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Despite increased access to and improvements in contraceptives, unintended pregnancy continues to be a problem globally and is associated with adverse outcomes for mothers and infants. This paper seeks to unravel the mediators of intended versus unintended pregnancies among Black women living with HIV. The paper draws on survey data from a broader multi-country mixed methods study that used a community-based participatory research approach to investigate the psychosocial experiences of Black mothers living with HIV. The study participants were Black mothers living with HIV drawn through venue-based sampling from Ottawa, Canada (n = 89), Port Harcourt, Nigeria (n = 400), and Miami, Florida, United States (n = 201). We used Hierarchical Binary Logistic Regression Modelling (HBLM) to estimate the independent associations of pregnancy intention (intended versus unintended) with blocks of predictor variables (sociodemographic, sociocultural, and psychosocial predictors) at alpha level of 0.5. Specifically, 44.2%, 67.3%, and 17.7% of the women had unintended pregnancies in Ottawa, Miami, and Port Harcourt, respectively. There were important results from the HBLM. The odds of intended relative to unintended pregnancies were (i) reduced in larger households (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.36/0.87), but increased with employment (OR = 7.84, 95% CI = 1.52/40.54) and HIV knowledge (OR = 3.13, 95% CI = 1.42/6.90) in Ottawa; (ii) reduced with age (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88/0.98), but increased with marriage (OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.43/5.88) and social support (pregnancy (OR = 3.77, 95% CI = 1.98/7.19) in Port Harcourt; (iii) reduced with social support (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91/1.00) but increased with HIV status disclosure (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.01/2.97) and the influence of specific referent (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.13/2.52) in Miami-FL. The incidence of unintended pregnancy is more prevalent among Black women living with HIV in the North American cities relative to the African city. Also, unique combinations of sociodemographic, sociocultural, and psychosocial factors influence pregnancy intention in each city. This implies that policy and practices to address reproductive health needs of WLHIV must consider these contextual issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The Stroke Canada Optimization of Rehabilitation by Evidence-Implementation Trial (SCORE-IT) showed that a facilitated knowledge translation (KT) approach to implementing a stroke rehabilitation guideline was more likely than passive strategies to improve functional walking capacity, but not gross manual dexterity, among patients in rehabilitation hospitals. This paper presents the results of a planned process evaluation designed to assess whether the type and number of recommended treatments implemented by stroke teams in each group would help to explain the results related to patient outcomes.Methods: As part of a cluster randomized trial, 20 rehabilitation units were stratified by language and allocated to a facilitated or passive KT intervention group. Sites in the facilitated group received the guideline with treatment protocols and funding for a part-time nurse and therapist facilitator who attended a 2-day training workshop and promoted guideline implementation for 16 months. Sites in the passive group received the guideline excluding treatment protocols. As part of a process evaluation, nurses, and occupational and physical therapists, blinded to study hypotheses, were asked to record their implementation of 18 recommended treatments targeting motor function, postural control and mobility using individualized patient checklists after treatment sessions for 2 weeks pre- and post-intervention. The percentage of patients receiving each treatment pre- and post-intervention and between groups was compared after adjusting for clustering and covariates in a random-effects logistic regression analysis.Results: Data on treatment implementation from nine and eight sites in the facilitated and passive KT group, respectively, were available for analysis. The facilitated KT intervention was associated with improved implementation of sit-to-stand (p = 0.028) and walking (p = 0.043) training while the passive KT intervention was associated with improved implementation of standing balance training (p = 0.037), after adjusting for clustering at patient and provider levels and covariates.Conclusions: Despite multiple strategies and resources, the facilitated KT intervention was unsuccessful in improving integration of 18 treatments concurrently. The facilitated approach may not have adequately addressed barriers to integrating numerous treatments simultaneously and complex treatments that were unfamiliar to providers.Trial Registration: Unique identifier- NCT00359593. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Studies have shown that Housing First, a recovery-oriented housing intervention, is effective in reducing service utilization among homeless individuals with mental illness, but less is known about how Housing First affects patterns of service use over time and about characteristics associated with various utilization trajectories. This analysis aimed to explore latent class trajectories of shelter utilization in a randomized controlled trial of Housing First conducted across five Canadian cities.Methods: Data from the At Home/Chez Soi trial were analyzed (N=2,058). Latent class growth analysis was performed using days of shelter utilization to identify trajectories over 24 months. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine which baseline variables, including treatment group, could predict class membership.Results: Four shelter use trajectories were identified: consistently low (N=1,631, 79%); mostly low (N=120, 6%); early temporary increase (N=179, 9%); and higher use, late temporary increase (N=128, 6%). Treatment group was a significant predictor of class membership. Those enrolled in Housing First had lower odds of experiencing higher shelter use trajectories (mostly low: odds ratio [OR]=0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.34-0.72; early temporary increase: OR=0.21, 95% CI=0.15-0.31; higher use, late temporary increase: OR=0.14, 95% CI=0.09-0.22). Other variables associated with trajectory classes included older age and longer time homeless, both of which were associated with higher shelter use.Conclusions: Several participant characteristics were associated with different shelter use patterns. Knowledge of variables associated with more favorable trajectories may help to inform service planning and contribute to modeling efforts for homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study assessed systematic bias and the effects of data set error on the validity of food environment measures in two municipal and two commercial secondary data sets.Design: Sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and concordance were calculated by comparing two municipal and two commercial secondary data sets with ground-truthed data collected within 800 m buffers surrounding twenty-six schools. Logistic regression examined associations of sensitivity and PPV with commercial density and neighbourhood socio-economic deprivation. Kendall's τ estimated correlations between density and proximity of food outlets near schools constructed with secondary data sets v. ground-truthed data.Setting: Vancouver, Canada.Subjects: Food retailers located within 800 m of twenty-six schools RESULTS: All data sets scored relatively poorly across validity measures, although, overall, municipal data sets had higher levels of validity than did commercial data sets. Food outlets were more likely to be missing from municipal health inspections lists and commercial data sets in neighbourhoods with higher commercial density. Still, both proximity and density measures constructed from all secondary data sets were highly correlated (Kendall's τ>0·70) with measures constructed from ground-truthed data.Conclusions: Despite relatively low levels of validity in all secondary data sets examined, food environment measures constructed from secondary data sets remained highly correlated with ground-truthed data. Findings suggest that secondary data sets can be used to measure the food environment, although estimates should be treated with caution in areas with high commercial density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about use of goal setting and tracking tools within online programs to support nutrition and physical activity behaviour change. In 2011, Dietitians of Canada added "My Goals," a nutrition and physical activity behaviour goal setting and tracking tool to their free publicly available self-monitoring website (eaTracker® ( http://www.eaTracker.ca/ )). My Goals allows users to: a) set "ready-made" SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-related) goals (choice of n = 87 goals from n = 13 categories) or "write your own" goals, and b) track progress using the "My Goals Tracker." The purpose of this study was to characterize: a) My Goals user demographics, b) types of goals set, and c) My Goals Tracker use.Methods: Anonymous data on all goals set using the My Goals feature from December 6/2012-April 28/2014 by users ≥19y from Ontario and Alberta, Canada were obtained. This dataset contained: anonymous self-reported user demographic data, user set goals, and My Goals Tracker use data. Write your own goals were categorized by topic and specificity. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to determine associations between user demographics and a) goal topic areas and b) My Goals Tracker use.Results: Overall, n = 16,511 goal statements (75.4 % ready-made; 24.6 % write your own) set by n = 8,067 adult users 19-85y (83.3 % female; mean age 41.1 ± 15.0y, mean BMI 28.8 ± 7.6kg/m(2)) were included for analysis. Overall, 33.1 % of ready-made goals were from the "Managing your Weight" category. Of write your own goal entries, 42.3 % were solely distal goals (most related to weight management); 38.6 % addressed nutrition behaviour change (16.6 % had unspecific general eating goals); 18.1 % addressed physical activity behaviour change (47.3 % had goals without information on exercise amount and type). Many write your own goals were poor quality (e.g., non-specific (e.g., missing amounts)), and possibly unrealistic (e.g., no sugar). Few goals were tracked (<10 %). Demographic variables had statistically significant relations with goal topic areas and My Goals Tracker use.Conclusions: eaTracker® users had high interest in goal setting and the My Goals feature, however, self-written goals were often poor quality and goal tracking was rare. Further research is needed to better support users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior studies suggested that vancomycin may be inferior to β-lactams for the empiric treatment of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) bacteremia. We assessed whether empiric therapy with β-lactams compared to vancomycin was associated with differences in clinical outcomes in patients with MSSA bacteremia.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult inpatients with their first episode of MSSA bacteremia at two tertiary care hospitals in Vancouver, Canada, between 2007 and 2014. Exposure was either empiric β-lactam or vancomycin therapy. All patients received definitive treatment with cloxacillin or cefazolin. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were 90-day mortality, recurrent infection at 6 months, duration of bacteremia and hospital length-of-stay. Outcomes were adjusted using multivariable logistic regression.Results: Of 814 patients identified, 400 met inclusion criteria (β-lactam = 200, vancomycin = 200). Overall 28-day mortality was 8.5 % (n=34). There were more cases of infective endocarditis in the β-lactam than in the vancomycin group [45 (22.5 %) vs 23 (11.5 %), p < 0.01]. Adjusted mortality at 28 days was similar between the two groups (OR: 1.14; 95 % CI: 0.49-2.64). No differences in secondary outcomes were observed. Transition to cloxacillin or cefazolin occurred within a median of 67.8 h in the vancomycin group.Conclusions: Empiric therapy with β-lactams was not associated with differences in all-cause mortality, recurrent infection, microbiological cure or hospital length-of-stay compared to vancomycin. Vancomycin monotherapy may be appropriate for the empiric treatment of MSSA bacteremia if definitive therapy with cloxacillin or cefazolin can be initiated within 3 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A clinical risk index employing age, sex, family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), smoking history and body mass index (BMI) may be useful for prioritizing screening with colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to conduct an external evaluation of a previously published risk index for advanced neoplasia (AN) in a large, well-characterized cohort.Methods: Five thousand one hundred thirty-seven asymptomatic persons aged 50 to 74 (54.9 % women) with a mean age (SD) of 58.3 (6.2) years were recruited for the study from a teaching hospital and colorectal cancer screening centre between 2003 and 2011. All participants underwent a complete screening colonoscopy and removal of all polyps. AN was defined as cancer or a tubular adenoma, traditional serrated adenoma (TSA), or sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) with villous characteristics (≥25% villous component), and/or high-grade dysplasia and/or diameter ≥10 mm. Risk scores for each participant were summed to derive an overall score (0-8). The c-statistic was used to measure discriminating ability of the risk index.Results: The prevalence of AN in the study cohort was 6.8 %. The likelihood of detecting AN increased from 3.6 to 13.1 % for those with a risk score of 1 to 6 respectively. The c-statistic for the multivariable logistic model in our cohort was 0.64 (95 % CI = 0.61-067) indicating modest overlap between risk scores.Conclusions: The risk index for AN using age, sex, family history, smoking history and BMI was found to be of limited discriminating ability upon external validation. The index requires further refinement to better predict AN in average risk persons of screening age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]