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Singh J, Poon DEO, Alvarez E, Anderson L, Verschoor CP, Sutton A, Zendo Z, Piggott T, Apatu E, Churipuy D, Culbert I, Hopkins JP. Burnout among public health workers in Canada: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:48. [PMID: 38166742 PMCID: PMC10763416 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17572-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study presents the prevalence of burnout among the Canadian public health workforce after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with work-related factors. METHODS Data were collected using an online survey distributed through Canadian public health associations and professional networks between November 2022 and January 2023. Burnout was measured using a modified version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Logistic regressions were used to model the relationship between burnout and work-related factors including years of work experience, redeployment to pandemic response, workplace safety and supports, and harassment. Burnout and the intention to leave or retire as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was explored using multinomial logistic regressions. RESULTS In 2,079 participants who completed the OLBI, the prevalence of burnout was 78.7%. Additionally, 49.1% of participants reported being harassed because of their work during the pandemic. Burnout was positively associated with years of work experience, redeployment to the pandemic response, being harassed during the pandemic, feeling unsafe in the workplace and not being offered workplace supports. Furthermore, burnout was associated with greater odds of intending to leave public health or retire earlier than anticipated. CONCLUSION The high levels of burnout among our large sample of Canadian public health workers and its association with work-related factors suggest that public health organizations should consider interventions that mitigate burnout and promote recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Japteg Singh
- Niagara Region Public Health, Thorold, ON, Canada
| | - David E-O Poon
- Public Health and Preventive Medicine Residency Program, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Alvarez
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Laura Anderson
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Chris P Verschoor
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Arielle Sutton
- MD Program, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Zayya Zendo
- MD Program, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Thomas Piggott
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Peterborough Public Health, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Emma Apatu
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | | | - Ian Culbert
- Canadian Public Health Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica P Hopkins
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
- Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Parkes MW, Poland B, Allison S, Cole DC, Culbert I, Gislason MK, Hancock T, Howard C, Papadopoulos A, Waheed F. Preparing for the future of public health: ecological determinants of health and the call for an eco-social approach to public health education. Can J Public Health 2019; 111:60-64. [PMID: 31792844 PMCID: PMC7046913 DOI: 10.17269/s41997-019-00263-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
As a collective organized to address the education implications of calls for public health engagement on the ecological determinants of health, we, the Ecological Determinants Group on Education (cpha.ca/EDGE), urge the health community to properly understand and address the importance of the ecological determinants of the public’s health, consistent with long-standing calls from many quarters—including Indigenous communities—and as part of an eco-social approach to public health education, research and practice. Educational approaches will determine how well we will be equipped to understand and respond to the rapid changes occurring for the living systems on which all life—including human life—depends. We revisit findings from the Canadian Public Health Association’s discussion paper on ‘Global Change and Public Health: Addressing the Ecological Determinants of Health’, and argue that an intentionally eco-social approach to education is needed to better support the health sector’s role in protecting and promoting health, preventing disease and injury, and reducing health inequities. We call for a proactive approach, ensuring that the ecological determinants of health become integral to public health education, practice, policy, and research, as a key part of wider societal shifts required to foster a healthy, just, and ecologically sustainable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot W Parkes
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada. .,School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.
| | - Blake Poland
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sandra Allison
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Northern Health Authority, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Donald C Cole
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ian Culbert
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Canadian Public Health Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Maya K Gislason
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Trevor Hancock
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Courtney Howard
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrew Papadopoulos
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Faiza Waheed
- Ecological Determinants Group on Education, Steering Committee, Ottawa, Canada.,Intrinsik, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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