Occupational therapists believe that there is a relationship between occupation, health and well-being but there is little evidence in the occupational therapy literature to support this belief. This paper describes the results of a critical review of research examining the relationship between occupation and health and well-being. Twenty-two studies from the health and social sciences literature were reviewed using specific methodological review criteria. The findings of these studies provide moderate to strong evidence that occupation has an important influence on health and well-being. Because most of this research has been completed with persons without disabilities, further research is required to explain the nature of the relationship between occupation and health and well-being for persons who experience a disability which affects their daily occupations

In order for occupational therapy to articulate its role in community development, greater heed needs to be given to the definition and categorization of occupation, occupation-based models of practice, and their application to communities.

A growing number of occupational therapists are working in primary care providing a broad range of services across the life span.

Introduction: Although working with communities using community-centred approaches like community development has been identified as an important occupational therapy domain of practice, occupational therapists continue to struggle to clarify their roles and processes in this area of practice. From a study that aimed to describe the practice process of occupational therapists working in community development, this article presents key findings regarding how occupational therapists described their work with individuals and communities, providing a conceptualization of how to situate their work with individuals within a broad community context. Method: Using interpretive description, individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted via telephone with 12 occupational therapists from across Canada between February 2014 and March 2015. Results: There was some uncertainty amongst participants regarding the definition of community development. Four layers of community-centred practice were inductively derived from the data: individual, group, community of interest, and systems. The latter two touch on community development. Conclusion: The conceptualization that emerged from this study can assist occupational therapists in reflecting on current practice and furthering an appreciation of how their work with individuals can include a community focus, responding to calls within the profession to look beyond the individual.

Many of the competencies identified were relevant to all areas of practice, while others were specific to community development, suggesting a need for specialized education and training in this area. The results provide information that can be used to enhance the preparation of occupational therapists for practice in community development.