Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de santé publique
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Can J Public Health · Mar 2014
Roles of physical and mental health in suicidal ideation in Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force veterans.
Suicide in recent veterans is an international concern. An association between mental disorders and suicide has been established, but less information is available about an association between physical health problems and suicide among veterans. This study extends this area of inquiry by examining the relationship of both physical and mental health problems with suicidal ideation in a representative national sample of Canadian veterans. ⋯ Physical health was independently associated with suicidal ideation after adjustment for mental health status and socio-demographic characteristics. The findings underscore the importance of considering physical health in population-based suicide prevention efforts and in mitigating suicide risk in individual veterans.
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Can J Public Health · Mar 2014
Traumatic and other non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba, Canada: a retrospective autopsy analysis (1989-2010).
The goals of analyzing all non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba for the 22-year period (1989-2010) are to highlight preventable causes of death and to document temporal trends that might be influenced by changes in society. ⋯ Most non-natural childhood deaths in Manitoba might be avoidable through education about prevention strategies and by correction of social inequities. Improved transportation to hospital from remote locations would likely have little impact on survival.
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Can J Public Health · Mar 2014
Non-medical prescription opioid use, prescription opioid-related harms and public health in Canada: an update 5 years later.
Five years ago, we highlighted Canada's emerging problem of prescription opioid (PO)-related harms and emphasized the need for targeted surveillance, research and interventions. Overall levels of PO use in the Canadian population have grown by 70% since then, while at the same time levels of non-medical PO use (NMPOU) in general and in key risk populations have continued to be high; furthermore, PO-related harms - specifically morbidity (e.g., treatment admissions) and mortality (e.g., overdose deaths) - have risen substantively. ⋯ Select policy measures have been implemented only recently at the federal and provincial levels; these interventions remain to be systematically evaluated, especially given preliminary indications of reductions in PO-related harms (e.g., NMPOU) unfolding prior to the interventions. For these purposes, improvements in surveillance tools and research resources devoted to the extensive public health problem of PO-related harms in Canada continue to be urgently needed.
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Can J Public Health · Mar 2014
Inuit family understandings of sexual health and relationships in Nunavut.
To explore Inuit family understandings of sexual health and relationships in order to inform responsive public health interventions that are designed to meet the needs of Nunavummiut. ⋯ This study highlights the complexity of the landscape of sexual health in Nunavut and the need for public health approaches that are inclusive of Inuit family perspectives on sexual health. Greater understanding of historical and community context can contribute to the development of pertinent, evidence-based public health interventions that will meet the needs of the population.