Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
Are one-year changes in adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines associated with flourishing among Canadian youth?
Movement behaviours (e.g., physical inactivity, short sleep duration, high screen time) are associated with mental illness but less is known about the relationship between health behaviours and positive mental health constructs such as flourishing. This study examines if changes in adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), total screen time (ST), sleep) are associated with changes in youth flourishing over one year. Students (N = 2292) were recruited from 12 secondary schools in Canada participating in the COMPASS study. ⋯ Reducing ST was associated with higher flourishing for males only relative to other males who continued to exceed the ST guidelines (Est:2.23, SE:1.04, p < .03). Longer sleep duration had the most consistent association with greater flourishing among females (Est:1.02, SE:0.3, p < .001) and males (Est:0.93, SE:0.34, p < .006), highlighting sleep as a public health priority in the context of 24-hour movement behaviours. These findings contribute to increasing calls for research examining positive mental health constructs independent of mental illness.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
Lower rates of neural tube defects in Israel following folic acid supplementation policy.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are common and disabling congenital malformations that remain a public health challenge despite prevention efforts. In 2000, The Israeli Ministry of Health published recommendations on daily folic acid (FA) supplementation for women of reproductive age and established a national NTD registry. This study aims to evaluate the long-term impact of the FA supplementation policy on NTD rates in Israel and the need for further intervention. ⋯ Nonetheless, Israeli NTD rates remain higher than in other developed countries. FA interventions should continue to be vigorously implemented, especially in vulnerable populations. The global success of mandatory fortification of grain strongly advocates its consideration in Israel.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
ReviewImpact of school-based educational interventions in middle adolescent populations (15201317 yrs) on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake and perceptions/knowledge of HPV and its associated cancers: A systematic review.
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) divides adolescence into early (12-14 years), middle (15-17 years), and late (18-21 years) stages. School-based HPV educational interventions are largely directed at parents of early adolescents at the time of vaccination. As the average age of first sexual intercourse in high income countries is 15-17 years old, a second educational intervention for middle adolescents could have a strong impact on HPV prevention, providing an opportunity for self-consenting to HPV vaccination in many countries. ⋯ Stakeholder engagement was absent in most intervention designs and many were not grounded in evidenced theory. Content was largely focused on female cervical cancer, rarely discussing oropharyngeal cancer, the most pre-dominant HPV-associated cancer in men. An optimal mixed gender intervention remains to be established for middle adolescents.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
The link between LGBTQ-supportive communities, progressive political climate, and suicidality among sexual minority adolescents in Canada.
Despite supportive structural changes to reduce stigma towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) Canadian residents, sexual minority youth still face disparities compared to heterosexual peers. We aimed to characterize LGBTQ-supportive environments and political climates, and examine their links to suicidal behavior among sexual minority adolescents in western Canada. Data were from the 2013 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey, a cluster-stratified random cross-sectional survey of public school students in BC, Canada; We sampled 2678 self-identified LGB and mostly heterosexual students (69% girls) from 274 schools, representing an estimated provincial population of 24,624 sexual minority students in weighted models. ⋯ Further, progressive political climates predicted marginally significant lower suicidal ideation (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.78, 1.02]) and significantly lower self-harm behaviors (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.77, 0.99]). For sexual minority adolescent boys, no community-level variables were associated with suicidal behavior in adjusted models. Thus, LGBTQ-supportive communities and progressive political climates appear to be protective against suicidal behavior among sexual minority adolescent girls, but not sexual minority adolescent boys.