Indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies: a locally driven collaborative project in Ontario

Introduction Funded by a Public Health Ontario ‘Locally Driven Collaborative Project’ grant, a team led by public health practitioners set out to develop and test a comprehensive set of indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies (LPHAs). Methods The project began with a scoping review, consultation with content experts, and development of a face-validated set of indicators aligned with the four public health roles to address health inequities (NCCDH, 2014), plus a fifth set of indicators related to an organizational and system development role. We report here on the field testing of the indicators for feasibility, face validity (clarity, relevance), reliability, and comparability in four Ontario LPHAs. Data were collected by two separate individuals or groups at each site, during two consecutive periods. These individuals participated in separate focus groups at the end of each test period, which further examined indicator clarity, data source availability and relevance. A third focus group explored anticipated indicator uses. Results Field testing showed that indicators addressed important issues in all public health roles. Although the capacity for indicator use varied, all test sites found the indicators useful. Suggestions for improved clarity were used to refine the final set of indicators, and to develop a Health Equity Indicator User Guide with background information and recommended resources. Conclusion The process of evaluating health equity-related activity within LPHAs is still in its early stages. This project provides Ontario LPHAs with a tool to guide health equity work that may be adaptable to other Canadian jurisdictions.