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International differences in breast cancer rates and diet, and studies in migrants, suggest that diet may be a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to examine the dietary intakes of women from populations considered to be at different risks for breast cancer. We collected four 24-h food recalls in 3 groups of postmenopausal Canadian women: Caucasians (n = 392), Chinese women born in the West or who migrated to the West before age 21 (n = 156), and recent Chinese migrants (n = 383). Compared to Caucasians, recent Chinese migrants had lower energy and fat intakes and higher protein and carbohydrate intakes. Recent Chinese migrants consumed higher amounts of grains, vegetables, fish, and soy and lower amounts of alcohol, meat, dairy products, and sweets than Caucasians. Western-born Chinese and early Chinese migrants had intakes intermediate between the other 2 groups. The differences in intake between the ethnic groups suggest foods and nutrients that may contribute to the differences in risk of breast cancer between women in Canada and China. Future work will examine whether these dietary differences are associated with biological markers of breast cancer risk.

The objective of this study was to develop a Chinese version of the Diabetes Quality of Life measure (DQOL), appropriate for elderly Chinese immigrants with Type 2 diabetes, and evaluate its reliability and validity through psychometric testing. Using an established diabetes quality of life measure, we employed focus groups to modify the instrument to be appropriate for an elderly Chinese population. The revised version was forward translated and back translated by four individuals independently. A review committee consensus determined the final version, which was pre-tested on five lay people to assess the equivalence of meaning. Elderly Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes (n = 70) attending either an endocrinology or family practice clinic near Toronto were recruited to complete the Chinese version of the DQOL. Reliability of the instrument was assessed by evaluating internal consistency, item-internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Divergent validity was assessed to show that the instrument could detect worsening quality of life associated with diabetic complications. The Chinese version of the DQOL consists of 42 items and three scales including satisfaction, impact and diabetes-related worry. The DQOL and its three scales had high degrees of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.76-0.92) and excellent test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation = 0.94-0.99). All items had high correlation with their hypothesized scale with the exception of three items. Divergent validity of the instrument was demonstrated. This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of this Chinese version of the DQOL measure for an elderly Chinese population with Type 2 diabetes. This instrument may be used in future studies to better understand the quality of life of the Chinese population with diabetes.

Background: Epidemiological studies of cancer among migrant groups are beneficial in that they can provide insight into genetic and environmental factors in disease aetiology. Seven studies in the epidemiological literature have examined cancer mortality in migrants from China; methodological features and findings, which display remarkable consistencies between studies, are reviewed here., Methods: Papers were included that compare site-specific cancer mortality patterns in first and second generation migrants to the experience in the host regions using vital statistics and census data. Rates had to be standardized either indirectly (using age-specific rates from the host regions) or directly (using a standard age structure) and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) or rate ratios (RR) were calculated., Results: Migrant males had overall mortality from cancer that was often in significant excess compared to the host experience; results for females (for overall cancer) were equivocal. Both sexes had large and significant excess mortality from nasopharyngeal and liver cancer; SMR and RR were also consistently elevated for cancers of the stomach and oesophagus. There was notable attenuation in the high risk at these four sites in the second generation. All studies reported pronounced and significant reduced risk for prostatic cancer and female breast cancer, with little or no increase in mortality in the second generation. The SMR and RR also tended to be below unity for brain, bladder and kidney cancer., Conclusions: The results of this review indicate that cancer risk at several sites among Chinese migrants appears to be in transition, and that these findings are consistent across studies.

The objectives of this study were to develop and test surname lists for identifying Chinese ancestry. The Ontario all-cause mortality database for the period 1982-1989 was randomly split into source and test data sets. Frequencies by birthplace were compiled for each surname in the source data set, by sex, and the surnames were weighted based on their positive likelihood ratios. Lists of Chinese surnames were then assembled based on varying cutoff levels, and screening performance indicators for each list were calculated, including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, post-test odds, positive likelihood ratio, and yield. The internally generated lists were evaluated in the test data set. Results indicated that surnames have a good potential to identify individuals of Chinese origin. In the source data set, at a cutoff level of 100 for males (217 surnames) and females (210 surnames), both sensitivity and the positive predictive value of the surname lists for males and females were very high, above 80%, and the positive likelihood ratio was above 600. In the test data set and using the same surname lists, the sensitivity, positive predictive value, and positive likelihood ratio remained at a high level: 73%, 81%, and 603, respectively, for males; and 73%, 84%, and 772, respectively, for females. Various scenarios and their methodological implications are discussed.