Social determinants of health (SDHs) are important social factors that affect health and include social isolation, housing, and food security. Social prescribing, the act of prescribing community and social services to address SDH challenges, may be an effective and equitable way to improve health and well-being. Social prescription interventions have demonstrated significant benefits including improved health status, well-being, and healthier behaviours, especially for vulnerable populations. While the popularity of social prescribing is quickly growing in Nova Scotia and Canada, it is not routine practice in many healthcare institutions across Nova Scotia and there is a significant lack of research on the health impact of social prescribing.
The purpose of this project is to co-design a community-informed social prescribing approach that supports the needs of the community and investigates the impact of social prescribing on health and well-being of Nova Scotians. This will be done using a combination of community engagement activities, semi-structured interviews, and an iterative quality improvement co-design approach that centres the voices of people with lived experience. The approach that is designed from this project will inform the implementation of an approach across the province.
This research is relevant to the interests of patients since it directly aims to improve and evaluate a new and holistic approach to healthcare that ultimately aims to improve patient care and population health at a time of economic uncertainty.
Eligibility
We are seeking community members who have experience as a patient or a caregiver in the healthcare system and have experiences with one or more social determinant of health challenges. These may include financial, housing, unemployment, or food security challenges, challenges accessing education, experiences of racism, homophobia, or transphobia, or experiences with social isolation or lack of social support.
All participants must be based in Nova Scotia, be at least 18 years of age or older, and be able to consent for themselves.
Time Commitment
Several community engagement events across Nova Scotia are being held throughout June 2026, time commitment is at least 1 hour to review materials and fill out a survey. If you attend the full engagement event, the maximum amount of time you will be spending is 3 hours (there will be time dedicated during the event to filling out the survey if you would like to participate in the survey and are eligible).
The following are the dates and times of the events taking place across Nova Scotia:
• June 5 from 2 – 4:30pm: Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library
• June 12 from 1 – 4pm: Truro Library
• June 19 from 1 – 4pm: McKay Memorial Library in Shelburne
You can attend any of these events either in-person or virtually (each event is the same content so please attend one event only). At each event, we will go over the model that has been designed, provide time to discuss it together, and will invite you to complete a survey to give your opinion. Please note that if you are attending the event, you do not need to participate in the survey if you do not want to.
If you are interested in attending an event, please let us know by filling out this virtual form: https://forms.office.com/r/0Mzsm7HpUb or by sending an email to ellen.ms@dal.ca.
Compensation
$50 will be given to people who fill out the survey (need to either attend an event or review materials to access the survey link).