Taking a Social Determinants Perspective on Children's Health and Development/La Sante Et Le Developpement De L'enfant Dans La Perspective De Leurs Determinants Sociaux (Editorial/Article Redactionnel) (Editorial‪)‬

In early 2007, then Minister of Health Tony Clement appointed Dr. Kellie Leitch, Chief of the Division of Paediatric Surgery at the Children's Hospital of London, Ontario, as his Children's Health Advisor. Her mandate was to review the role of the federal government in the health of Canada's children. Dr. Leitch submitted her report, Reaching for the Top, (1) to the Minister in July 2007. The report was subsequently made public in March 2008. In her report, Dr. Leitch made it clear that in terms of child health and well-being, Canada did not compare well with other nations. Specifically, she highlighted the fact that when compared to other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations, Canada ranked 21st of 29 for child well-being (a category that included mental health), 22nd in terms of preventable childhood injuries and deaths, and 27th for childhood obesity. Reaching for the Top was widely endorsed by health professionals and organizations working in the area of child and youth health. The report provides a solid foundation to support such work and, in amassing and presenting a large body of evidence, Dr. Leitch throws into sharp profile the urgency of the need to act to improve the health and well-being of Canada's children and youth. What is more, the report identifies specific options and a number of priority areas for action, which we shall discuss shortly.