlines across Ontario and sparked debate about public policies to support the quality of life. Mr. Shookner presented the QLI model at the Second International Conference on Quality of Life in Cities in Singapore (March 2000). He wrote, "Quality of Life Research, A Global Perspective" upon his return. In October 2001, he was appointed Chair of the Quality of Life Work Group of the Canadian Consortium for Health Promotion Research. In this role, he organized the National Workshop on Quality of Life Research in Halifax (December 2002). He was a member of the Scientific Committee for the International Conference on Community Quality of Life, "Planning, Developing, and Using Community Quality-of-Life Indicators" (November 2002), sponsored by the International Society for Quality of Life Studies. Mr. Shookner is currently the Regional Development Coordinator for the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre at Dalhousie University, where he continues to pursue his interests in social development, population health and quality of life.

Back to Papers