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Age estimation is crucial for investigating animal populations in the past and present. Visual examination of tooth wear and eruption is one of the most common ageing methods in zooarchaeology, wildlife management, palaeontology, and veterinary research. Such approaches are particularly advantageous because they are non-destructive, can be completed using photographs, and do not require specialized training. Several tooth wear and eruption methods have been developed for Rangifer tarandus, a widely distributed and long-utilized species in the North. This paper evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of three existing visual tooth wear and eruption methods for this species using a large known-age sample from several caribou populations in northern Canada (Bluenose East, Bluenose West, Dolphin-Union, Qamanirjuaq, and Beverly herds). These methods are evaluated based on: (1) the amount of error and bias between estimated and actual ages, (2) suitable and interpretable results, (3) user-friendly and unambiguous procedures, and (4) which teeth and visual features of those teeth are used to record wear and eruption status. This study finds that the three evaluated methods all have variable errors and biases, and two show extensive biases when applied to older individuals. Demographic data is simpler to generate and more flexible to report when methods allow age to be estimated as a continuous or discrete variable, rather than as age ranges. The dentition samples used by two of the previously developed methods impact their applicability to other populations of Rangifer. In one existing method, individuals were unavailable from some age ranges leaving gaps when assigning ages. For another Rangifer-ageing method, the population utilized was too distinct in morphology or diet to be used with the Canadian caribou analyzed here. Additional refinement of tooth wear and eruption ageing methods will benefit zooarchaeological research on reindeer and caribou remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study design: Single-cohort longitudinal survey design. Objectives: To identify what ongoing impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on functioning and health in individuals with SCI. Using the ICF model as a guide, outcome measures were chosen to explore potential constructs and aspects of health and functioning which may have been affected by regulations. Setting: Online, Canada. Methods: Participants provided demographic and clinical characteristics at baseline. They completed standardized online measures at three time points, each roughly one month apart (June, July, and August of 2020). The measures assessed mental health, resilience, boredom, social support, technology use, life space, and participation. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to identify longitudinal changes for each measure. Results: We collected data from 21 participants with SCI (mean age 54 years, 12 male). We found a large effect size for participation (η2 = 0.20), which increased over time. We also found medium effect sizes in both anxiety (η2 = 0.12) and social network usage (η2 = 0.12). Anxiety decreased over time and social networking usage fluctuated slightly but with an increase from time point one to time point two. Conclusion: The results indicate that individuals with spinal cord injury appear to be staying relatively stable during the pandemic with improvements in a few key aspects, such as potentially increased participation and decreased anxiety. The results also suggest that it is important to continue fostering ways for individuals with spinal cord injury to stay connected, engaged, and informed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative very low energy diet (VLED) interventions are used routinely in patients undergoing bariatric surgery, a surgical subspecialty that deals almost exclusively with patients with obesity. Yet, their use and study has been limited in non-bariatric abdominal surgery. To investigate the use of VLEDs in non-bariatric surgery, we plan on conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Prior to proceeding, however, we have designed two surveys as important pre-emptive studies aimed at elucidating patient and provider perspectives regarding these interventions. Methods: The patient survey is a cross-sectional, single-center survey aimed at assessing the safety, adherence, barriers to adherence, and willingness to participate in preoperative optimization protocols with VLEDs prior to undergoing elective non-bariatric intra-abdominal surgery (S1 File). The population of interest is all adult patients with obesity undergoing elective non-bariatric intra-abdominal surgery at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton who were prescribed a course of preoperative VLED. The primary outcomes will be safety and adherence. The target sample size is 35 survey responses. The provider survey is a cross-sectional national survey of practicing surgeons in Canada who perform major non-bariatric abdominal surgery aimed assessing the willingness and ability to prescribe preoperative weight loss interventions amongst practicing Canadian surgeons who perform major non-bariatric abdominal surgery (S2 File). The population of interest is independent practicing surgeons in Canada who perform major non-bariatric abdominal surgery. The primary outcome will be willingness to prescribe preoperative VLED to patients with obesity undergoing major non-bariatric abdominal surgery for both benign and malignant indications. The target sample size is 61 survey responses. Descriptive statistics will be used to characterize the sample populations. To determine variables associated with primary outcomes in the surveys, regression analyses will be performed. Discussion: These survey data will ultimately inform the design of an RCT evaluating the efficacy of preoperative VLEDs for patients with obesity undergoing major abdominal surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable food production is an important part of dietetic education and training; however, the focus in the dietetic sphere is often on the environmental aspect. Understanding the multi-dimensional nature of sustainability can enhance dietetic students' sustainability competences–such as empathy and change of perspective, systems thinking, and critical thinking and analysis–to help them in their future careers and strengthen their position in society as trusted and knowledgeable food and nutrition professionals. Enhancing public understanding of sustainable food production is imperative as populations become more urban, are less connected to agriculture, and have expectations for sustainably grown/raised food, often without knowing current food production practices or the multiple aspects of sustainability that must be in place for farmers to meet those demands. The goal of this research was to understand Canadian farmers' perceptions of environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainable food production. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach and constant comparative analysis, four food and nutrition researchers analyzed interviews from 52 farmers from across Canada. Participants had to be English-speaking, produce food through farming on land, and own or rent the land on which they farm. Telephone/video interviews revealed five overarching social themes: (1) the importance of community and social capital, (2) public perception and social license to operate, (3) lack of infrastructure, and (4) deep connections to personal lives. The final theme, mental health issues (5), reflected the consequences of the multiple sources of stress that can undermine the social sustainability of farmers, farm communities, and food production. These findings may help various audiences appreciate the multiple dimensions of sustainable food production; reflect on their values, perceptions, and actions with regard to agriculture; and enhance their compassion and empathy for all farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating the voices of service users and providers in the design and delivery of health services increases the acceptability, relevance, and effectiveness of services. Such efforts are particularly important for youth opioid use treatments and services, which have failed to consider the unique needs of youth and families. Applying community-based participatory research (CBPR) and co-design can facilitate this process by contextualizing service user experiences at individual and community levels and supporting the collaborative design of innovative solutions for improving care. However, few studies demonstrate how to effectively integrate these methods and engage underserved populations in co-design. As such, this manuscript describes how our team wove CBPR and co-design methods to develop solutions for improving youth opioid use treatments and services in Canada. As per CBPR methods, national, provincial, and community partnerships were established to inform and support the project's activities. These partnerships were integral for recruiting service users (i.e., youth and caregivers) and service providers to co-design prototypes and support local testing and implementation. Co-design methods enabled understanding of the needs and experiences of youth, caregivers, and service providers, resulting in meaningful community-specific innovations. We used several engagement methods during the co-design process, including regular working group meetings, small group discussions, individual interviews and consultations, and feedback grids. Challenges involved the time commitment and resources needed for co-design, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and limited our ability to engage a diverse sample of youth and caregivers in the process. Strengths of the study included youth and caregiver involvement in the co-design process, which centered around their lived experiences; the therapeutic aspect of the process for participants; and the development of innovations that were accepted by design partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous and Northern women in Canada experience high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV), and this is particularly true in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Adolescents are also at increased risk of IPV, which has far-reaching, lifelong effects. Indigenous youth are particularly vulnerable to IPV due to ongoing effects of intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism, racism and residential school legacies. We explored attitudes towards IPV and the healthy relationship knowledge, skills, and experiences among participants of Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY) and Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH) Peer Leader Retreats in the NWT. Multi-method approaches included quantitative surveys youth completed before and immediately following retreats. Quantitative analysis from retreats (2018–2021) included 240 participants aged 12–19 (mean age 14.5) who reported ever having an intimate partner. Most were from the FOXY program (64.2%), Indigenous (69.6%) and heterosexual (66.4%). Qualitative methods included Focus Group Discussions (FGD) (n = 69) conducted with peer leaders and apprentices (n = 311) and youth and adult staff (n = 14 FGDs, n = 165 participants). We thematically analysed FGDs to explore healthy relationship knowledge and skills, alongside paired t-tests to examine pre/post retreat changes in attitudes towards IPV. Qualitative findings suggest that leadership and embodied learning were effective in equipping youth with violence prevention and healthy relationship skills. While young women were committed to sharing knowledge and skills about healthy relationships in their communities, young men resonated with values of respect and appreciated support to identify and express emotions. Participants across programmes demonstrated their belief that healthy intimate relationships have communal, relational and intergenerational benefits. Quantitatively, we found a statistically significant reduction in attitudes accepting of IPV among young women, but no changes were noted among young men. Findings contribute to emergent evidence on strengths-based, culturally-responsive IPV prevention programming. Components of effective IPV prevention programming with young men merit further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the migration of sex workers to online advertising in Canada, a substantial body of research has emerged on how they communicate with prospective clients. However, given the enormous quantity of archival material available, finding representative ways to identify what sex workers say is a difficult task. Numerical analysis of commonly used phrases allows for the analysis of large numbers of documents potentially identifying themes that may be missed using other techniques. This study considers how Canadian sex workers communicate by examining how the word "no" was used by online advertisers over a 15-year period. Source materials consisted of three collections of online classified advertising containing over 4.2 million ads collected between 2007 and 2022 representing 214456 advertisers. Advertisers and demographic variables were extracted from ad metadata. Common terms surrounding the word "no" were used to identify themes. The word "no" was used by 115127 advertisers. Five major themes were identified: client reassurance (54084 advertisers), communication (47130 advertisers), client race (32612 advertisers), client behavior (23863 advertisers), and service restrictions (8545 advertisers). The probability of there being an association between an advertiser and a major theme was found to vary in response to several variables, including: time period, region, advertiser gender, and advertiser ethnicity. Results are compared with previous work on race and risk messaging in sex work advertising and factors influencing client race restrictions are considered. Over time, the restriction related themes of client behavior, service restrictions, and client race became more prominent. Collectives, multi-regional, cis-female, and Black or Mixed ancestry advertisers were more likely to use restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system with common symptoms of rapid onset of eye pain, loss of vision, neck/back pain, paralysis, bowel and bladder dysfunction and heat sensitivity. The rare, unpredictable, and debilitating nature of NMOSD constitutes a unique psychological burden for patients and their caregivers, the specific nature and extent of which is not yet known. This mixed methods study, informed by both quantitative and qualitative data collected via self-report measures, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, aims to investigate and understand the psychological burden of patients with NMOSD and their caregiver/loved ones, so as to inform a specialized intervention. 31 adults living with NMOSD and 22 caregivers of people with NMOSD in the United States and Canada, recruited from NMOSD patient advocacy groups, social media groups, and through word of mouth from other participants, completed a battery of standardized self-report measures of anxiety, depression, trauma, cognitive fusion, valued living, and coping styles. Semi-structured focus group sessions were conducted via HIPAA-compliant Zoom with 31 patients, and separate focus groups were conducted with 22 caregivers. A subset of these samples, comprised of 16 patients and 11 caregivers, participated in individual semi-structured interviews, prioritizing inclusion of diverse perspectives. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were run on quantitative self-report data using SPSS [Version 28.0.1]; data were stored in REDCap. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed regarding qualitative individual interview data. The majority of patients reported experiencing anxiety, depression, cognitive fusion, over-controlled coping, and lack of values-based living. Caregivers also reported heightened anxiety, cognitive fusion, and over-controlled coping, although they did not endorse clinically significant depression. Patient and caregiver degree of anxiety and of overcontrolled coping were both strongly positively correlated, likely affecting how both parties manage NMOSD-related stressors, both individually and as a dyad. Patients reported more anxiety, depression, psychological inflexibility, and lack of values-based living, compared with caregivers. Patient and caregiver narrative themes included mistrust of medical professionals, lack of support immediately following diagnosis, changes in relationships, deviation from values-based living, internalization of feelings, and avoidant coping strategies to manage the psychological burden of NMOSD. A novel mental health intervention targeting the specific psychological burden of life with NMOSD is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths and hospitalizations among Canadians. Falls risk has been reported to be increased in individuals who are older and with certain health conditions. It is unclear whether rurality is a risk factor for falls. This study aimed to investigate: 1) fall profiles by age group e.g., 45 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, 65 to 74 years, 75 to 85 years; and 2) falls profiles of individuals, by age group, living in rural versus urban areas of Canada. Data (N = 51,338) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging was used to examine the relationship between falls and age, rurality, chronic conditions, need for medical attention, and fall characteristics (manner, location, injury). Self-reported falls within a twelve-month period occurred in only 4.8% (single fall) and 0.8% (multiple falls) of adults. Falls were not related to rural residence or age, but those with memory impairment, multiple sclerosis, as well as other chronic conditions such as mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and hyperthyroidism not often thought to be associated with falls, were also more likely to fall. Older individuals were more likely to fall indoors or fall while standing or walking. In contrast, middle-aged individuals were more likely to fall outdoors or while exercising. Type of injury was not associated with age, but older individuals were more likely to report hospitalization after a fall. This study shows that falls occur with a similar frequency in individuals regardless of age or urban/rural residence. Age was associated with fall location and activity. A more universally applicable multi-facted approach, rather than one solely based on older age considerations, to screening, primary prevention and management may reduce the personal, social, and economic burden of falls and fall-related injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic posed mental health challenges to eye care professionals and students. The intent of this study was to identify the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among ophthalmic personnel and students. Additionally, the potential risk factors for mental health problems were investigated. Methods: A two-phase survey among eye care professionals and students in the USA and Canada was conducted. Phase 1 was administrated from June 23 to July 8, 2020, and has been published; Phase 2 was conducted from January 21 to February 2, 2021. A total of 824 eye care professionals and students participated in Phase 2, with a response rate of 44.1%. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were measured and calculated. Results: Compared with Phase 1, stress scores in Phase 2 were significantly reduced (P<0.001) although they were still higher than the pre-COVID level (P <.001). Scores for depression (P = 0.20) and anxiety (P = 0.40) showed no change, comparing Phase 2 to Phase 1. Reduction of stress scores significantly differed among occupations (P = 0.005); students had less reduction of stress than other eye care professionals (all P<0.05). Vaccination status was significantly associated with a reduction in stress scores (P = 0.04). Conclusions: With the continuing COVID pandemic, although stress level was reduced at 7-month follow-up, the mental health of eye care professionals was still impacted. In this population, COVID-19 vaccination was associated with fewer stress symptoms. These results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic continues impacting mental health among eye care professionals, especially students. These study results warrant future interventions for eye care personnel and students to prevent or treat mental health disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]