Background: Available information on the prevalence and management of hypertension in the Canadian population dates back to 1986–1992 and probably does not reflect the current status of this major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We sought to evaluate the current prevalence and management of hypertension among adults in the province of Ontario. Methods: Potential respondents…
Background: Ethnicity is an important determinant of mental health outcomes including suicidality (i.e. suicidal ideation and suicide attempt). Understanding ethnic differences in the pathways to suicidality is important for suicide prevention efforts in ethnically diverse populations. These pathways can be conceptualized within a social stress framework. Method: The study examines ethnic differences in the pathways…
The On the Margins project investigated health status, health-care delivery, and use of health services among African-Canadian women residing in rural and remote regions of the province of Nova Scotia.A participatory action research approach provided a framework for the study.Triangulation of data-collection methods — interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires — formed the basis of data…
Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to assess the reliability as well as the convergent and discriminant validity of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP). The questionnaire consisted of five domains that assessed oral health, functional well-being, social-emotional well-being, school environment, and self-image. COHIP was designed to measure self-reported oral health-related quality…
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer and the Pap smear test is one of the most widely accessible forms of cancer screening. An important public health issue is the extent to which Canadian women are engaging in regular screening for cervical cancer, particularly potentially at-risk groups such as recent immigrants…
High Body Mass Index (BMI) has been associated with imp roved survival of End- Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD); however, studies on the relationship of BMI with survival in Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of BMI on survival…
Background: A large proportion of the Canadian population lives a sedentary lifestyle. Few data are available describing the physical activity behaviours among specific ethnic groups in Canada, so the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ethnicity and the level of self-reported physical activity. Methods: Pooled data from cycles 1.1 (2000/01) and…
Background: The immigrant population in Canada is diverse and growing, yet little is known about their physical activity behaviour and how it changes as they adapt to a Canadian lifestyle. This study extends the surveillance of physical activity in Canada to include the influence of time since immigration within and between ethnic groups. Methods: Pooled…
Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity that can be decreased by neonatal diagnosis. Although 44 American states have implemented such programs, there are no provincially funded universal or targeted newborn screening programs for SCD in Canada. Objective(s) : To report a critical appraisal of a hospital-based neonatal screening program…
In this paper we map the location and distribution of HIV service providers across Toronto neighbourhoods. Our analysis identified an uneven distribution of services across Toronto and a number of communities that are less accessible to HIV-related services. We subsequently identified three neighbourhood-level characteristics of the populations living within these communities (i.e. concentrated economic disadvantage,…
