abstract: 'ObjectivesSocial scientists have demonstrated that family health work is

  interlinked with heteronormative gender inequities. Yet family-based

  public health interventions rarely incorporate a gender transformative

  approach or address heteronormativity as a potential health barrier in

  North America. Instead, attention to gender surfaces primarily in family

  health interventions conducted in low- to middle-income countries with

  majority Black and racialized populations. The objective of this article

  is to establish the importance of designing health interventions that

  account for heteronormative relations in Ontarian families by drawing on

  empirical data from the Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS).MethodsWe draw

  on data (February-October 2019) from (1) semi-structured interviews with

  20 families and with 4 health educators facilitating the GFHS home

  visits and (2) observational data of 11 GFHS home visits and 1 health

  educator training day. Informed by gender transformation theory, data

  were analyzed and coded to understand the impact of gender, sexuality,

  and place in family health interventions.ResultsPre-existing

  heteronormative parenting relations were reinforced through GFHS

  participation: the GFHS was mother-led, increasing some mothers'' stress

  levels. Fathers tended to consider paid work a justification for

  disengaging from the GFHS, and their detachment sometimes obstructed

  mothers'' intervention efforts. Health educators (all women) were caught

  in these relations, feeling like because of their gender, they were

  viewed by parents as confidants and marriage

  counsellors.ConclusionFindings emphasize the need for expanding the

  epistemic and methodological approaches to family-based health

  interventions, changing the demographic and geographic emphasis within

  the field, and designing interventions that focus on societal-level

  changes. Heterosexuality has not been analyzed as a risk factor within

  the public health field, but our findings indicate the need for further

  study.'
affiliation: 'Gruson-Wood, J (Corresponding Author), Univ Guelph, Social Practice
  \& Transformat Change Program, Guelph, ON, Canada.

  Gruson-Wood, Julia, Univ Guelph, Social Practice \& Transformat Change Program,
  Guelph, ON, Canada.

  Haines, Jess; Rice, Carla; Chapman, Gwen E., Univ Guelph, Family Relat \& Appl Nutr,
  Guelph, ON, Canada.'
author: Gruson-Wood, Julia and Haines, Jess and Rice, Carla and Chapman, Gwen E.
author-email: jgrusonw@uoguelph.ca
author_list:
- family: Gruson-Wood
  given: Julia
- family: Haines
  given: Jess
- family: Rice
  given: Carla
- family: Chapman
  given: Gwen E.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.17269/s41997-023-00760-x
earlyaccessdate: APR 2023
eissn: 1920-7476
files: []
issn: 0008-4263
journal: CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH-REVUE CANADIENNE DE SANTE PUBLIQUE
keywords: 'Family-based health intervention; Gender transformation;

  Heterosexuality; Heteronormativity; Colonialism; Canada'
keywords-plus: 'FATHERS; INTERVENTIONS; PERCEPTIONS; DIVISION; MATTERS; OBESITY; FOOD;

  CARE; SEX; MEN'
language: English
month: AUG
number: 4, SI
number-of-cited-references: '58'
pages: 659-670
papis_id: 9331eed040a5509c78e88bbcfc85ddd6
ref: Grusonwood2023problemheteronormati
times-cited: '0'
title: 'The problem of heteronormativity in family-based health promotion: centring
  gender transformation in Ontario, Canada'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000967203700001
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '1'
volume: '114'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2023'