Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Ottawa, 2008. / Includes bibliographies.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-202).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Ottawa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-162).

Enhancing primary care is key to the Canadian health care reform. Considered as an indicator of primary care access and quality, hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) conditions are commonly reported by Canadian organisations as sentinel events signaling problems with the delivery of primary care. However, the literature calls for further research to identify what lies behind ACS hospitalisation rates in regions with a predominantly urban population benefiting from universal access to health care. A theoretical model was built and, using an ecological design, multiple regressions were implemented to identify which neighbourhood characteristics explained the socio-economic gradient in ACS hospitalisation rates observed in Ottawa. Among these neighbourhoods, healthy behaviour and - to a certain extent - health status were significantly associated with ACS hospitalisation rates. Evidence of an association with primary care accessibility was also signaled for the more rural neighbourhoods. Smoking prevention and cessation campaigns may be the most relevant health care strategies to push forward by policy makers hoping to prevent ACS hospitalisations in Ottawa. From a health care equity perspective, targeting these campaigns to neighbourhoods of low socio-economic status may contribute to closing the gap in ACS hospitalisations described in this current study. Reducing the socio-economic inequalities of neighbourhoods would also contribute to health equity.

Emergency surgeries are serviced by three main forms of capacity: dedicated operating room time reserved for emergency surgeries, alternative (on call) capacity, and lastly, canceling of elective surgeries. The objective of this research is to model capacity implications of meeting wait time targets for multiple priority levels in the context of emergency surgeries. Initial attempts to solve the capacity evaluation problem were made using a non-linear optimisation model, however, this model was intractable. A simulation model was then used to examine the trade-off between additional dedicated operating room capacity (and consequent idle capacity) versus increased re-scheduling of elective surgeries while keeping reserved time for emergency surgeries low. Considered performance measures include utilization of operating room time, elective re-scheduling, and wait times by priority class. Finally, the instantaneous utilization of different types of downstream beds is determined to aid in capacity planning. The greatest number of patients seen within their respective wait time targets is achieved by a combination of additional on call capacity and a variation of the rule allowing low priority patients to utilize on call capacity. This also maintains lower cancelations of elective surgeries than the current situation. Although simulation does not provide an optimum solution it enables a comparison of different scenarios. This simulation model can determine appropriate capacity levels for servicing emergency patients of different priorities with different wait time targets.

Many health geography studies, including the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS), have faced significant challenges uncovering local variation in patterns of community health in rural areas. This is due to the fact that sparsely populated rural areas make it difficult to define neighbourhoods that are representative of the social and resource utilization patterns of the individuals therein. Moreover, rural areas yield small samples from population-based regional health surveys and this leads to insufficient sample sizes for reliable estimation of health determinants and outcomes. In response to this issue this thesis combines geographical and statistical techniques which allow for the simulation of health variables within small areas and populations within rural Ottawa. This methodological approach combines the techniques of dasymetric mapping and statistical micro-simulation in an innovative way, which will allow health geography researchers to explore health determinants and health outcomes at small spatial scales in rural areas. Dasymetric mapping is used to generate a statistical population surface over Ottawa and then estimate socio-economic (SES) variables within small neighbourhood units within rural Ottawa. The estimated SES variables are then used as correlate variables to simulate health determinant and health outcome variables form the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) using statistical micro-simulation. Through this methodology, simulations of specific health determinants and outcome can be investigated at small spatial scales within rural areas. Dasymetric mapping provided neighbourhood-level population estimates that were used to re-weight as set of SES variables that were correlates with those in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). These neighbourhood-level correlates allowed microsimulation and consequent spatial exploration of prevalence for smoking, binge drinking, obesity, self-rated mental health, and the presence of two or more chronic conditions. The methodology outlined in this paper, provides and innovative way of exploring health determinants and health outcomes in neighbourhoods for which population and health statistics are not traditionally collected at levels that would allow traditional statistical analyses of prevalence.

Canada has distinct contemporary faith communities that differ from western and European counterparts. Unfortunately statistics tracking denominational allegiances give little insight into the daily intricacies of collective religious practice. The purpose of this study is to contribute towards filling a gap within scholarly research on the lived culture and experiences of contemporary religious communities within Canada. This study examines the pattern of culture-sharing within a non-denominational faith community as lived and practiced in Ottawa. Through autoethnography, this study asks why members attend and how members view the use of popular culture video clips within church. Individual and collective religious identities are constructed through observations, interviews and material artifacts gleaned through participant observation from January 2011 to December 2011. The results show that within the church, a community of practice is built around shared parenthood and spiritual journey. Members place importance on children, on providing support of all kinds for one another, and on keeping religion relevant. Reasons for attending are echoes of the patterns of culture-sharing: members enjoy the feeling of community, the support, the friendships, the play dates. Participants view popular culture video clips played within church as one aspect of an overall importance placed upon relevance. Mutuality of engagement results in members experiencing their lives as meaningful, it validates their worth through belonging, and it creates personal histories of becoming within the context of a community of practice. Future research recommendations include further study of other contemporary faith communities within Canada, with investigation into the possibility that communities of practice may be what the churched and unchurched are seeking.

Spiritual healing is a ubiquitous and fundamental part of Charismatic Christianity; it is indelibly linked to understandings of God, society, and individual identity. And yet, the phenomenon of spiritual healing—particularly its expression within North American, Abrahamic traditions—has been understudied within academia. In this thesis, I take a phenomenological approach in order to better comprehend the meaning-making process behind spiritual healing rituals amongst Charismatic Protestant Christians in Ottawa, Canada. Through a small-scale, local ethnographic study in Ottawa in which I conducted participant observation and several in-depth interviews, I explore Charismatic Christianity through the lens of lived religion. Based on a series of focused case studies, I conclude that the Charismatic cosmological worldview (one in which cosmic-wide restoration is emphasised) correlates with, and contributes to, the Charismatic emphasis on individual healing.

In multicultural societies like Canada where cultural diversity always exist, ethnic groups strive to preserve their cultural heritage and not become assimilated by the mainstream culture. Today, ethnic groups such as the Hellenic Community of Ottawa seek innovative means to sustain cultural elements such as ethnic language, religious beliefs, and social, cultural and leisure pursuits. This phenomenological study presents the perspectives of recent administrators of the Hellenic School of Ottawa toward language and cultural maintenance. The results of this study indicate that the Hellenic School of Ottawa is vital and effective for maintaining the Hellenic culture and language beyond the 3rd and 4th generation, as it includes the instruction of Greek language and familiarization with Greek culture. The results also indicate that students of the language school: (1) Are provided with an opportunity to learn Greek which may not be received at home, (2) learn to appreciate their ethnic heritage through language oriented leisure activities, (3) make friendships with those of same ethnic cultural heritage, (4) learn to have a deeper appreciation of multiculturalism and its place in Canadian society, and (5) develop confidence to speak their ethnic language. This study also provides suggestions for the enhancement of the operation of the HSO, such as addition of more Greek-content leisure activities, organization of trips to Greece, and expansion of the instructional time.