Introduction

Ottawa Public Health is one of 35 public health units in Ontario, Canada. It provides public health programs and services to Ottawa residents while advocating for public policies that make our city and its residents healthier. Ottawa Public Health is governed by a board of health, an autonomous corporation under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, and administered by the medical officer of health who reports to the local board of health. 

Client: Ottawa Public Health

Industry: Public Health Services

Principals/stakeholders: Cameron McDermaid MHSc, Epidimiologist at Ottawa Public Health; Ansel Schmidt, Customer Success Lead, TELUS Insights; Kevin Laleyan, Sales Specialist, TELUS Insights | Big Data

The challenge

Measuring health-related behaviours is a challenge, and typically Ottawa Public Health uses self-reporting methods through population surveys to assess community behaviour. This is a challenge with behaviour that has a vital element of social desirability; there is always the concern that people are telling you what they think you want to hear or providing answers that conform to social norms or rules.

Why TELUS?

Ottawa Public Health first began researching TELUS products through a referral by the City of Ottawa's Innovative Client Services group. Once engaged, TELUS' approach was exemplary. They actively participated in strategic and technical discussions and always sought to provide the information necessary to enhance the product, which was helpful considering the demanding workload of Ottawa Public Health officials. TELUS often initiated conversations and the various teams at Ottawa Public Health were grateful for having such an active partner.

The TELUS experience

The gain

The TELUS Data for Good product provided a proxy for how Ottawa residents may be congregating, critical information to Canada's current health status. After discussions with TELUS on enhancing the data's relevance, Ottawa Public Health agreed that the project needed more granular geographic and demographic data. Specifically, Ottawa Public Health needed to understand patterns associated with different congregating types, such as work-related versus social congregation.