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A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research
September 2009
Developmental pathways leading to obesity in childhood
by Samar Hejazi, V. Susan Dahinten, Sheila K. Marshall and Pamela A. Ratner
The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has been increasing in Canada and globally, among boys and girls of all ages, social classes, ethnic groups and races. Based on data from the 1998/1999 Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, 19% of children aged 2 to 11 were overweight, and 18% were classified as obese. The rising prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents raises concern about conditions and diseases associated with excess weight. Paediatric obesity can affect short- and long-term physical and psychosocial health, and is likely to contribute to adult-onset morbidity.
- Summary of key findings
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- News release in The Daily
August 2009
Health status, preventive behaviour and risk factors among female nurses
by Pamela A. Ratner and Richard Sawatzky
Research on the health of Canadian nurses has revealed a number of areas of concern. Nurses face occupational health hazards that include exposure to infectious diseases, biological hazards and carcinogens; psychological demands; and shift work. A study commissioned by Health Canada’s Office of Nursing Policy found that registered nurses who were employed full-time had an illness- and injury-related absenteeism rate 83% higher than that of other occupational groups.This level of absenteeism raises questions about nurses’ health, the environments in which they work, the work they do and how it is organized, and the cost to the system in lost time—an estimated 19.6 million hours (about 11,000 full-time equivalents) in 2002.
- Summary of key findings
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- News release in The Daily
Diet quality in Canada
by Didier Garriguet
Recommendations about what to eat, how much and what to avoid are designed to help prevent or control chronic conditions and diseases such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, anemia, diabetes and obesity. In Canada, such recommendations come from a number of sources, notably, Canada’s Food Guide, Dietary Reference Intakes (a joint Canada-US initiative) published by the Institute of Medicine, and organizations targeting specific diseases, such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Diabetes Association.
- Summary of key findings
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- News release in The Daily
July 2009
Smoking cessation: intentions, attempts and techniques
by Scott T. Leatherdale and Margot Shields
Despite the serious health risks, a considerable number of Canadians continue to smoke. However, the vast majority of smokers regret having started. Many are interested in quitting and have tried to do so, but most cessation attempts are unsuccessful. A better understanding of smokers’ intentions and quit attempts may further the development of effective cessation strategies.
- Summary of key findings
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- News release in The Daily
Special Edition (June 30, 2009): First releases from the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey
Colorectal cancer testing in Canada-2008
by Kathryn Wilkins and Margot Shields
As a group, cancers of the colon and rectum constitute the third most common cancer in Canadian adults. An estimated 22,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2009-about one in eight of all new cancers that year. Approximately 94% of colorectal cancers (CRC) are diagnosed in people aged 50 or older.
An update on mammography use in Canada
by Margot Shields and Kathryn Wilkins
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and will be diagnosed in an estimated 22,700 Canadian women in 2009. A woman's probability of developing breast cancer over her lifetime is 1 in 9. The probability of dying from the disease is much smaller-1 in 28. The relative fi veyear survival for women with breast cancer is 87%- meaning that compared with women with similar characteristics but without breast cancer, those with breast cancer are 87% as likely to survive five years after diagnosis.
