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The aim of the study was to determine if a culturally sensitive smoking prevention program would have short-term impacts on smoking intentions among Aboriginal children. Two schools with high Aboriginal enrollment were selected for the study. A grade 4 classroom in one school was randomly assigned to receive the culturally sensitive smoking prevention program. A grade 4 classroom in the second school received a standard smoking prevention program delivered in this jurisdiction. Children in each classroom were tested pre- and post-intervention to measure attitude changes about smoking. There was a significant reduction in intentions to smoke among Aboriginal children who received the culturally sensitive smoking prevention program. The small overall sample size precluded a direct comparison of the efficacy of the culturally sensitive and standard programs. The present findings suggest a smoking prevention program that has been culturally adapted for Aboriginal children may reduce future smoking intentions among Aboriginal grade 4 students. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which school smoking prevention programs adapted to respect the long-standing use of tobacco in Aboriginal cultural traditions may be more effective than standard programs in reaching Aboriginal youth. (Contains 1 footnote and 2 tables.)

Background: Previous research shows that children from ethnic minority groups spend less time outdoors. Using data collected in 3 regions of Canada, we investigated the correlates of outdoor time among schoolchildren who spoke a nonofficial language at home. Methods: A total of 1699 children were recruited from 37 schools stratified by area-level socioeconomic status and type of urbanization. Among these, 478 spoke a nonofficial language at home. Children's outdoor time and data on potential correlates were collected via questionnaires. Gender-stratified linear multiple regression models examined the correlates of outdoor time while controlling for age and sampling variables. Results: In boys, higher independent mobility, higher outdoor air temperature, mobile phone ownership, having older parents, and parents who biked to work were associated with more outdoor time. Boys living in suburban (vs urban) areas spent less time outdoors. The association between independent mobility and outdoor time became weaker with increasing age for boys. In girls, lower parental education and greater parental concerns about neighborhood safety and social cohesion were associated with less outdoor time. Conclusions: Correlates of outdoor time differ by gender and span the social ecological model underscoring the need for gender-sensitized interventions targeted at individual, family, social, and physical environmental correlates to increase outdoor time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The first objective of this study was to determine if children exposed to domestic violence were significantly more likely to be cruel to animals than children not exposed to violence. The second was to determine if there were significant age and gender differences between children who were and were not cruel to animals. Method: A community sample of 47 mothers with two children and a history of domestic violence were compared to a matched sample of 45 mothers with two children who did not have such a history. Results: Children exposed to domestic violence were significantly more likely to have been cruel to animals than children not exposed to violence. The age and gender of children who were cruel to animals did not differ from children who were not cruel to animals. However, exposed children cruel to animals were significantly older than non-exposed children cruel to animals. Conclusion: Animal cruelty by children is correlated with exposure to domestic violence.

Background: Providing freely accessible exercise facilities may increase physical activity at a population level. An increasingly popular strategy is outdoor fitness equipment in urban parks. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this intervention in smaller cities. This study examined fitness equipment use, perceived effectiveness, and ways to increase use in a city of 100,000 people in 2015. Methods: Two parks with fitness equipment and 4 without were directly observed. Interviews with 139 adults in active parks or living nearby were also conducted. Results: Only 2.7% of adult park users used the fitness equipment over 100 hours of observation across 3 seasons. In contrast, 22.3% of adults interviewed reported monthly or more use of the equipment, highlighting the limitations of self-report methods. Adults interviewed perceived the equipment as potentially beneficial and suggested strategies to increase public use, including increased advertising, the introduction of programming to teach and encourage use, improved equipment quality, and improved maintenance of the equipment and surrounding area. Conclusions: In a low density city, park fitness equipment may not be an effective public health practice without additional efforts to market, introduce programming, and maintain these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racial discrimination has been associated with biological dysfunction among ethnic minorities. The extent to which regular physical activity (PA) may buffer this association is unknown.Purpose: To examine the association between past-year racial discrimination and allostatic load (AL) stratified by PA within a sample of Indigenous adults.Methods: Data were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017. The Experiences of Discrimination Scale was used to assess discrimination and the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire assessed PA. A composite of seven biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function measured AL. Linear regression models examined associations adjusted for confounders (N = 150).Results: In the insufficiently active group, every 1 point increase in racial discrimination (up to a maximum of 9) resulted in approximately one third of a point increase in AL score. In the sufficiently active group, the association between racial discrimination and AL score was not statistically significant.Conclusions: A growing body of research suggests racial discrimination is associated with multisystem biological dysregulation and health risks. Increased action to address racism in society is a priority. As that work unfolds, there is a need to identify effective tools that racialized groups can use to buffer the effects of racism on their health. The present findings suggest that engagement in regular PA may attenuate the pernicious effects of discrimination on biological dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]