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Determinants of young women's health

Hear me, Understand me, Support me: What young women want you to know about depression

In this section:

On this page:

Hear Me

[The framework for women-centred health] is good too because everything is cross-referenced - like how do social justice concerns link up with education or sexual orientation. . . .

[The framework] sort of gives you a bit of direction . . . 'cause often [health is] such a big topic . . . so you can kind of narrow down and say “Okay, let's focus on this area,” and for every one of these areas, you can dig way more down.

When I look at [social justice within the context of women's health], I think my rights are being addressed . . . as a student, as a woman, as a girl. . . . I'm happy to have it there because [of] everything I've learned about having rights as a young women, as a student, as a person in Toronto, Canada.

Don't look at me as a depressed young woman yet; look at me as a young woman who's going to talk to you, and then we can work together. Don't make assumptions.

Understand Me

As the young women have reflected in their thoughts and ideas throughout this guide, creating supportive environments and taking a holistic approach to their health is key to preventing depression. The Vancouver/Richmond Health Board (VRHB) took a similar view of women's health and created the framework shown on the next page.

The framework was developed from the work of over 75 people in the Vancouver/Richmond area who participated in the VRHB Women's Health Planning Project. Their goal was to understand women's experiences of the system and to improve planning to meet women's needs better. The project included participants representing the community, as well as people working in health services ranging from community settings to hospital care, health planning, research and policy making. The Framework for Women-Centred Health emerged from extensive discussions that were informed by:

  • current international literature on women's health
  • a survey of programs within the VRHB providing services to women across the continuum of care
  • a focus group of VRHB providers working with violence issues
  • information about women-centred models and frameworks from across Canada and elsewhere.

This important work from British Columbia helps us to highlight two key points about women's and girls' health:

  1. There are a multitude of factors and conditions that affect health.
  2. These factors overlap and intersect to create unique situations for each individual.


The framework identifies clearly where women may experience barriers to improving their health and well-being. For example, if a woman's mental health would benefit from attending a weekly support group but because of poverty she is not able to get to the location for the group, she encounters a significant barrier to creating a social support network.

 

We asked a group of young women to review the VRHB framework and see if it made sense to them when looking at issues related to depression and young women. They made adaptations and created a tool that reflects their lives and identities. It's called “My Health, My Life” (see below).

Support Me

My Health, My Life Framework

Suggestions for using the My Health, My Life framework in work with young women

  • Copy it and post it in your office or examination rooms.
  • As a way to initiate talk with young women, give them a copy and ask what they think about it.
  • Ask them to draw an “x” or an arrow in any area they think may be affecting their health and well-being.
  • Use it as the basis for an activity in your classroom. For example, ask young women to write an essay response to the question, “Which area of health do you think affects young women the most?” and/or “Does this area of health affect young men as well, equally? Why or why not?”
  • Ask young women to create posters, poetry or art based on the ideas in the My Health, My Life framework.

Hear me, Understand me, Support me: What young women want you to know about depression
Hear me understand me support me

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