Gender inequalities in health have been widely described, but few studies have examined the upstream sources of these inequalities in health. The objectives of this review are 1) to identify empirical papers that assessed the effect of gender equality policies on gender inequalities in health or on women's health by using between-country (or administrative units within a country) comparisons and 2) to provide an example of published evidence on the effects of a specific policy (parental leave) on women's health. We conducted a literature search covering the period from 1970 to 2012, using several bibliographical databases. We assessed 1,238 abstracts and selected 19 papers that considered gender equality policies, compared several countries or different states in 1 country, and analyzed at least 1 health outcome among women or compared between genders. To illustrate specific policy effects, we also selected articles that assessed associations between parental leave and women's health. Our review partially supports the hypothesis that Nordic social democratic welfare regimes and dual-earner family models best promote women's health. Meanwhile, enforcement of reproductive policies, mainly studied across US states, is associated with better mental health outcomes, although less with other outcomes. Longer paid maternity leave was also generally associated with better mental health and longer duration of breastfeeding.
F ood insecurity-inadequate access to food because of financial constraints-is a public health concern in Can ada. 1,2 In 2007/08, 11.3% of households experienced food insecurity; the figure rose to 12.4% by 2011/12. 1,2 Food insecurity is associated with negative health outcomes and higher health care spending in a graded fashion, with more severe food insecur ity corresponding to worse health and greater health care utiliza tion. 3-5 Food insecurity predicts higher incidence of chronic condi tions and poorer management of them. 6-14 Food insecurity is also associated with mental disorders, 15-18 suicidal thoughts 19,20 and suicide attempts. 21 Despite much evidence linking food insecurity to poor health, less is known about the association between food insecurity and mortality. A graded association between severity of food insecurity and all cause mortality risk was found among workingage adults in Ontario, Canada. 22 A study of the US adult population found very low food insecurity-equivalent to severe food insecurity in Canada-was associated with higher allcause mortality. 23 In addition, 2 small studies found food insecurity to be associated with higher mortality odds among HIVinfected adults. 24,25 However, none of these studies examined causes of death. More comprehensive, populationbased research is needed to advance our understanding of the health bur den associated with food insecurity. Linking vital statistics to multiple cycles of a national health sur vey, we conducted a populationbased retrospective cohort study to assess the association between household food insecurity status and Canadian adults' allcause and causespecific premature mortality. Methods Study sample
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