• The prevalence of obesity among adults in Canada is lower than it is in the United States. • Am... more • The prevalence of obesity among adults in Canada is lower than it is in the United States. • Among the non-Hispanic white population, the prevalence of obesity is lower in Canada than in the United States, but the difference is not as large as it is when comparing the entire populations. • Between the late 1980s and 2007–2009, the prevalence of obesity increased in both Canada and the United States. • In 2007–2009, the prevalence of obesity among young and middle-aged Canadian women was similar to that observed in U.S. women 20 years earlier. Obesity is a public health challenge throughout the world (1). Ongoing monitoring of trends in obesity is important to assess interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the burden of obesity. Since the 1960s, measured height and weight have been collected in the United States as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In Canada, data on measured height and weight have been collected from nationally representa...
Previous Canadian estimates of hospital use by smoking history have been derived by applying dise... more Previous Canadian estimates of hospital use by smoking history have been derived by applying disease-specific "smoking-attributable fractions" to administrative data. For this analysis, health survey data were linked to hospitalization data at an individual level, permitting prospective measures of hospital use by smoking status and age. Data for 28,255 respondents (outside Quebec) to the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were linked to the Hospital Person-Oriented Information Database. Days in hospital over four years were quantified for each respondent and examined in relation to smoking status in 2000/2001. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between smoking and hospitalization, while controlling for confounders. During the four years after their CCHS interview, current daily smokers and former daily smokers who had quit in the past five years averaged more than twice as many days in hospital as did never-daily smokers. Altog...
Numerous studies indicate that health care providers, particularly nurses, face a high risk of on... more Numerous studies indicate that health care providers, particularly nurses, face a high risk of on-the-job abuse from patients. This article examines physical and emotional abuse from patients in nurses working in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Data are from the 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses. Cross-tabulations were used to examine abuse in relation to personal characteristics of the nurse, job characteristics, and workplace climate factors. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to examine abuse in relation to staffing and resource adequacy and relations among colleagues, controlling for personal and job characteristics. In 2005, 34% of Canadian nurses providing direct care in hospitals or long-term care facilities reported physical assault by a patient in the previous year; 47% reported emotional abuse. Abuse was related to being male, having less experience, usually working non-day shifts, and perceiving staffing or resources as inadequate, ...
This article describes stress levels among the employed population aged 18 to 75 and examines ass... more This article describes stress levels among the employed population aged 18 to 75 and examines associations between stress and depression. Data are from the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being and the longitudinal component of the 1994/95 through 2002/03 National Population Health Survey. Stress levels were calculated by sex, age and employment characteristics. Multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between stress and depression in 2002, and between stress and incident depression over a two-year period, while controlling for age, employment characteristics, and factors originating outside the workplace. In 2002, women reported higher levels of job strain and general day-to-day stress. When the various sources of stress were considered simultaneously, along with other possible confounders, for both sexes, high levels of general day-to-day stress and low levels of co-worker support were associated with higher odds of depression, as was h...
This article investigates good health among Canadian seniors in relation to health behaviours and... more This article investigates good health among Canadian seniors in relation to health behaviours and psychosocial factors. Data are from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 1994/95 through 2002/03 National Population Health Survey, household components. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to study associations between being in good health and behavioural risk and psychosocial factors in 2003. Proportional hazards modelling and logistic regression were used to examine health-related characteristics and psychosocial factors in relation to maintaining and recovering health. Seniors who exercised frequently, had a body mass index in the normal range, were high consumers of fruit and vegetables and moderate consumers of alcohol were more likely to be in good health. Low levels of stress and feeling connected to the community were also associated with good health. Healthy behaviours were related to maintaining good health over time, as well as increased likelihood of...
Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents, 2010
Published reports based on different definitions indicate that in Canada, Mexico and the United S... more Published reports based on different definitions indicate that in Canada, Mexico and the United States childhood overweight and obesity have increased dramatically since 1980, with the US leading the way. The prevalence of overweight, using the International ...
Shields b Background: Previous research indicates that nurses' job dissatisfaction relates to the... more Shields b Background: Previous research indicates that nurses' job dissatisfaction relates to their work organization and environment; rarely has the contribution of employerprovided support services been examined while controlling for the influence of other factors. b Objective: The objective of this study was to examine job dissatisfaction among Canadian registered nurses in relation to employer-provided programs for child care and fitness or recreation. b Methods: Data are from 2,993 respondents to the 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses, weighted to represent Canada's 91,600 registered nurses in full-time, permanent positions who deliver direct care in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Multivariate modeling was used to examine job dissatisfaction in relation to employer-provided support programs, controlling for personal characteristics and variables reflecting work organization and the work environment. b Results: Employer-provided child care assistance programs were available to 16% of nurses, and fitness or recreation programs were available to 38%. An estimated 13% of nurses were dissatisfied with their jobs. Even when controlling for personal characteristics, overtime, shift work, shift length, weekly hours, overload, staffing inadequacy, autonomy, nurseYphysician relations, and coworker respect, inverse associations with job dissatisfaction emerged for employer-supported child care (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.27Y0.88) and fitness programs (odds ratio = 0.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.42Y0.99
This study examined the feasibility of developing correction factors to adjust self-reported meas... more This study examined the feasibility of developing correction factors to adjust self-reported measures of Body Mass Index to more closely approximate measured values. Data are from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey where respondents were asked to ...
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2012
Public health surveillance systems often monitor physical activity trends, but fitness assessment... more Public health surveillance systems often monitor physical activity trends, but fitness assessment is relatively rare. This study investigated secular changes in aerobic fitness among Canadian adults and children. Participants aged 8–69 years were from 2 nationally representative surveys, conducted in-home in 1981 and in mobile examination centers in 2007–2009. In both surveys, submaximal step tests using progressive age- and sex-specific exercise stages were completed after initial screening (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, heart rate, blood pressure). Between surveys, the step-test protocol had been modified to reduce underestimation of fitness among fitter and older individuals. Maximal oxygen uptake was estimated for adults using validated historical and updated prediction equations, adjusted to reflect protocol differences. Because these equations are not validated for young people, maximal aerobic power was predicted at a heart rate of 200 beats·min–1 by regressing o...
This article examines determinants of self-perceived health. Factors associated with very good/ex... more This article examines determinants of self-perceived health. Factors associated with very good/excellent rather than good health are compared with those associated with fair/poor rather than good health. The data are from the household cross-sectional and longitudinal components of the first three cycles (1994/95, 1996/97 and 1998/99) of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Cross-tabulations from the 1998/99 NPHS cross-sectional file were used to estimate the prevalence of very good/excellent and fair/poor health by sex and age group. Based on the longitudinal file, predictors of health perceptions in 1998/99 were studied in a multivariate model using generalized logistic regression. While physical conditions were strongly related to health perceptions, some lifestyle, socio-economic and psychosocial factors were also statistically significant. Heavy smoking, irregular exercise and overweight were associated with fair/poor health ratings. Unhealthy chang...
Background: Within Canadian provinces over the past half-century, legislation has been enacted to... more Background: Within Canadian provinces over the past half-century, legislation has been enacted to increase child protection organization (CPO) involvement in situations of child maltreatment (CM). This study had two objectives: 1) to document enactment dates of legislation for mandatory reporting of CM; 2) to examine reported CPO involvement among people reporting a CM history in relation to the timing of these legislative changes. Methods: The history of mandatory reporting of CM was compiled using secondary sources and doctrinal legal review of provincial legislation. The 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH) with n = 18,561 was analyzed using birth cohorts to assess associations between the timing of legislation enactment and contact with CPO. Results: All Canadian provinces currently have mandatory reporting of physical and sexual abuse; 8 out of 10 provinces have mandatory reporting for children's exposure to intimate partner violence. Increases in reporting CM to CPOs paralleled these laws' enactment, particularly for severe and frequent CM. Conclusions: These findings show that mandatory reporting laws increase reporting contact with CPO, particularly for severe and frequent CM. Whether they have had the intended effect of improving children's lives remains an important, unanswered question.
Objective: To provide evidence of trends in child sexual abuse (CSA) in Canada. Methods: Using da... more Objective: To provide evidence of trends in child sexual abuse (CSA) in Canada. Methods: Using data from 15,801 males and 18,669 females who responded to the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), we compared the prevalence of CSA by age cohorts. Age cohort patterns were examined for several sub-populations including males, females, Indigenous peoples, and people living in low-income households. Results: After an increase in the post-World War II period, there has been a decline in CSA in Canada since the early 1990s. Findings indicate a decline for both sexes; although, the evidence is more compelling for females. There is also evidence of a decline for Indigenous peoples, for those living in low-income households, and regardless of the relationship to the perpetrator (i.e., family member, a teacher/professor/tutor, a babysitter, a nanny, other non-family member but known to the respondent, or a stranger). Conclusions: In Canada, evidence from 3 retrospective population surveys suggests...
Promotion de la santé et prévention des maladies chroniques au Canada, 2015
Introduction Les familles avec une jeune mère sont associées à un risque accru de mauvais traitem... more Introduction Les familles avec une jeune mère sont associées à un risque accru de mauvais traitements envers les enfants et de problèmes sociaux et de santé. Méthodologie Une analyse du chi carré effectuée sur des données combinées des services de protection de l’enfance issues de l’étude canadienne sur l’incidence des signalements de cas de violence et de négligence envers les enfants (ECI-2003 et ECI-2008) a permis de comparer 284 mères adolescentes (18 ans et moins) et 800 jeunes mères (19 à 21 ans) et leurs familles à 5 752 familles avec une mère de 22 ans ou plus. Résultats Vingt-six pour cent des jeunes mères avaient 18 ans ou moins. La plupart recevaient de l’aide sociale comme principale source de revenu (68 % des familles avec une mère adolescente et 57 % des familles avec une mère jeune adulte contre 36 % des familles avec une mère de 22 ans ou plus). Les mères adolescentes et les mères jeunes adultes étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir été placées dans leur enfance que les ...
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 2015
Introduction Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor h... more Introduction Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor health and social outcomes. Methods Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor health and social outcomes. Results Twenty-six percent of young mothers were 18 years or younger. Most (68% of teen-mother families and 57% of families with a young adult mother) received social assistance as their main source of income compared with 36% of families with a mother aged 22 years or older. Teen and young adult mothers were more likely than those aged 22 or older to have childhood histories of out-of-home care (31% and 23% vs. 10%) and were more likely to have risk factors such as alcohol abuse (25% and 23% vs. 18%) and few social supports (46% and 41% vs. 37%). Secondary caregivers in families with young mothers also had more risk factors. Teen and young adult mother families were more likely to have their child placed out-of-home during the investigation (2...
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 2016
Introduction Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United St... more Introduction Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States since the early 1990s. Some evidence also indicates that an earlier period of higher CSA incidence began following World War II. This study examines prevalence estimates of sexual abuse reported retrospectively as having occurred in childhood (ChSA) in two nationally representative surveys of the Canadian population. Methods Data are from 13 931 respondents aged 18 to 76 years from the 2004/2005 Canadian Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS), and from 22 169 household residents aged 18 years or older who participated in the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health (CCHS-MH). We present inter- and intrasurvey comparisons of ChSA prevalence specific to sex and age groups. Results Findings from both surveys suggest a decline in CSA since 1993, consistent with declines observed in the United States. Results also suggest that 1946 to 1992 was a period ...
Background: It is well established that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for various ... more Background: It is well established that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for various mental and substance use disorders. To date, however, little research has focused on the possible long-term physical consequences of CM. Diabetes is a chronic disease, for which an association with CM has been postulated. Methods: Based on data from a sample of 21,878 men and women from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH), this study examines associations between three types of CM (childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV)) and diabetes in adulthood. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations between CM and diabetes controlling for the effects of socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Results: When controlling socio-demographic characteristics, diabetes was significantly associated with reports of severe and frequent CPA (OR = 1.8) and severe and frequent CSA (OR = 2.2). A dose-response relationship was observed when co-occurrence of CSA and CPA was considered with the strongest association with diabetes being observed when both severe and frequent CSA and CPA were reported (OR = 2.6). Controlling for type 2 diabetes risk factors attenuated associations particularly for CPA. CEIPV was not significantly associated with having diabetes in adulthood. Conclusion: CPA and CSA are risk factors for diabetes. For the most part, associations between CPA and diabetes are mediated via risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Failure to consider severity and frequency of abuse may limit our understanding of the importance of CM as a risk factor for diabetes.
Background Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an established risk factor for various mental and subst... more Background Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an established risk factor for various mental and substance use disorders. This study adds to existing evidence that CM may also be a risk factor for cancer. Methods Based on data from a sample of 9,783 men and 12,132 women from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS - MH), this analysis explores mediated associations between cancer in adulthood and different levels of exposure to three types of CM—childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV). “Cancer” was defined as an affirmative response to either of these questions: ‘‘Do you have cancer?’’ or ‘‘Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?’’ The potential mediators were: smoking, depression, alcohol abuse/dependence, life stress, obesity, and physical activity. Results For women, but not men, having experienced CM was significantly associated with a cancer diagnosis in adulthood, even when e...
• The prevalence of obesity among adults in Canada is lower than it is in the United States. • Am... more • The prevalence of obesity among adults in Canada is lower than it is in the United States. • Among the non-Hispanic white population, the prevalence of obesity is lower in Canada than in the United States, but the difference is not as large as it is when comparing the entire populations. • Between the late 1980s and 2007–2009, the prevalence of obesity increased in both Canada and the United States. • In 2007–2009, the prevalence of obesity among young and middle-aged Canadian women was similar to that observed in U.S. women 20 years earlier. Obesity is a public health challenge throughout the world (1). Ongoing monitoring of trends in obesity is important to assess interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the burden of obesity. Since the 1960s, measured height and weight have been collected in the United States as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In Canada, data on measured height and weight have been collected from nationally representa...
Previous Canadian estimates of hospital use by smoking history have been derived by applying dise... more Previous Canadian estimates of hospital use by smoking history have been derived by applying disease-specific "smoking-attributable fractions" to administrative data. For this analysis, health survey data were linked to hospitalization data at an individual level, permitting prospective measures of hospital use by smoking status and age. Data for 28,255 respondents (outside Quebec) to the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were linked to the Hospital Person-Oriented Information Database. Days in hospital over four years were quantified for each respondent and examined in relation to smoking status in 2000/2001. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between smoking and hospitalization, while controlling for confounders. During the four years after their CCHS interview, current daily smokers and former daily smokers who had quit in the past five years averaged more than twice as many days in hospital as did never-daily smokers. Altog...
Numerous studies indicate that health care providers, particularly nurses, face a high risk of on... more Numerous studies indicate that health care providers, particularly nurses, face a high risk of on-the-job abuse from patients. This article examines physical and emotional abuse from patients in nurses working in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Data are from the 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses. Cross-tabulations were used to examine abuse in relation to personal characteristics of the nurse, job characteristics, and workplace climate factors. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to examine abuse in relation to staffing and resource adequacy and relations among colleagues, controlling for personal and job characteristics. In 2005, 34% of Canadian nurses providing direct care in hospitals or long-term care facilities reported physical assault by a patient in the previous year; 47% reported emotional abuse. Abuse was related to being male, having less experience, usually working non-day shifts, and perceiving staffing or resources as inadequate, ...
This article describes stress levels among the employed population aged 18 to 75 and examines ass... more This article describes stress levels among the employed population aged 18 to 75 and examines associations between stress and depression. Data are from the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being and the longitudinal component of the 1994/95 through 2002/03 National Population Health Survey. Stress levels were calculated by sex, age and employment characteristics. Multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between stress and depression in 2002, and between stress and incident depression over a two-year period, while controlling for age, employment characteristics, and factors originating outside the workplace. In 2002, women reported higher levels of job strain and general day-to-day stress. When the various sources of stress were considered simultaneously, along with other possible confounders, for both sexes, high levels of general day-to-day stress and low levels of co-worker support were associated with higher odds of depression, as was h...
This article investigates good health among Canadian seniors in relation to health behaviours and... more This article investigates good health among Canadian seniors in relation to health behaviours and psychosocial factors. Data are from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 1994/95 through 2002/03 National Population Health Survey, household components. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to study associations between being in good health and behavioural risk and psychosocial factors in 2003. Proportional hazards modelling and logistic regression were used to examine health-related characteristics and psychosocial factors in relation to maintaining and recovering health. Seniors who exercised frequently, had a body mass index in the normal range, were high consumers of fruit and vegetables and moderate consumers of alcohol were more likely to be in good health. Low levels of stress and feeling connected to the community were also associated with good health. Healthy behaviours were related to maintaining good health over time, as well as increased likelihood of...
Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents, 2010
Published reports based on different definitions indicate that in Canada, Mexico and the United S... more Published reports based on different definitions indicate that in Canada, Mexico and the United States childhood overweight and obesity have increased dramatically since 1980, with the US leading the way. The prevalence of overweight, using the International ...
Shields b Background: Previous research indicates that nurses' job dissatisfaction relates to the... more Shields b Background: Previous research indicates that nurses' job dissatisfaction relates to their work organization and environment; rarely has the contribution of employerprovided support services been examined while controlling for the influence of other factors. b Objective: The objective of this study was to examine job dissatisfaction among Canadian registered nurses in relation to employer-provided programs for child care and fitness or recreation. b Methods: Data are from 2,993 respondents to the 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses, weighted to represent Canada's 91,600 registered nurses in full-time, permanent positions who deliver direct care in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Multivariate modeling was used to examine job dissatisfaction in relation to employer-provided support programs, controlling for personal characteristics and variables reflecting work organization and the work environment. b Results: Employer-provided child care assistance programs were available to 16% of nurses, and fitness or recreation programs were available to 38%. An estimated 13% of nurses were dissatisfied with their jobs. Even when controlling for personal characteristics, overtime, shift work, shift length, weekly hours, overload, staffing inadequacy, autonomy, nurseYphysician relations, and coworker respect, inverse associations with job dissatisfaction emerged for employer-supported child care (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.27Y0.88) and fitness programs (odds ratio = 0.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.42Y0.99
This study examined the feasibility of developing correction factors to adjust self-reported meas... more This study examined the feasibility of developing correction factors to adjust self-reported measures of Body Mass Index to more closely approximate measured values. Data are from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey where respondents were asked to ...
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2012
Public health surveillance systems often monitor physical activity trends, but fitness assessment... more Public health surveillance systems often monitor physical activity trends, but fitness assessment is relatively rare. This study investigated secular changes in aerobic fitness among Canadian adults and children. Participants aged 8–69 years were from 2 nationally representative surveys, conducted in-home in 1981 and in mobile examination centers in 2007–2009. In both surveys, submaximal step tests using progressive age- and sex-specific exercise stages were completed after initial screening (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, heart rate, blood pressure). Between surveys, the step-test protocol had been modified to reduce underestimation of fitness among fitter and older individuals. Maximal oxygen uptake was estimated for adults using validated historical and updated prediction equations, adjusted to reflect protocol differences. Because these equations are not validated for young people, maximal aerobic power was predicted at a heart rate of 200 beats·min–1 by regressing o...
This article examines determinants of self-perceived health. Factors associated with very good/ex... more This article examines determinants of self-perceived health. Factors associated with very good/excellent rather than good health are compared with those associated with fair/poor rather than good health. The data are from the household cross-sectional and longitudinal components of the first three cycles (1994/95, 1996/97 and 1998/99) of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Cross-tabulations from the 1998/99 NPHS cross-sectional file were used to estimate the prevalence of very good/excellent and fair/poor health by sex and age group. Based on the longitudinal file, predictors of health perceptions in 1998/99 were studied in a multivariate model using generalized logistic regression. While physical conditions were strongly related to health perceptions, some lifestyle, socio-economic and psychosocial factors were also statistically significant. Heavy smoking, irregular exercise and overweight were associated with fair/poor health ratings. Unhealthy chang...
Background: Within Canadian provinces over the past half-century, legislation has been enacted to... more Background: Within Canadian provinces over the past half-century, legislation has been enacted to increase child protection organization (CPO) involvement in situations of child maltreatment (CM). This study had two objectives: 1) to document enactment dates of legislation for mandatory reporting of CM; 2) to examine reported CPO involvement among people reporting a CM history in relation to the timing of these legislative changes. Methods: The history of mandatory reporting of CM was compiled using secondary sources and doctrinal legal review of provincial legislation. The 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH) with n = 18,561 was analyzed using birth cohorts to assess associations between the timing of legislation enactment and contact with CPO. Results: All Canadian provinces currently have mandatory reporting of physical and sexual abuse; 8 out of 10 provinces have mandatory reporting for children's exposure to intimate partner violence. Increases in reporting CM to CPOs paralleled these laws' enactment, particularly for severe and frequent CM. Conclusions: These findings show that mandatory reporting laws increase reporting contact with CPO, particularly for severe and frequent CM. Whether they have had the intended effect of improving children's lives remains an important, unanswered question.
Objective: To provide evidence of trends in child sexual abuse (CSA) in Canada. Methods: Using da... more Objective: To provide evidence of trends in child sexual abuse (CSA) in Canada. Methods: Using data from 15,801 males and 18,669 females who responded to the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), we compared the prevalence of CSA by age cohorts. Age cohort patterns were examined for several sub-populations including males, females, Indigenous peoples, and people living in low-income households. Results: After an increase in the post-World War II period, there has been a decline in CSA in Canada since the early 1990s. Findings indicate a decline for both sexes; although, the evidence is more compelling for females. There is also evidence of a decline for Indigenous peoples, for those living in low-income households, and regardless of the relationship to the perpetrator (i.e., family member, a teacher/professor/tutor, a babysitter, a nanny, other non-family member but known to the respondent, or a stranger). Conclusions: In Canada, evidence from 3 retrospective population surveys suggests...
Promotion de la santé et prévention des maladies chroniques au Canada, 2015
Introduction Les familles avec une jeune mère sont associées à un risque accru de mauvais traitem... more Introduction Les familles avec une jeune mère sont associées à un risque accru de mauvais traitements envers les enfants et de problèmes sociaux et de santé. Méthodologie Une analyse du chi carré effectuée sur des données combinées des services de protection de l’enfance issues de l’étude canadienne sur l’incidence des signalements de cas de violence et de négligence envers les enfants (ECI-2003 et ECI-2008) a permis de comparer 284 mères adolescentes (18 ans et moins) et 800 jeunes mères (19 à 21 ans) et leurs familles à 5 752 familles avec une mère de 22 ans ou plus. Résultats Vingt-six pour cent des jeunes mères avaient 18 ans ou moins. La plupart recevaient de l’aide sociale comme principale source de revenu (68 % des familles avec une mère adolescente et 57 % des familles avec une mère jeune adulte contre 36 % des familles avec une mère de 22 ans ou plus). Les mères adolescentes et les mères jeunes adultes étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir été placées dans leur enfance que les ...
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 2015
Introduction Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor h... more Introduction Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor health and social outcomes. Methods Young mothers’ families are at increased risk of child maltreatment and other poor health and social outcomes. Results Twenty-six percent of young mothers were 18 years or younger. Most (68% of teen-mother families and 57% of families with a young adult mother) received social assistance as their main source of income compared with 36% of families with a mother aged 22 years or older. Teen and young adult mothers were more likely than those aged 22 or older to have childhood histories of out-of-home care (31% and 23% vs. 10%) and were more likely to have risk factors such as alcohol abuse (25% and 23% vs. 18%) and few social supports (46% and 41% vs. 37%). Secondary caregivers in families with young mothers also had more risk factors. Teen and young adult mother families were more likely to have their child placed out-of-home during the investigation (2...
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 2016
Introduction Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United St... more Introduction Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States since the early 1990s. Some evidence also indicates that an earlier period of higher CSA incidence began following World War II. This study examines prevalence estimates of sexual abuse reported retrospectively as having occurred in childhood (ChSA) in two nationally representative surveys of the Canadian population. Methods Data are from 13 931 respondents aged 18 to 76 years from the 2004/2005 Canadian Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS), and from 22 169 household residents aged 18 years or older who participated in the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health (CCHS-MH). We present inter- and intrasurvey comparisons of ChSA prevalence specific to sex and age groups. Results Findings from both surveys suggest a decline in CSA since 1993, consistent with declines observed in the United States. Results also suggest that 1946 to 1992 was a period ...
Background: It is well established that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for various ... more Background: It is well established that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for various mental and substance use disorders. To date, however, little research has focused on the possible long-term physical consequences of CM. Diabetes is a chronic disease, for which an association with CM has been postulated. Methods: Based on data from a sample of 21,878 men and women from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH), this study examines associations between three types of CM (childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV)) and diabetes in adulthood. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations between CM and diabetes controlling for the effects of socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Results: When controlling socio-demographic characteristics, diabetes was significantly associated with reports of severe and frequent CPA (OR = 1.8) and severe and frequent CSA (OR = 2.2). A dose-response relationship was observed when co-occurrence of CSA and CPA was considered with the strongest association with diabetes being observed when both severe and frequent CSA and CPA were reported (OR = 2.6). Controlling for type 2 diabetes risk factors attenuated associations particularly for CPA. CEIPV was not significantly associated with having diabetes in adulthood. Conclusion: CPA and CSA are risk factors for diabetes. For the most part, associations between CPA and diabetes are mediated via risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Failure to consider severity and frequency of abuse may limit our understanding of the importance of CM as a risk factor for diabetes.
Background Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an established risk factor for various mental and subst... more Background Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an established risk factor for various mental and substance use disorders. This study adds to existing evidence that CM may also be a risk factor for cancer. Methods Based on data from a sample of 9,783 men and 12,132 women from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS - MH), this analysis explores mediated associations between cancer in adulthood and different levels of exposure to three types of CM—childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV). “Cancer” was defined as an affirmative response to either of these questions: ‘‘Do you have cancer?’’ or ‘‘Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?’’ The potential mediators were: smoking, depression, alcohol abuse/dependence, life stress, obesity, and physical activity. Results For women, but not men, having experienced CM was significantly associated with a cancer diagnosis in adulthood, even when e...
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