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Background: North America has been experiencing an unprecedented epidemic of drug overdose. This study investigated the associations of drug overdose with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 11 major CVD subtypes. Methods: This nested case–control study was based on a cohort of 20% random sample of residents in British Columbia, Canada, who were aged 18–80 years and did not have known CVD at baseline (n = 617,863). During a 4-year follow-up period, persons who developed incident CVD were identified as case subjects, and the onset date of CVD was defined as the index date. For each case subject, we used incidence density sampling to randomly select up to five control subjects from the cohort members who were alive and did not have known CVD by the index date, were admitted to an emergency department or hospital on the index date for non-CVD causes, and were matched on age, sex, and region of residence. Overdose exposure on the index date and each of the previous 5 days was examined for each subject. Results: This study included 16,113 CVD case subjects (mean age 53 years, 59% male) and 66,875 control subjects. After adjusting for covariates, overdose that occurred on the index date was strongly associated with CVD [odds ratio (OR), 2.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.4–3.5], especially for arrhythmia (OR, 8.6; 95% CI, 6.2–12.0), ischemic stroke (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.0–14.1), hemorrhagic stroke (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2–8.3), and myocardial infarction (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.5–5.8). The CVD risk was decreased but remained significantly elevated for overdose that occurred on the previous day, and was not observed for overdose that occurred on each of the previous 2–5 days. Conclusions: Drug overdose appears to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objectives were to (1) compare the risks for poor long-term mental health outcomes among indigenous women with and without a teenage pregnancy and (2) determine if community and cultural factors modify this risk. We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey. Respondents were women aged 25 to 49 years who had given birth to at least one child. Teenage mothers (age at first birth 13 to 19 years; n = 1330) were compared to adult mothers (age at first birth 20 years or older; n = 2630). Mental health outcomes were psychological distress, mental health status, suicide ideation/attempt, and alcohol consumption. To address objective 1, we used binary logistic regression analyses before and after controlling for covariates. To address objective 2, we tested the significance of interaction terms between teenage pregnancy status and effect measure modifiers. In unadjusted analyses, teenage pregnancy was associated with increased risk for poor/fair mental health [odds ratio (OR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-2.53] and suicide attempt/ideation (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.07-3.54). However, the associations were not statistically significant after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and health covariates. Teenage pregnancy was not associated with increased risk for high psychological distress or heavy alcohol consumption in unadjusted or adjusted analyses. The interaction term for involvement in cultural activities was statistically significant for poor/fair mental health; however, after stratification, ORs were non-significant. Among indigenous mothers, teenage pregnancy was less important than broader social and health circumstances in predicting long-term mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Fueled by the commercial tobacco industry, commercial tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of premature death in Canada, with opportunities to improve health outcomes. The objective of this research was to work with Indigenous partners to generate Indigenous population prevalence estimates of commercial tobacco use in Toronto, and examine the association between smoking and sociodemographic, cultural, resiliency, and social variables., Methods: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to generate prevalence estimates of commercial tobacco use and potentially associated sociodemographic, cultural, resiliency, and social connection variables for Indigenous adults living in Toronto. Statistical analysis examined associations between smoking and variables theorized to be predictors of tobacco use., Results: The findings indicated that 36.3% (95%CI 28.2-44.5) of the Indigenous population in Toronto do not smoke, and 63.6% (95%CI 55.5-71.7) reported smoking. Univariate analysis of demographic, social, and cultural variables found age and employment to be statistically significantly different between adults who smoked and adults who did not smoke. Indigenous adults who were above the before-tax low-income cut-off (LICO) were more likely to smoke compared to those who were below the before-tax LICO. Indigenous adults who completed high school were more likely to smoke compared to those who did not complete high school, similarly to those who were unemployed compared to those who were employed. However, those who were not in the labour force (student or retired) were less likely to smoke compared to those who were employed. These effects remained after adjustment for age, gender, and LICO. Indigenous adults with stable housing were 20% less likely to smoke compared to those experiencing homelessness. Adults who had at least one close friend or family member to confide in were more likely to smoke compared to those who did not have any close friends or family members. Indigenous adults were more likely to smoke if they participated in Indigenous ceremony compared to those who did not participate., Conclusion: The Indigenous population in Toronto continues to experience smoking prevalence nearly four times greater than that in the general population. This highlights the need for accurate population data to inform programs and policies and address the social determinants of health., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: The Our Health Counts Toronto engagement processes align with the ethical guidelines used for the research conducted by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) and the principles of OCAP®, which assist to ensure Indigenous control over Indigenous research data (OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC), 1998; Canada, Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1993). Ethics approval was provided by the Well Living House Counsel of Grandparents and community partner Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto. The OHCT study also received ethics clearance from the St. Michael’s Hospital Research Ethics Board (REB# 14-083c). Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Context: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of illness and death for Indigenous people in Canada and globally. Appropriate medication can significantly improve health outcomes for persons diagnosed with CVD or for those at high risk of CVD. Poor health literacy has been identified as a major barrier that interferes with client understanding and taking of CVD medication. Strengthening health literacy within health services is particularly relevant in Indigenous contexts, where there are systemic barriers to accessing literacy skills., Objective: The aim of this study is to test the effect of a customized, structured health literacy educational program addressing CVD medications., Methods: Pre-post-design involves health providers and Indigenous clients at the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre (DAHC) in Ontario, Canada. Forty-seven Indigenous clients with or at high risk of CVD received three educational sessions delivered by a trained Indigenous nurse over a 4- to 7-week period. A tablet application, pill card and booklet supported the sessions. Primary outcomes were knowledge of CVD medications and health literacy practices, which were assessed before and after the programe., Results: Following the program compared to before, mean medication knowledge scores were 3.3 to 6.1 times higher for the four included CVD medications. Participants were also more likely to refer to the customized pill card and booklet for information and answer questions from others regarding CVD., Conclusions: This customized education program was highly effective in increasing medication knowledge and health literacy practice among Indigenous people with CVD or at risk of CVD attending the program at an urban Indigenous health centre.