Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on August 10, 2006
Journal of Public Health 2006 28(3):203-208; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdl022
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Recreation for children on social assistance, 417 years old, pays for itself the same year
Marilyn Ott, Lecturer1
Gina Browne, Professor1
Carolyn Byrne, Professor and Dean2
Jacqueline Roberts, Professor Emeritus1
Amiram Gafni, Professor3
Amanda H. Bateman, Level 4 Nursing Student1
1 School of Nursing, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, HSC-2J21, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
2 Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada L1H 7K4
3 Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatics, System Linked Research Unit: Health and Social Service Utilization, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, HSC-2J21, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5
Address correspondence to Marilyn Ott, E-mail: ottm{at}mcmaster.ca
A randomized control trial completed in the Hamilton-Wentworth and Halton regions of Ontario, Canada, was created to assess the effects and expense of age-appropriate provider-initiated and subsidized versus self-directed and self-financed methods of recreation. Upon completion, this study proved that the annual per-person expenditure for the subsidized, quality recreation paid for itself by childrens lower use of healthcare and social services. The children within the subsidized recreation group had lower use of physician, physiotherapy, probation, childrens aid society, social work, psychologist and services in comparison with those in the non-subsidized group. The subsidized group also proved to be beneficial for the parents as well. The use of health and social services, by the parents in the subsidized group, was also decreased in comparison with those of the self-financed group. This group also proved to have improvement of the global socioeconomic status, with a 10% greater exit from the social assistance program within 1 year.
Keywords: cost, single parents, social assistance, subsidized recreation