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Introduction: We compared smoking initiation and cessation in Quebec versus the rest of Canada as possible underpinnings of the continued higher cigarette smoking prevalence in Quebec. Methods: Data were drawn from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). We compared average and sex-stratified prevalence estimates of (1) current cigarette smoking in persons aged 15 years and older; (2) past-year initiation of cigarette smoking in those aged 12 to 17 and 18 to 24 years; and (3) past-year cessation in adults aged 25 years and older in Quebec versus the other nine Canadian provinces in each two-year CCHS cycle from 2007/08 to 2017/18. Results: The prevalence of current smoking decreased from 25% to 18% among adults aged 15 years and older in Quebec from 2007/08 to 2017/18, and from 22% to 16% in the rest of Canada. Initiation among those aged 12 to 17 years decreased from 9% to 5% in Quebec, and from 7% to 3% in the rest of Canada. Neither initiation among people aged 18 to 24 (at 6% and 7%, respectively) nor cessation among adults aged 25 and older (approximately 8%) changed over time in Quebec or in the rest of Canada. In each two-year CCHS cycle, past-year initiation among those 12 to 17 years of age was consistently higher in Quebec than in the rest of Canada, but there were no substantial or sustained differences in initiation among people aged 18 to 24 or in past-year cessation. Findings were similar when stratified by sex. Conclusion: Higher levels of smoking initiation among youth aged 12 to 17 years could be a proximal underpinning of the continuing higher prevalence of smoking in Quebec versus the rest of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in physical activity (PA) to prevent mental disorders in youth. However, few studies examine the association between PA and mental health. Further, how PA volume and context relate to mental health and mental disorders remains unclear, especially among youth in transition to adulthood. This study examined the cross-sectional associations among PA volume and context, mental health, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in post-secondary students. A total of 1527 post-secondary students (97.4% were age 16-24years) recruited in a CEGEP in Quebec, Canada completed a self-report questionnaire during class-time in October 2013. Multivariate linear regression was used to model the associations between PA volume and context and mental health, anxiety and depression controlling for sex, age and perceived socioeconomic status. Volume of moderate-to-vigorous leisure time PA (MVPA) was positively associated with mental health (β (95% CI)=0.072 (0.045, 0.099)) and inversely associated with symptoms of anxiety (-0.011 (-0.020, -0.001)) and depression (-0.010 (-0.017, -0.003)). Volume including all PA intensities was associated with mental health (0.052 (0.028, 0.076)). After controlling for PA volume, active youth involved in team sports had better mental health than those who engaged in PA individually. PA volume and the social context of PA are independently associated with mental health among youth. MVPA is inversely associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the factor structure, internal consistency, reliability, sex invariance, and discriminant validity of the French Canadian version of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF).Method: A total of 1485 French-speaking postsecondary students in Quebec, Canada (58% female; mean age = 18.4, SD = 2.4), completed the MHC-SF. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the factorial structure of the MHC-SF. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha, and reliability was assessed with the rho reliability coefficient. Invariance testing across sex was conducted using multigroup CFA comparing 4 increasingly restrictive models, and discriminant validity was examined against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) using Pearson correlation coefficients and CFA.Results: CFA supported the correlated 3-factor structure of the MHC-SF, with emotional, social, and psychological well-being subscales. The scale and each subscale items had internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's alphas) above .70 and reliability coefficients (Jöreskog's rho) ranging from .79 to .90. Based on the multigroup CFA, configural, metric, scalar, and error variance invariance of the MHC-SF was observed across sex. Finally, the 2-continua model, suggesting that mental health and mental illness are distinct but related dimensions, was supported by both moderate inverse correlations between MHC-SF and HADS subscale scores and the 2-factor structure in CFA.Conclusions: These data support the multidimensional structure of the MHC-SF and provide evidence of internal consistency, reliability, and invariance across sex. The MHC-SF is a valid and reliable measure of mental health that is distinct from mental illness among French Canadian young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research investigating interest of an individualized score among children using a maximal cycling test, called the OMNI cycle scale. Researchers studied the differences between perceived exertion and actual effort, measured by peak oxygen consumption, at various stages of the test to determine whether perceived exertion and actual effort differed according to body mass status or physical activity level. The study's experimental design and methodology, a discussion of the results, and researchers' conclusions regarding the relationship between the effort performed, the OMNI cycle scale score, body mass status, and physical activity level are presented.

Background: Through the AMI-QUEBEC Study we sought to describe delays to reperfusion therapy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and to identify factors associated with prolonged delays. Methods: We reviewed the charts of all consecutive patients with STEMI admitted to 17 hospitals in the province of Quebec in 2003 to obtain data on the time from presentation to reperfusion therapy. Data were available for 1189 (83.0%) of 1432 patients. Results: The median delay to reperfusion therapy was 32 minutes (first and third quartile [Q1, Q3] 20, 49) for 535 patients who received fibrinolytic therapy, 109 minutes (Q1, Q3 79, 150) for 455 patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at the initial hospital of presentation and 142 minutes (Q1, Q3 115, 194) for 199 patients who underwent primary PCI after an interhospital transfer. Patients who presented outside daytime working hours, those who received primary PCI and those who required interhospital transfer for primary PCI were less likely to receive reperfusion therapy within current recommended times (odds ratios [ORs] 0.49, 0.56 and 0.15, respectively). Increased age was associated with prolonged delays only among patients who received fibrinolytic therapy (OR for each 10-year increase in age 0.95, 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.93-0.99 for fibrinolytic therapy and 0.99, 95% CrI 0.95-1.05, for primary PCI). Interpretation: In 2003, many patients with STEMI in Quebec were not treated within the recommended times. Delays may be reduced by reorganizing pre- and in-hospital care for patients with STEMI to expedite delivery of reperfusion therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study evaluated the impact of a 4-year, community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program among adults aged 18 to 65 years living in St-Henri, a low-income, inner-city neighborhood in Montreal, Quebec. Methods. Awareness of and participation in the program were monitored in 3 independent sample telephone surveys. Self-reported behaviors were compared in St-Henri and a nearby comparison community before and after program implementation in both a 3-year repeat independent sample survey and a 5-year longitudinal cohort telephone survey. Results. Awareness of the program reached 37.4%, but participation was low (2%-3%). There were no secular declines in smoking or high-fat diet; physical inactivity increased in both communities. There were no statistically significant program effects detected in the independent sample surveys, although physical inactivity increased more in the comparison community than in St-Henri. In the longitudinal cohort sample, there was a small, statistically significant increase favoring St-Henri in frequency of cholesterol checkups. Conclusions. Despite careful adaptation of the program to the local social context, there were few community-wide program effects. However, several component interventions showed promise in terms of community penetration and impact. (Am d Public Health. 1999;89: 1819-1826) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of obesity and/or undernutrition and evaluate diet and activity patterns among schoolchildren from an ethnically diverse low income urban population. A cross-sectional survey of 498 children aged 9-12 y from 24 schools in low income multiethnic neighborhoods in Montreal, Canada was undertaken. Height, weight, dietary intake, physical activity record, and lifestyle and demographic characteristics were measured. There was no evidence of undernutrition because linear growth was appropriate for age, but 39.4% of children were overweight (>85th percentile NHANES II). Dietary fat intake was higher in children from single-parent families (P < 0.001) and those with mothers born in Canada. Intake of vitamins A, C, iron and folate was directly related to income sufficiency. Children who did more physical activity had significantly higher intakes of energy, calcium, iron, zinc and fiber but were not heavier. Dietary intake was systematically underreported among overweight children, i.e., their reported intakes did not meet calculated energy needs. This underreporting makes it difficult to attribute the accumulated energy imbalance to either energy intake or expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability of health-promoting interventions (HPIs) may vary across schools serving students with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Our objectives were to describe social inequalities across elementary schools in: (i) level of importance that school principals attribute to 13 common health-related issues among students in their school; (ii) availability of HPIs within their school addressing eight health topics and (iii) (mis)alignment between perceived importance and HPI availability. Data were collected in telephone interviews with school principals in a convenience sample of 171 elementary schools (59% of 291 schools contacted). Schools were categorized as serving very advantaged, moderately advantaged or disadvantaged students. Principals reported how important 13 health issues were among students in their schools and provided data on HPI availability for 8 health issues, 4 of which required school action under government mandates. Higher proportions of principals in schools serving disadvantaged students (36% of all 171 schools) perceived most health issues as important. The mean number of HPIs in the past year was 12.0, 12.1 and 11.7 in schools serving very advantaged, moderately advantaged and disadvantaged students, respectively. Only availability of mental health HPIs differed by school deprivation (60, 43 and 30% in very, moderately and disadvantaged, respectively). Although most schools offered oral health HPIs, dental problems were not perceived as important. Smoking was perceived as not important and smoking-related HPIs were relatively rare (9%). Given rapid evolution in public health priorities, (mis)alignment between perceived importance of specific health issues and HPI availability in elementary schools warrants ongoing reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To determine if smoking cessation counseling practices and related psychosocial characteristics improved among pharmacists between 2005 and 2010. Methods: Data were collected in 2005 and 2010 from randomly selected pharmacists in Québec, Canada. Participants completed mailed self-report questionnaires on cessation counseling practices and psychosocial characteristics (i.e., belief that counseling is the role of pharmacists, self-efficacy, barriers, and knowledge of community resources). The association between each of year and training (either during or after undergraduate studies) and each outcome was investigated in each sex separately with multiple linear regression models using pooled data across 2005 and 2010. Results: Among female pharmacists, cessation counseling for patients ready to quit improved over time. Training during and after undergraduate studies was significantly associated with higher self-efficacy, better knowledge of community resources, and improved counseling for patients ready and not ready to quit. Also, training after studies was significantly associated with more advantageous beliefs about counseling. Among male pharmacists, knowledge of community resources and perceived barriers to counseling improved over time, but there were no significant differences in cessation counseling. Training during and after undergraduate studies was significantly associated with higher self-efficacy. Training during undergraduate studies was also associated with higher counseling score in patients ready to quit, and training after studies was associated with better knowledge of community resources. Conclusion: Smoking cessation counseling for patients ready to quit improved from 2005 to 2010 among female pharmacists but not among male pharmacists. Training is generally associated with improved counseling and improved cessation-related psychosocial characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Recent studies evidenced that adolescent never-smokers exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) endorsed nicotine dependence symptoms. Other studies showed that SHS exposure measured with biomarkers among never-smokers independently predicted withdrawal sensations and prospective smoking initiation. The aim of the present study was to replicate and extend these findings by investigating whether social and pharmacological measures of SHS exposure predicted precursors to smoking among never-smoking adolescents. Methods: Participants included 327 never-smokers aged 11–15 years attending sixth or seventh grade in French language schools in Montréal, Canada. They completed self-report questionnaires measuring their smoking status, social smoke exposure (number of smokers in their environment and number of situations where SHS exposure occurs), and precursors to smoking initiation (smoking expectancies, perceived nicotine dependence, and smoking susceptibility). Each participant provided a saliva sample from which cotinine biomarkers were derived to measure pharmacological exposure to SHS. Results: When predictors were modeled individually, number of smokers predicted perceived nicotine dependence (p ≤ .05), smoking susceptibility (p ≤ .001), and expected benefits (p ≤ .05), whereas number of situations predicted smoking susceptibility (p ≤ .01). When predictors were modeled simultaneously, number of smokers predicted perceived nicotine dependence (p ≤ .01), smoking susceptibility (p ≤ .01), and expected benefits (p ≤ .05). Conclusions: Social smoke exposure was a predictor for smoking precursors. Pharmacological exposure to SHS did not predict smoking precursors, which may be partly attributable to the low cotinine values observed in our sample. Suggestions for improved pharmacological measurement of SHS and implications for public health are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to examine the combined associations between time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and time spent sedentary in relation to cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of Canadian children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 536 white children aged 8-10 years with at least 1 obese biological parent. Time spent in MVPA and sedentary behaviour over 7 days was measured using accelerometry and participants were stratified by tertiles. Daily screen time over 7 days was also self-reported by the child. Outcomes included waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose concentrations. Analyses of covariance comparing tertiles of sedentary time/MVPA showed that higher levels of MVPA were associated with lower waist circumference, fasting triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure, and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, irrespective of sedentary time. In linear regression, MVPA was inversely associated with waist circumference and diastolic blood pressure and positively associated with HDL cholesterol, independent of covariates including sedentary time. In contrast, sedentary time was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure but after adjustment for MVPA the association was no longer statistically significant. Self-reported screen time was positively associated with waist circumference and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol independent of covariates including MVPA. Overall, a high level of MVPA was associated with reduced cardiometabolic risk in this sample of children, regardless of their amount of sedentary behaviour. The type of sedentary behaviour (i.e., screen time) might be more important than overall sedentary time in relation to cardiometabolic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the availability of intramural or extramural sports in secondary schools is associated with physical activity levels in youth throughout secondary school and at age 20. METHODS: Eight hundred and eight adolescents from 10 secondary schools in Montreal, Canada, provided physical activity data every 3 months during the school year from ages 13 to 17, and again at age 20. School administrators completed questionnaires on the availability of intramural and extramural sports. Three-level general linear models were used to examine associations among the number of intramural and extramural sports, moderate and vigorous physical activity controlling for age, sex, body mass index, mother’s education, and school-level socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Regardless of whether or not they reported participating in intramural sports, adolescents in schools with more intramural sports engaged in 3.6 (p = .03) more total, and 1.3 (p = 0.03) more vigorous activities per week than those attending schools with fewer intramural sports. Number of extramural sports was not statistically significantly associated with physical activity, regardless of whether or not individual students participated. CONCLUSION: Providing more opportunities for intramural sports in secondary schools may be an effective strategy to help adolescents attain physical activity recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information about Physicians Taking Action Against Smoking, an intervention program to optimize smoking cessation counselling by Montreal general practitioners (GP). Program description; Results of monitoring the smoking cessation counselling practices of GPs; Interpretation; Conclusion that an integrated, theory-based program to prove physicians' counselling practices could be a key component in a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco consumption.

This study describes student perceptions of school staff smoking before and after implementation of legislation prohibiting smoking on school grounds. Students completed self-report questionnaires before (grade 6) and after (grade 7, 9 and 11) the law. The percentage of students reporting that school staff smoked in areas where smoking is forbidden was 19%, 32% and 33% in grade 7, 9 and 11, respectively. The mean(SD) score for the frequency with which students saw school staff smoking decreased after the ban but increased thereafter [2.5(1.1), 1.9(1.0), 2.4(1.1) and 2.3(1.1)] in grade 6, 7, 9 and 11, respectively [F(2.861,1662.229) = 45.350, P < 0.001]. These data suggest that the effect of the law dissipated over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]