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Objective To compare the longitudinal trajectories of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in children with probable developmental coordination disorder (DCD) with those of typically developing children. Setting School-based study, conducted in a large region of Ontario, Canada. 75 out of a possible 92 schools (83%) consented to participate. Participants A cohort of children, enrolled in grade 4 (mean 9 years 11 months; SD 0.05) at baseline (n=2278) were followed twice-yearly over a 2-year period. Measures The short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency was used to identify children with probable DCD and the Leger shuttle run to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max). Results Mixed-effects modelling was used to estimate the change over time in predicted VO(2)max for both children with probable DCD and typically developing children. For all children, VO(2)max declined over time. Children (boys and girls) with probable DCD not only had lower VO(2)max at baseline compared with typically developing children, VO(2)max declined among these children at a much steeper rate. Conclusion Although previous research has found children with DCD to have poor CRF compared with typically developing children, most of this work has relied on cross-sectional designs to examine group differences. The results of this study confirm that differences in CRF between children with and without probable DCD persist over time, highlighting the concern that DCD is a risk factor for poor cardiovascular health in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a national survey, this study examined different factors and their association with mental health service use in youth aged 15-24 with depression and/or suicidality. Our sample consisted of 1,252 youth with depression and/or suicidality. In youth aged 15-18 years old, two factors influenced service use: (1) co-occurrence of depression and suicidality (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.43, 7.32) and (2) chronic health condition (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.22, 4.84). Several factors were associated with service use in youth aged 19-24 including gender (female) (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.14, 2.76), and low income (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.11, 3.23). The findings suggest differences in the factors associated with mental health service use between youth aged 15-18 and 19-24 with depression and/or suicidality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children exposed to parental psychiatric disorders have an increased risk of several psychiatric disorders, impaired development, behavioural problems, injuries, physical illness and mortality. Even though this high-risk group has been shown to benefit from health promotion and preventive interventions, estimates of the size of the population at risk are not available. Estimating the number of exposed children using adult survey data will likely generate valuable information for health policy, planning, and advocacy. In this paper, the authors present a method to indirectly estimate the size of this population using secondary data. A Canadian adult health survey and the Census were combined to estimate the prevalence of exposure of children less than 12 years to parental and non-parental psychiatric disorders. A method to combine census and survey data is presented and tested under varying degrees of data availability. Results are compared to the actual number of children exposed to parental psychiatric disorders and discussed. The most accurate estimates were obtained when the most complete survey was combined with relatively detailed census information. Incomplete survey simulations produced substantial underestimates of the prevalence of exposure even when combined with detailed census information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Very little epidemiological work has examined comorbidity between depression and anxiety disorders in community-dwelling older adults, despite the fact these disorders are known to co-occur in younger adults and that this co-occurrence is associated with greater clinical severity. In this study, the authors examine psychiatric comorbidity and associated impairment of four disorders (major depression, panic disorder, social phobia, and agoraphobia) in a community-based sample of adults aged 55 and older. SETTING: Population-based sample of older adults (N=12,792) from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health and Well-Being (CCHS 1.2). METHOD: The World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to identify cases of 12-month disorder. Descriptive analysis and regression analysis is used to examine patterns of association between disorders and related impairment. RESULTS: Among adults aged 55 years and older, 4.4% met the criteria for at least one disorder and 0.8% had two or more. Social phobia was the most common comorbid disorder among respondents with depression, and depression was the most common comorbid disorder among respondents with any of the anxiety disorders. Respondents who report comorbid disorders reported significantly lower well-being and greater impairment. CONCLUSION: Although comorbidity between physical health conditions and depression, and between dementias and depression, are well documented among older adults, these results suggest that comorbid depression and anxiety are also prevalent in later life. The significant impact of comorbidity on function and well-being underlines the need to screen for comorbid disorders in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, our understanding of the risk markers associated with panic disorder among older, community dwelling older adults is limited. To address this gap, we examined the prevalence, risk markers, and comorbidity of panic disorder defined using DSM-IV criteria among older adults.Method: Using data drawn from a large, nationally representative sample of Canadians, we estimated lifetime and 12-month prevalence of panic disorder, and examined demographic predictors and patterns of comorbidity of current panic disorder in adults aged 55 years and older (n = 12,792).Results: The 12-month and lifetime prevalence estimates of panic disorder in this sample were 0.82% and 2.45% respectively, and one-fifth of these cases reported a first onset after the age of 55 years. In multivariate models, the risk of panic disorder decreased with older age and was significantly lower among widowed respondents. Physical limitations in daily activities as well as the presence of other psychiatric disorders (major depression, and social phobia) were also significantly associated with panic disorder in this sample.Conclusions: Consistent with previous research on panic disorder, the prevalence of the disorder decreased with age among older adults. Potential explanations for the age effect and the clinical implications of the mental health comorbidities with panic disorder are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research has shown that by peri-adolescence (~8 to 14 years), participation in physical activity (PA) declines drastically in girls and this decline is largely maintained throughout adulthood. One of the core domains of physical literacy (PL) -- fundamental movement skills - has been shown to be associated with PA in childhood through to early adulthood: children with proficient movement skills are more likely to participate in PA than are those with poor movement skills. Recent work has demonstrated that there is also a gender gap in PL during the periadolescent/ adolescent period. Methods: A 3-phase, sequential, explanatory mixed-design study to examine (1) the association between PL and PA; (2) why girls have lower PL than boys during the peri-adolescent period; and (3) if we can effect positive change in PL in girls using a gender-enhanced program. Phase 1: PL will be assessed in children aged 8-14 years attending a stratified, random sample of Ontario afterschool programs using the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) Fun tool developed for children and youth. Phase 2: children will be divided into tertiles based on their PL scores. A random subsample of children stratified by gender and PL score will be selected to participate in a semi-structured interview to understand the contextual factors related to the gender gap in PL and to wear a pedometer to assess their level of PA. Phase 3: Information from the interviews will be used to modify the afterschool programs in order to target the positive development of PL in girls. The 12-week modified program will be tested using a randomized, pre-post test control design of 10 randomly selected afterschool programs. PL and PA will be assessed using PLAYFun and pedometers, respectively. Results: Data collection for Phase 1 is currently underway: testing at 9 of 15 sites has been completed; all site visits are scheduled to be completed by April 2016. Phase 2 interviews and pedometer wear will occur in May-June 2016. Discussion: This study will be among the first to examine potential gender differences in physical literacy from the perspective of child and youth themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is considerable evidence regarding the impact of physical activity and exercise on positive youth development and health. However, what is commonly missing from research in this area is a comprehensive model that can explain the positive impact of physical activity on youth developmental outcomes. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the Start2Finish Process Model (Cairney and colleagues) which is based on existing research in the field of youth sport, physical activity, and the general health and development literature including two reviews (Kwan et al., 2014; Clarke et al., in press). The model proposes that regular participation in physical activity will positively impact children's motor skill development, physical fitness, reading and comprehension which, in turn, will positively affect various psychosocial and school outcomes and ultimately improve their overall health and well-being. We believe the Start2Finish 20/20 challenge, which requires children to engage in 20 minutes of physical activity a day for 20 weeks, has the potential to positively impact not only a child's physical health and development (e.g., fitness and body weight) but also social and psychological well-being, and scholastic achievement. Methods: Participants are 400 children (9-14 years of age, Mage = 11.89±1.34,134 females) from the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic School Board. Approximately half of the children are currently participating in the 20/20 challenge that is administered by their homeroom teacher during regular school hours. Participation in the study requires children to complete a questionnaire at three time points: baseline prior to engaging in the 20/20 challenge (January 2016), midpoint (end of March 2016), and upon completion of the 20/20 challenge (June 2016). The questionnaire assesses demographic variables, physical activity and sport participation, as well as several psychosocial variables (e.g., self-esteem, self-efficacy, social competence) in relation to physical activity, school, and overall health and wellbeing. Results: As data collection and analysis is on-going, full results will be presented at the 2016 biennial NASPEM conference. Discussion: We anticipate that children participating in the Start2Finish program will report greater increases in physical activity and sport participation, improved psychosocial outcomes, and improved overall health and wellbeing when compared to controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important marker of overall health in adulthood, and is strongly associated with morbidity and mortality. CRF tracks from childhood into adulthood; therefore, it is important to identify barriers to the development of CRF. Socio-economic status (SES) is associated with health outcomes and behaviour, and may impact CRF in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is an association between SES and CRF in children and adolescents. Methods: Data come from the Physical Health Activity Study Team (PHAST) project, a longitudinal cohort study of children conducted between 2004-2010. The target population included all children in the fourth grade enrolled in the public school system in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. The Léger 20-m shuttle run test was used as a field-based measure of fitness. SES was assessed using the median income in the 2011 Canadian census in the dissemination area (DA) of residence as a proxy for household income. Growth curve modeling characterized change in fitness over time. Model 1 included sex, age at each assessment, and the interaction of these terms. Model 2 included DA and age as random effects. Neighbourhood income was added to this model. Finally, an interaction of the two variables was created to test whether the effect of neighbourhood SES changed with age. Results: Relative VO2max declined with age for both sexes (coefficient=-0.61, p<0.001), but did so more rapidly among females (coefficient=-2.47, p<0.001). DA income was highly significant when added to the model (coefficient=0.53, p<0.001), indicating an overall difference between residents of wealthier and poorer neighbourhoods. The interaction of DA median income and age was not significant. Discussion: The findings from this study indicate that a SES income gradient exists for aerobic fitness, which is already present at age 9, and does not change with age. This implies that an explanation might be sought in early-life influences on childhood CRF. The identification of disparities in fitness raises questions regarding social equity; that some children are more disadvantaged than others is an ethical, as well as a public health concern, that requires further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Fitness and Fatness in Children: Examining Risk Over Time in a Large Cohort of School-Aged Children," by S. Veldhuizen et al is presented.

An abstract of the study "Tracking Waist Girth and BMI in Children: The Contribution of Motor Proficiency to Overweight and Obesity," by J. Hay, J. Cairney, S. Veldhuizen, C. Missiuna and B. Faught is presented.

An abstract of the article "Motor Proficiency, Aging and Participation in Physical Activities: Is There An Activity-Deficit Over Time?" by J. Cairney, S. Veldhuizen, J. Hay, C. Missiuna and B. Faught is presented.

Abstract: Purpose: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor impairments and subsequent physical activity (PA) deficits in middle childhood. It is not well understood when this gap in PA emerges. The purpose of the current study was to examine the longitudinal trajectories of device-assessed PA in a large cohort of children with and without DCD from age 4 to 8.Methods: Children (n = 535, 4- to 5-years old) completed 4 annual assessments as part of a prospective cohort study. Children were classified into 3 groups based on their average performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children- 2nd Edition: probable DCD (pDCD) <6th percentile (n = 72); at-risk for DCD (DCDr) between the 6 to 16th percentile (n = 127), and typically developing (TD) >16th percentile (n = 336). Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and average PA volume (vector counts per minute) were assessed using ActiGraph accelerometers. A series of linear mixed effects models were used to examine longitudinal PA trajectories between groups.Results: Children in both the pDCD and DCDr groups engaged in significantly less MVPA compared to the TD group, whereas the deficit in PA volume was only evident in the DCD group. The rate of change did not differ by group indicating that this deficit is relatively consistent across the early childhood period.Conclusions: Young children with DCD are in a MVPA deficit that persists across early childhood. Early interventions targeting motor skills and PA may help to reduce this gap and promote positive trajectories of health among children with motor difficulties., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Funding Source: This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP 126015). Dr. Brian Timmons is supported by a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child Health & Exercise Medicine and a Scotiabank Chair in Child Health Research. Dr. Matthew Kwan is supported by a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health and Performance. The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 by the American College of Sports Medicine.)

Background: Tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease among women. Quitting smoking offers numerous health benefits; however, women tend to have less success than men when attempting to quit. This discrepancy is partly due to sex and/or gender-related factors, including the lower effectiveness of smoking cessation medication and the presence of unique motives for smoking and barriers to quitting among women. Despite the gendered nature of smoking, most smoking cessation apps are gender-neutral, and fail to address women's specific needs., Objective: To test the acceptability and feasibility of a smartphone app that delivers gender-informed content to support women in quitting smoking., Methods: We co-developed a smoking cessation app specifically tailored for women, named My Change Plan-Women (MCP-W). This app builds upon our previous gender-neutral app, MCP, by retaining its content grounded in behavioral change techniques aimed at supporting tobacco reduction and cessation. This includes quit goal setting, identifying triggers to smoking, creating coping strategies, tracking cigarettes and cravings, and assessing financial savings from quitting smoking. The MCP-W app contains additional gender-informed content that acknowledges barriers to quitting, such as coping with stress, having smokers in one's social circle, and managing unpleasant emotions. This content is delivered through testimonials and animated videos. This study is a prospective, single-group, mixed-methods investigation in which 30 women smokers will trial the app for a period of 28 days. Once participants provide informed consent, they will complete a baseline survey and download the app on their smartphones. After 28 days, participants will complete follow-up surveys. Acceptability will be assessed using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability, which evaluates whether participants perceive the app as helpful in changing their smoking. The app will be deemed acceptable if the majority of participants rate it as such, and feasible if the majority of the participants use it for at least 7 days. Furthermore, after the 28-day trial period, participants will complete a semi-structured interview regarding their experience with the app and suggestions for improvement., Results: Development of the MCP-W app was completed in September 2023. Participant recruitment for testing of the app commenced in February 2024., Conclusions: Offering smoking cessation support tailored specifically to address the unique needs of women through a smartphone app represents a novel approach. This study will test whether women who smoke perceive this approach to be acceptable and feasible in their journey towards smoking cessation.

Introduction: Concurrent users of tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk of harm than use of either substance alone. It remains unclear how concurrent tobacco and alcohol use affects smoking cessation across levels of alcohol use and related problems. This study assessed the relationship between smoking cessation and levels of alcohol use problems., Methods: 59,018 participants received nicotine replacement therapy through a smoking cessation program. Alcohol use and related symptoms were assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-10) and the AUDIT-Concise (AUDIT-C). The primary outcome was 7-day point prevalence cigarette abstinence (PPA) at 6-month follow-up. We evaluated the association between alcohol use (and related problems) and smoking cessation using descriptive methods and mixed-effects logistic regression., Results: 7-day PPA at 6-months was lower in groups meeting hazardous alcohol consumption criteria, with the lowest probability of smoking abstinence observed in the highest risk group. The probability of successful tobacco cessation fell with increasing levels of alcohol use and related problems. Adjusted predicted probabilities were 30.3 (95 % CI = 29.4, 31.1) for non-users, 30.2 (95 % CI = 29.4, 31.0) for low-risk users, 29.0 (95 % CI = 28.1, 29.9) for those scoring below 8 on the AUDIT-10, 27.3 (95 % CI = 26.0, 28.6) for those scoring 8-14, and 24.4 (95 % CI = 22.3, 26.5) for those scoring 15 or higher., Conclusion: Heavy, hazardous alcohol use is associated with lower odds of successfully quitting smoking compared to low or non-use of alcohol. Targeting alcohol treatment to this group may improve tobacco cessation outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Benjamin Wong is supported by a Koerner Research Scholarship from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Peter Selby declares no conflicts but has the following general disclosures to report: 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. PS also reports receiving funding and/or honoraria from the following commercial organizations: Pfizer Inc./Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart, Bhasin Consulting Fund Inc., Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, ABBVie, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Further, PS reports receiving consulting fees from Pfizer Inc./Canada, Evidera Inc., Johnson & Johnson Group of Companies, Medcan Clinic, Inflexxion Inc., V-CC Systems Inc., MedPlan Communications, Kataka Medical Communications, Miller Medical Communications, Nvision Insight Group, and Sun Life Financial. 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 PS is the principal investigator or co-investigator. Other authors have no disclosures to report., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Trial evidence suggests that e-cigarettes may aid in quitting smoking, while observational studies have found conflicting results. However, many observational studies have not adjusted for important differences between e-cigarette users and non-users., Aims and Methods: We aimed to determine the association between e-cigarette use frequency and motivation to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking, and smoking cessation using data from Canada's largest smoking cessation program. Participants who completed a baseline assessment and 6-month follow-up questionnaire were divided post hoc into four groups based on their self-reported e-cigarette use during the 30 days before baseline: (1) non-users; (2) users of e-cigarettes not containing nicotine; (3) occasional users; and (4) frequent users. Occasional and frequent users were further divided into two groups based on whether they reported using e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Abstinence at 6-month follow-up (7-day point prevalence abstinence) was compared among groups., Results: Adjusted quit probabilities were significantly higher (both p < .001) for frequent baseline e-cigarette users (31.6%; 95% CI = 29.3%, 33.8%) than for non-users (25.8%; 25.3% and 26.3%) or occasional users (24.2%; 22.5% and 26.0%). Unadjusted proportions favored non-users over occasional users (p < .001), but this was not significant after adjustment (p = .06). People using e-cigarettes to quit smoking were not likelier than other users to be successful, but were likelier to report frequent e-cigarette use during follow-up., Conclusions: Frequent baseline e-cigarette use predicted successful smoking cessation, compared to occasional and non-users. Use of e-cigarettes to quit did not predict smoking cessation but was associated with continued use during follow-up, perhaps due in part to planned transitions to e-cigarettes., Implications: Prior observational studies investigating e-cigarette use for smoking cessation have found that occasional users have poorer outcomes than either frequent or non-users. Consistent with these studies, occasional users in our data also had poorer outcomes. However, after adjustment for variables associated with cessation success, we found that cessation probabilities did not differ between occasional and non-users. These findings are consistent with trial data showing the benefit of e-cigarette use among people trying to quit smoking. Results of this study suggest that differences between trials and previous observational studies may be because of unaddressed confounding in the latter., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: The frequency with which people change from one medical treatment to another partly reflects satisfaction with the initial intervention. In this secondary analysis of observational data, we explore switch rates for short-acting nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, which differ in mode of use, rapidity of action, and adverse effect profiles., Methods: We analyzed data from 46,882 participants in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients program who received short-acting NRT (gum, lozenge, oral spray, or inhaler) at their initial visit. We used discrete-time survival analysis to model the time elapsing before a change was made to another product and included time-by-product interactions to explore differences over time and product-by-previous-quit-attempts interactions to examine the importance of potential previous exposure to NRT. We adjusted both models for a range of sociodemographic and tobacco use variables., Results: Overall, 37.9% (95% CI = 37.5%, 38.4%) of participants switched to a different product at their first follow-up visit. Time-averaged and adjusted switch probabilities were 21.1% for gum, 23.8% for lozenge, 26.0% for inhaler, and 28.8% for oral spray. Switch rates were highest for people without past quit attempts, for women, and for people also using the nicotine patch., Conclusions: People frequently switch from one type of short-acting NRT to another. We did not assess reasons for switching, but they may include adverse effects, impracticality, and perceived ineffectiveness. Given the superior effectiveness of combination treatment, making multiple products available may improve outcomes by allowing some people to continue with short-acting products for longer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Peter Selby declares no conflicts but has the following general disclosures to report: 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. PS also reports receiving funding and/or honoraria from the following commercial organizations: Pfizer Inc./Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart, Bhasin Consulting Fund Inc., Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, ABBVie, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Further, PS reports receiving consulting fees from Pfizer Inc./Canada, Evidera Inc., Johnson & Johnson Group of Companies, Medcan Clinic, Inflexxion Inc., V-CC Systems Inc., MedPlan Communications, Kataka Medical Communications, Miller Medical Communications, Nvision Insight Group, and Sun Life Financial. 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 PS is the principal investigator or co-investigator. Other authors have no disclosures to report., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)