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Objective: To investigate how primary care access, intensity and quality of care changed among patients living with schizophrenia before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada., Methods: This cohort study was performed using primary care electronic medical record data from the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN), a network of > 500 family physicians in Ontario, Canada. Data were collected during primary care visits from 2643 patients living with schizophrenia. Rates of primary care health service use (in-person and virtual visits with family physicians) and key preventive health indices indicated in antipsychotic monitoring (blood pressure readings, hemoglobin A1c, cholesterol and complete blood cell count [CBC] tests) were measured and compared in the 12 months before and after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic., Results: Access to in-person care dropped with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first year of the pandemic only 39.5% of patients with schizophrenia had at least one in-person visit compared to 81.0% the year prior. There was a corresponding increase in virtual visits such that 78.0% of patients had a primary care appointment virtually during the pandemic period. Patients prescribed injectable antipsychotics were more likely to continue having more frequent in-person appointments during the pandemic than patients prescribed only oral or no antipsychotic medications. The proportion of patients who did not have recommended tests increased from 41.0% to 72.4% for blood pressure readings, from 48.9% to 60.2% for hemoglobin A1c, from 57.0% to 67.8% for LDL cholesterol and 45.0% to 56.0% for CBC tests during the pandemic., Conclusions: There were substantial decreases in preventive care after the onset of the pandemic, although primary care access was largely maintained through virtual care. Addressing these deficiencies will be essential to promoting health equity and reducing the risk of poor health outcomes.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid shift to virtual care, with largely unknown consequences for accessibility. The purpose of this study is to examine pandemic-related changes in use of care for smoking cessation., Aims and Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis 65 565 enrollments in a large smoking cessation program in Ontario, Canada. We used piecewise mixed-effects regression to examine how weeks nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) received, as well as counseling provided and visits attended, varied with date of enrollment over three time periods: more than 6 months before the pandemic began; the 6 months before the pandemic; and the pandemic period itself. We then examined changes in the associations between use of care and participant characteristics by fitting a model including a set of interactions between time and other variables. Based on an omnibus test of these interactions, we then tested individual terms, using the Holm method to control the family-wise error rate., Results: From the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the total weeks of NRT provided rose significantly and then declined, while the amount of counseling fell. Associations between NRT use and participant characteristics changed significantly after the pandemic onset. Individual models showed that people with lower income, living in areas of higher marginalization, unable to work, and reporting higher levels of depressive symptoms all received NRT for a longer time during the pandemic period., Conclusions: The pandemic led to small but significant changes in the amount of services used per enrollment. The transition to remote care appears to have reduced the effects of socioeconomic and health barriers., Implications: The amount of care used by participants in tobacco cessation treatment is known to be associated with health and sociodemographic characteristics. Most of these associations did not change markedly following the pandemic-related switch to virtual care in 2020; however, the effects of some economic and health barriers seem to have lessened, perhaps because of a likely reduction in transport and time requirements of treatment., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose of Review: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression in the population. These are associated with unhealthy eating patterns and sedentary behaviour. In turn, this may increase risk of obesity or aggravate it. This narrative review discusses the link between adverse mental health states and weight related behaviours. We present emerging evidence for this phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with and without pre-existing obesity., Recent Findings: A sizeable proportion of the population exhibits deterioration in mental health during the pandemic and those affected often report unhealthy weight-related behaviours such as "junk food" consumption and physical inactivity. Women, individuals with obesity, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions seem to be particularly at risk for overeating in response to stress (i.e. emotional eating). A number of psychological interventions including cognitive behavioural therapy and self-compassion may be effective in improving mental health and emotional eating patterns among the general population and particularly in individuals living with obesity. There is a need to complement efforts to improve mental health in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic with targeted action to improve physical activity levels and healthy eating particularly among groups at-risk. This may be achieved by reducing disruptions to specialist and primary healthcare services and facilitating access to psychological interventions that address stress-related eating behaviours. Additional studies that examine such interventions, especially those that are delivered remotely, are urgently needed., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related stressors and restrictions, in the absence of social and institutional support, have led many individuals to either increase their substance consumption or relapse. Consequently, treatment programs for substance use disorders (SUDs) made a transition from in-person to remote care delivery. This review discusses the following evidence regarding changes prompted by the COVID pandemic to the clinical care of individuals with SUDs: (1) reduction in availability of care, (2) increase in demand for care, (3) transition to telemedicine use, (4) telemedicine for treatment of opioid use disorders, and (5) considerations for use of telemedicine in treating SUDs., Competing Interests: Disclosure W.K. deRuiter reports receiving grants from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Pfizer. W.K. deRuiter is also a shareholder of Abbott Laboratories. P. Selby reports receiving grants and/or salary and/or research support from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Health Canada, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Ontario Lung Association, Medical Psychiatry Alliance, Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes, Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCSRI), Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Ontario Brain Institute, McLaughlin Centre, Academic Health Sciences Centre, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. P. Selby also reports receiving funding and/or honoraria from the following commercial organizations: Pfizer Inc./Canada. Through an open tender process Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer Inc are vendors of record for providing smoking cessation pharmacotherapy, free or discounted, for research studies in which P. Selby is the principal investigator or coinvestigator. The authors O.C. Melamed and L. Buckley have nothing to disclose., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Marginalized populations are being disproportionally affected by the current pandemic. Direct effects include higher infection rates with greater morbidity and mortality; indirect effects stem from the societal response to limit the spread of the virus. These same groups also have smoking rates that are significantly higher than the general population. In this commentary, we discuss how the pandemic has been acting to further increase the harm from tobacco endured by these groups by applying the syndemic framework. Using this approach, we elaborate on the factors that promote clustering of harms from tobacco with harms from COVID-19. These include the worsening of psychological distress, a potential increase in smoking behaviour, greater exposure to second-hand smoke and less access to smoking cessation services. Then, we offer mitigation strategies to protect disadvantaged groups from tobacco-related harm during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies include affordable smoking cessation services, a proactive approach for smoking treatment using information technology, opportunistic screening and treatment of tobacco dependence among individuals presenting for COVID-19 vaccination, policy interventions for universal coverage of cessation pharmacotherapy, comprehensive smoke-free policies and regulation of tobacco retail density. Now more than ever, coordinated action between clinicians, health care systems, public health organizations and health policy makers is needed to protect vulnerable groups from the harm of tobacco., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no relationships, activities or interests that are related to the content of this manuscript. The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Background: Given the harms associated with tobacco use, continuing the provision of smoking cessation treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical. The aim of this study was to examine pandemic-related changes in enrolment, total treatment use and participant characteristics in a large, publicly funded smoking cessation program in Ontario, Canada., Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of patients who enrolled in the program between Jan. 1, 2018, and Dec. 7, 2020. We used descriptive statistics to examine changes in treatment use. To test for differences in sociodemographic and health variables, we used segmented mixed-effects regression with a break point on Mar. 17, 2020, when Ontario declared a state of emergency. We tested 25 variables, using Holm's correction for multiplicity., Results: We analyzed 60 373 enrolments. In the month after the break point, enrolments fell 69% and total visits fell 42% relative to previous years. After Mar. 17, 2020, those who enrolled were less likely to report employment in the previous week (absolute expected difference -12.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -15.0% to -9.8%); were more likely to be occasional (1.3%, 95% CI 0.6% to 1.9%) or noncurrent smokers (1.7%, 95% CI 0.8% to 2.6%); were less likely to have set a target quit date (-4.8%, 95% CI -7.0% to -2.6%); and were more likely to have a physical health (6.6%, 95% CI 4.0% to 9.2%), mental health (4.6%, 95% CI 1.9% to 7.2%) or substance use diagnosis (3.5%, 95% CI 1.3% to 5.6%)., Interpretation: Sharp decreases in new enrolments and subsequent visits to smoking cessation programs were seen when pandemic restrictions were implemented in Ontario, but the characteristics of the people who accessed the programs did not change markedly. Incorporating an equity perspective is essential when new models of care for smoking cessation are developed., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Peter Selby reports receiving grants and/or salary and/or research support from the National Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). No other competing interests were declared., (© 2021 CMA Joule Inc. or its licensors.)

Marginalized populations are being disproportionally affected by the current pandemic. Direct effects include higher infection rates with greater morbidity and mortality; indirect effects stem from the societal response to limit the spread of the virus. These same groups also have smoking rates that are significantly higher than the general population. In this commentary, we discuss how the pandemic has been acting to further increase the harm from tobacco endured by these groups by applying the syndemic framework. Using this approach, we elaborate on the factors that promote clustering of harms from tobacco with harms from COVID-19. These include the worsening of psychological distress, a potential increase in smoking behaviour, greater exposure to second-hand smoke and less access to smoking cessation services. Then, we offer mitigation strategies to protect disadvantaged groups from tobacco-related harm during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies include affordable smoking cessation services, a proactive approach for smoking treatment using information technology, opportunistic screening and treatment of tobacco dependence among individuals presenting for COVID-19 vaccination, policy interventions for universal coverage of cessation pharmacotherapy, comprehensive smoke-free policies and regulation of tobacco retail density. Now more than ever, coordinated action between clinicians, health care systems, public health organizations and health policy makers is needed to protect vulnerable groups from the harm of tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 can worsen the physical health of individuals with serious mental illness, a vulnerable group already facing physical health disparities. COVID-19 is further reducing access to physical health care due to shutdown of services deemed "non-urgent" and overcrowding of emergency services. Management of chronic diseases, highly prevalent in this group, is undermined due to exacerbation of psychiatric disorders, reduction in availability of social support, and worsening of negative social determinants of health. In this commentary, we discuss the challenges experienced by this group and offer mitigation strategies to reduce: (1) inequalities in access to physical health care; and (2) disruptions to the management of chronic physical conditions in the face of COVID-19. Recommendations include coordinated efforts by health authorities, primary and mental health care organizations, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders. These efforts should ensure equitable access to physical health care and implementation of innovative programs to protect the physical health of people with serious mental illness during and following the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]