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Introduction: Sex differences exist in children’s obesity rates, dietary patterns and television viewing. Television continues to be a source of unhealthy food advertising exposure to children in Canada. Our objective was to examine sex differences in food advertising exposure in children aged 2 to 17 years across four Canadian Englishlanguage markets. Methods: We licensed 24-hour television advertising data from the company Numerator for January through December 2019, in four cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Toronto) across Canada. Child food advertising exposure overall, by food category, television station, Health Canada’s proposed nutrient profiling model, and marketing techniques were examined on the 10 most popular television stations among children and compared by sex. Advertising exposure was estimated using gross rating points, and sex differences were described using relative and absolute differences. Results: Both male and female children were exposed to an elevated level of unhealthy food advertising and a plethora of marketing techniques across all four cities. Differences between sexes were evident between and within cities. Compared to females, males in Vancouver and Montréal viewed respectively 24.7% and 24.0% more unhealthy food ads/person/year and were exposed to 90.2 and 133.4 more calls to action, 93.3 and 97.8 more health appeals, and 88.4 and 81.0 more products that appeal to children. Conclusion: Television is a significant source of children’s exposure to food advertising, with clear sex differences. Policy makers need to consider sex when developing food advertising restrictions and monitoring efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vitamin D status at birth is reliant on maternal-fetal transfer of vitamin D during gestation.Objectives: We aimed to examine the vitamin D status of newborn infants in a diverse population and to subsequently identify the modifiable correlates of vitamin D status.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, healthy mother-infant dyads (n = 1035) were recruited within 36 h after term delivery (March 2016-March 2019). Demographic and lifestyle factors were surveyed. Newborn serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured (standardized chemiluminescence immunoassay) and categorized as deficient [serum 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L] or adequate (≥40 nmol/L). Serum 25(OH)D was compared among categories of maternal characteristics using ANOVA; each characteristic was tested in a separate model. Subgroups (use of multivitamins preconception and continued in pregnancy compared with during pregnancy only) were matched (n = 352/group) for maternal factors (ancestry, age, income, education, parity, and prepregnancy BMI) using propensity scores; logistic regression models were generated for odds of deficiency or adequacy.Results: Infants' mean serum 25(OH)D was 45.9 nmol/L (95% CI: 44.7, 47.0 nmol/L) (n = 1035), with 20.8% (95% CI: 18.3%, 23.2%) deficient and 60.7% (95% CI: 55.2%, 66.2%) adequate. Deficiency prevalence ranged from 14.6% of white infants to 41.7% of black infants. Serum 25(OH)D was higher (P < 0.0001) in infants of mothers with higher income, BMI < 25 kg/m2, exercise and sun exposure in pregnancy, and use of multivitamins preconception. In the matched-subgroup analysis, multivitamin supplementation preconception plus during pregnancy relative to only during pregnancy was associated with lower odds for vitamin D deficiency (ORadj: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.86) and higher odds for adequate vitamin D status (ORadj: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.07).Conclusions: In this study most newborn infants had adequate vitamin D status, yet one-fifth were vitamin D deficient with disparities between population groups. Guidelines for a healthy pregnancy recommend maternal use of multivitamins preconception and continuing in pregnancy. An emphasis on preconception use may help to achieve adequate neonatal vitamin D status.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02563015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: La Maison Bleue is a community-based perinatal health and social centre in Montreal that provides services during pregnancy up to age five to families living in vulnerable contexts. The study aimed to describe: 1) the challenges and protective factors that affect the well-being of migrant families receiving care at La Maison Bleue; and 2) how La Maison Bleue strengthens resilience among these families. Methods: We conducted a focused ethnography. Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants were invited to participate. We collected data from November to December 2017 via semi-structured interviews and participant observation during group activities at La Maison Bleue. Data were thematically analysed. Results: Twenty-four mothers participated (9 interviewed, 17 observed). Challenges to well-being included family separation, isolation, loss of support, the immigration process, an unfamiliar culture and environment, and language barriers. Key protective factors were women’s intrinsic drive to overcome difficulties, their positive outlook and ability to find meaning in their adversity, their faith, culture and traditions, and supportive relationships, both locally and transnationally. La Maison Bleue strengthened resilience by providing a safe space, offering holistic care that responded to both medical and psychosocial needs, and empowering women to achieve their full potential towards better health for themselves and their families. Conclusion: Migrant mothers have many strengths and centres like La Maison Bleue can offer a safe space and be an empowering community resource to assist mothers in overcoming the multiple challenges that they face while resettling and raising their young children in a new country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the respiratory effects of short-term exposures to petroleum refinery emissions in young children. This study is an extension of an ecologic study that found an increased rate of hospitalizations for respiratory conditions among children living near petroleum refineries in Montreal (Canada). METHODS: We used a time-stratified case--crossover design to assess the risk of asthma episodes in relation to short-term variations in sulfur dioxide levels among children 2--4 years of age living within 0.5--7.5 km of the refinery stacks. Health data used to measure asthma episodes included emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions from 1996 to 2004. We estimated daily levels of SO2 at the residence of children using a) two fixed-site SO2 monitors located near the refineries and b) the AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model) atmospheric dispersion model. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios associated with an increase in the interquartile range of daily SO2 mean and peak exposures (31.2 ppb for AERMOD peaks). We adjusted for temperature, relative humidity, and regional/urban background air pollutant levels. RESULTS: The risks of asthma ED visits and hospitalizations were more pronounced for same-day (lag 0) SO2 peak levels than for mean levels on the same day, or for other lags: the adjusted odds ratios estimated for same-day SO2 peak levels from AERMOD were 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00--1.22] and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10--1.82), over the interquartile range, for ED visits and hospital admissions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term episodes of increased SO2 exposures from refinery stack emissions were associated with a higher number of asthma episodes in nearby children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]