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Background: Children from families speaking a non-official language at home may be particularly at risk for low physical activity (PA), underscoring a need to investigate correlates of PA in this subpopulation. Methods: We recruited 478 children in 37 schools stratified by area-level socioeconomic status (SES) and type of urbanization within three regions of Canada. Steps/day were measured using SC-StepRx pedometers. We assessed potential social-ecological correlates with child and parent surveys. We used gender-stratified linear mixed models to examine the correlates of steps/day. Results: Outdoor time was the strongest correlate of boys’ and girls’ PA. Lower area-level SES was associated with less PA among boys, but outdoor time attenuated this difference. The strength of association between outdoor time and PA decreased with age in boys and increased with age in girls. Discussion: Outdoor time was the most consistent correlate of PA. Future interventions should promote outdoor time and address socioeconomic disparities.

The Alberta Indigenous Mentorship in Health Innovation (AIM-HI) Network was developed by Indigenous faculty members as an intergenerational mentorship programme for First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) scholars engaged in health research training programmes. Through activities and funding programmes, the AIM-HI Network provided opportunities for these scholars to strengthen their personal and professional resources and gain resilience along paths to academic success. While generating evidence on wise practices for Indigenous mentorship, we also advocated for systemic change to enable Indigenous scholar promotion and success in academia and in health research more broadly. In this article, we describe the philosophical approach to mentorship and the organizational structure to deliver aligning activities and supports to students. We also reflect on the successes and learnings from our leadership of the Network, including the impact of the coronavirus-19 pandemic on FNMI scholars, and the ways in which the Network adapted to address these challenges.

Introduction: Pre-pandemic health behavior has been put forward as a reason for excess COVID-19 infection and death in some racialized groups. At the same time, scholars have labeled racism the other pandemic and argued for its role in the adverse COVID-19 outcomes observed. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of discrimination on health behavior change among racialized adults in the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: Data were collected from 210 adults who identified as a visible minority in Alberta, Canada, in June 2020. The Everyday Discrimination Scale (Short Version) was adapted to examine past-month experiences. Four questions asked if alcohol/cannabis use and stress eating had significantly increased, and if sleep and exercise had significantly decreased in the past month. Logistic regression models examined associations between discrimination attributed to racial and non-racial causes and health behavior change adjusted for covariates. Results: The majority of adults (56.2%) reported past-month discrimination including 26.7% who attributed it to their race. Asian adults reported more racial discrimination and discrimination due to people believing they had COVID-19 than other visible minorities. Racial discrimination during the pandemic was strongly associated with increased substance use (OR: 4.0, 95% CI 1.2, 13.4) and decreased sleep (OR: 7.0, 95% CI 2.7, 18.4), and weakly associated with decreased exercise (OR: 2.2, 95% CI 1.1, 4.5). Non-racial discrimination was strongly associated with decreased sleep (OR: 4.8, 95% CI 1.8, 12.5). Conclusion: Racial discrimination may have a particularly important effect on intensifying adverse health behavior changes among racialized adults during a time of global crisis.

A recent systematic review highlighted associations between childhood abuse and adult sleep quality, and the need for research focused specifically on women and the role of moderating variables. The objectives of the present study were (1) to assess the impact of frequent physical and emotional child abuse on adult sleep among women; and (2) to assess the role that childhood socioeconomic status (SES) could play in moderating these associations. In-person data were collected from women living in a mid-sized city in western Canada in 2019–2020 (N= 185; M age= 40 years). Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Physical and emotional abuse experienced often or very often in childhood were assessed using single items (yes or no). Childhood SES was assessed by a single item and dichotomized at the sample median. Linear regression models examined associations between each form of abuse and continuous adult sleep quality score adjusted for covariates. Statistically significant interactions were stratified and examined by child SES group. Frequent physical and emotional childhood abuse were each associated with clinically and statistically significant increases in past-month sleep problem scores among women in adjusted models. This association was moderated by childhood SES for emotional child abuse, but not physical child abuse. Findings suggest that growing up in an upper-middle to upper SES household may buffer the adverse impact of frequent emotional child abuse on later adult sleep, but may not promote resilience in the context of frequent physical child abuse.

Objectives: 1) To examine associations between racial discrimination and drug problems among urban-based Aboriginal adults; and 2) to determine whether these associations are best explained by symptoms of psychological stress, distress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective: To present epidemiologic information on adolescent use of prescription drugs to get high, and not for medical purposes, in Canada.Methods: Data were obtained from 44 344 adolescents in grades 7 to 12 living across Canada's 10 provinces who completed the Youth Smoking Survey in 2008/2009.Results: Nationally, 5.9% of adolescents in grades 7 to 12 reported the use of prescription drugs to get high in the past 12 months in 2008/2009. Females were more likely to report use of pain relievers, sedatives, or tranquilizers to get high, while males were more likely to report the use of prescription stimulants for this purpose. The use of prescription drugs to get high was elevated among older youth, those living in British Columbia, and those who identified as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. School connectedness was associated with a reduction in this form of prescription drug misuse for all adolescents; however, this protective effect was particularly strong for Aboriginal youth, and may be an important preventative factor for this population.Conclusions: Use of prescription drugs to get high was prevalent among adolescents in Canada in 2008/2009. Findings highlight the need for clinicians to include questions about prescription drugs when screening adolescents for substance abuse in Canada. Findings also highlight the need for evidence-informed strategies to reduce prescription drug misuse among Aboriginal youth living outside First Nations communities in Canada. The results of this study suggest school connectedness may be a particularly important target for these interventions.

Objectives: Racial discrimination is an established life course social determinant of health associated with adverse psychological outcomes among minority populations. However, little is known about the extent to which Aboriginal people in Canada may experience racial discrimination and consequent adverse psychological effects. This study sought to measure the extent to which Aboriginal university students living in an urban area of Canada experienced racism, to triangulate this evidence with US data and qualitative findings, and to examine the impact of these experiences on mental health.Methods: Data for this mixed method study were collected via in-person surveys with a volunteer sample of Aboriginal university students (n= 60) living in a mid-sized city in central Canada in 2008–2009.Results: Results indicate Aboriginal university students experienced more frequent racism across a greater number of life situations than African- and Latino-American adults in the United States. Student reactions to these experiences were symptomatic of what has been termed racial battle fatigue in the United States. Students who considered themselves traditional or cultural Aboriginal persons were significantly more likely to experience discrimination.Conclusions: Results underline the need for policies aimed at reducing racism directed at Aboriginal people in urban areas and the growth of services to help Aboriginal people cope with these experiences. Results highlight the need for further research to determine the potential pathogenic consequences of racial discrimination for Aboriginal people in Canada.

Objective: To examine associations between Aboriginal enculturation, Canadian acculturation, and alcohol problems among Aboriginal university students living in an urban area in Canada.Methods: Data for this mixed methods study were collected through in-person surveys with a convenience sample of Aboriginal university students (n= 60) in 2008/2009.Results: Students evidenced high levels of Aboriginal enculturation and Canadian acculturation. Aboriginal enculturation was significantly associated with reduced alcohol problems for Aboriginal university students. There was no association between Canadian acculturation and alcohol problems. Qualitative findings suggest Aboriginal cultural practices helped students cope with problems in their daily lives and provided them with both personal and social rewards.Conclusions: This study found Aboriginal enculturation was significantly associated with reduced alcohol problems among Aboriginal university students. Results support the growth of programs and services that encourage Aboriginal students to maintain their cultural identity within the university setting.

Objective: We examined the prevalence and correlates of prescription drug misuse (PDM) in a population-based sample of adults from Alberta.Methods: Data were collected from 3511 adults in Alberta aged 18 years and older in 2002 using a computer-aided telephone survey; the survey response rate was 57.4%.Results: The prevalence of 12-month PDM in Alberta was 8.2% in 2002. Opiates were the most frequently misused drug class, followed by sedatives, stimulants, and tranquilizers. Current disability was particularly associated with PDM. Odds of PDM were also elevated among adult students and adults with a high school diploma relative to adults with a post-secondary degree. Past-year problem gambling, illicit drug use, and alcohol use and dependence were each associated with PDM, while past-year binge drinking and daily smoking were not.Conclusions: Findings suggest PDM was an important public health concern in Alberta in 2002. Estimates suggest prescription use and misuse have increased substantially in Canada since that time. There is an urgent need for an ongoing assessment of this evolving problem so that effective prevention and therapeutic strategies can be developed.

Half of all pregnancies in Canada are unintended. Whether a pregnancy is intended or unintended has a bearing on the risk of prenatal alcohol exposure. Research indicates that women who experience an unintended pregnancy are significantly more likely to consume alcohol while pregnant. Most fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) prevention frameworks in Canada have adopted a mid-stream approach focused on preventing alcohol consumption among women who are already pregnant. Yet there is a second approach, further upstream, that is rarely discussed as an FASD prevention tool in this country - preventing unintended pregnancy itself. Improving access to long-acting reversible contraceptives for women and girls who are experiencing cost and access barriers to these methods could do much to stem the incidence of FASD and the prohibitive health and social costs associated with this disorder in Canada. La moitié des grossesses au Canada sont non désirées. Qu’une grossesse soit voulue ou non a une incidence sur le risque d’exposition prénatale à l’alcool. Des études ont montré que les femmes qui vivent une grossesse non désirée sont de manière significative plus susceptibles de consommer de l’alcool lorsqu’elles sont enceintes. La plupart des cadres de prévention du trouble du spectre de l’alcoolisation fœtale (TSAF) au Canada emploient une approche à mi-parcours, qui vise à prévenir la consommation d’alcool des femmes déjà enceintes. Pourtant, il existe une deuxième approche, plus en amont, dont on discute rarement en tant qu’outil de prévention du TSAF dans ce pays: prévenir les grossesses non désirées. Le fait d’améliorer l’accès aux contraceptifs réversibles et à longue durée d’action pour les femmes et les filles qui n’ont pas les moyens de s’en procurer ou qui n’y ont pas accès contribuerait beaucoup à réduire l’incidence du TSAF et les coûts sanitaires et sociaux associés à ce trouble au Canada.

We investigated the biological impacts of Indigenous residential school attendance on the adult children of survivors, operationalized through allostatic load (AL); and the extent to which intergenerational trauma, operationalized through adverse childhood experience (ACE) score, mediated this association. Data were collected in-person from a university-based sample of Indigenous adults (N= 90, mean age: 28 years) in a mid-sized city in western Canada between 2015 and 2016. Associations were analyzed in multinominal regression models, with terciled AL and ACE scores as outcomes. The cross-products of coefficients method was used to test mediation. Overall, 42.7% and 33.7% reported their mother and father had attended residential school; respectively. In an adjusted model, maternal, but not paternal, residential school attendance was a risk factor associated with a moderate increase in AL among her adult children. The strength of this association did not change when the analysis was limited to mothers who raised their children. Maternal and paternal residential school attendance were each associated with increased ACE score among adults raised by survivors. However, ACE score did not explain the association between maternal residential school attendance and offspring AL score in mediational analyses. The present findings suggest colonial residential school experiences may have become biologically embedded, passed to subsequent generations, and exhibited through the dysregulation of allostatic systems among the adult children of maternal residential school survivors. Maternal exposure to residential school influenced biological dysregulation among her adult children in ways that could not be further exacerbated by her children's exposure to ACEs. The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission asked governments to acknowledge the impact of residential schools on the current state of Indigenous health. Our findings underline the importance of this call by demonstrating how the residential school experience may get under the skin to impact the health of the next generation.