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The article focuses on guidelines for prevention and treatment of cigarette smoking among school-aged children and youth by Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. The guidelines discussed include lack of high-quality randomized controlled trials that have examined the benefits of prevention and treatment in primary health care settings, variability in the characteristics of the prevention and treatment interventions and smoking cessation interventions among youth as moderate quality.

Regular physical activity prevents several non-communicable chronic conditions and premature mortality. The benefits of physical activity can be achieved through active transport, which refers to non-motorised/active means (e.g. walking, cycling, rollerblading) to move from one place to another. Active transport can be integrated into daily routines such as commuting to and from school and work. We undertook an overview of reviews to examine the association between active transport and physical activity across age groups. We aimed to provide a critical appraisal of research to date, and to identify research gaps that need to be addressed to advance the field. Eleven systematic reviews were included. Across children, youth and adults, active transport (mainly to school and work) was positively associated with physical activity and contributed approximately 5–45 additional minutes per day. The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate and was highest among studies that included both children and youth. There does not appear to be any clear differences by sex, measurement method for active transport or physical activity or review quality; however, some reviews noted that age and sex might moderate the association. Future research is needed to better understand the association among preschool-aged children and older adults, by sex and gender, in different socioeconomic and ethnic groups, and across the urban-rural spectrum. The field would benefit from more longitudinal and experimental research using device- and location-based measures to establish causality and separating location of destinations and mode of active transport (e.g. walking separate from cycling). Overall, evidence suggests that active transport is an important means to achieve daily physical activity recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Household food insecurity (HFI) is a persistent public health issue in Canada that may have disproportionately affected certain subgroups of the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this systematic review is to report on the prevalence of HFI in the Canadian general population and in subpopulations after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Methods: Sixteen databases were searched from 1 March 2020 to 5 May 2021. Abstract and full-text screening was conducted by one reviewer and the inclusions verified by a second reviewer. Only studies that reported on the prevalence of HFI in Canadian households were included. Data extraction, risk of bias and certainty of the evidence assessments were conducted by two reviewers. Results: Of 8986 studies identified in the search, four studies, three of which collected data in April and May 2020, were included. The evidence concerning the prevalence of HFI during the COVID-19 pandemic is very uncertain. The prevalence of HFI (marginal to severe) ranged from 14% to 17% in the general population. Working-age populations aged 18 to 44 years had higher HFI (range: 18%-23%) than adults aged 60+ years (5%-11%). Some of the highest HFI prevalence was observed among households with children (range: 19%-22%), those who had lost their jobs or stopped working due to COVID-19 (24%-39%) and those with job insecurity (26%). Conclusion: The evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have slightly increased total household food insecurity in Canada during the pandemic, especially in populations that were already vulnerable to HFI. There is a need to continue to monitor HFI in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on recommendations on screening for breast cancer in women who are not at increased risk for breast cancer. It mentions that the University of Alberta's Evidence Review and Synthesis Centre conducted a systematic review of women's values and preferences on outcomes of breast cancer screening and how these valuations are used in decision-making.

The article highlights the recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on the screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. It is said that risk for asymptomatic bacteriuria and associated complications in pregnancy is higher in women with diabetes, urinary tract infections, polycystic kidneys, congenital renal anomalies and sickle cell disease.

The article presents guidelines for primary care providers to prevent vision-related functional limitations in community-dwelling adults by screening them for impaired vision in primary care settings. Topics discussed include the grading recommendations according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE) and task force development of the recommendations with scientific support from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Background: The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology convened representatives of national organizations, research experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users who followed rigorous and transparent guideline development procedures to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These novel guidelines for children of the early years embrace the natural and intuitive integration of movement behaviours across the whole day (24-h period).Methods: The development process was guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Four systematic reviews (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, combined behaviours) examining the relationships within and among movement behaviours and several health indicators were completed and interpreted by a Guideline Development Panel. The systematic reviews that were conducted to inform the development of the guidelines, and the framework that was applied to develop the recommendations, followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Complementary compositional analyses were performed using data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey to examine the relationships between movement behaviours and indicators of adiposity. A review of the evidence on the cost effectiveness and resource use associated with the implementation of the proposed guidelines was also undertaken. A stakeholder survey (n = 546), 10 key informant interviews, and 14 focus groups (n = 92 participants) were completed to gather feedback on draft guidelines and their dissemination.Results: The guidelines provide evidence-informed recommendations as to the combinations of light-, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep that infants (<1 year), toddlers (1-2 years) and preschoolers (3-4 years) should achieve for a healthy day (24 h). Proactive dissemination, promotion, implementation, and evaluation plans were prepared to optimize uptake and activation of the new guidelines.Conclusions: These guidelines represent a sensible evolution of public health guidelines whereby optimal health is framed within the balance of movement behaviours across the whole day, while respecting preferences of end-users. Future research should consider the integrated relationships among movement behaviours, and similar integrated guidelines for other age groups should be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses recommendations relating to the screening of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in asymptomatic patients in the primary care setting, based on the results of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Topics discussed include one-time screening with ultrasonography for men older than 65 years, shared decision making between the patient and primary care provider, and a comparison of incidence of AAA in men and women.

The article presents recommendations on the screening of hepatitis C virus (HCV) for adults in Canada. Topics included the effectiveness of HCV screening in adults, the high resource consumption levels of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care against HCV infection screening, and the history of injection drug use.