Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de santé publique
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Can J Public Health · Nov 1998
Injury in Canadian youth: a secondary analysis of the 1993-94 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey.
1) To describe patterns of injury among Canadian youth, and 2) to explore whether injured youth can be characterized by adverse lifestyle factors. ⋯ Injuries to youth are a major public health problem. Ongoing surveillance is required in Canada. Future editions of this survey will, in part, address this need.
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Can J Public Health · May 1998
Prenatal exposure of Canadian children to polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury.
This article documents the exposure to environmental contaminants within sub-groups of the Canadian population who are considered to be at risk as a result of the food they eat. We measured the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury in the blood drawn from the umbilical cords of newborns in various Aboriginal communities, in a coastal community and in the general population. Average concentrations of Aroclor 1260 ranged between 0.3 and 2.0 micrograms/L and were clearly highest among the Inuit of Nunavik and Baffin Island and among the Montagnais of Quebec. ⋯ Average concentrations of mercury ranged between 1.0 and 14.2 micrograms/L; the Inuit of Nunavik and the NWT exhibited the highest exposure levels. A portion of the Nunavik and NWT Inuit had concentrations beyond the critical threshold for the appearance of neurological consequences. The variations in exposure levels resulted from the different nutritional practices of these Canadian sub-groups.
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Can J Public Health · Sep 1996
Comparative StudyDiabetes prevalence rates among First Nations adults on Saskatchewan reserves in 1990: comparison by tribal grouping, geography and with non-First Nations people.
To determine age-specific, sex-specific and total prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus among Saskatchewan First Nations adults and to compare these rates by tribal grouping, geography and with non-First Nations people. ⋯ The prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Saskatchewan First Nations people has increased from 0% to almost 10% within the adult population since 1934 and has more than doubled from 1980 to 1990. This epidemic manifests itself to a greater extent among women and certain tribal groups, possibly due to differences in exposure to non-traditional lifestyles.
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Can J Public Health · Jan 1996
[Delivery of public health services. Proposal for a frame of reference].
This article proposes a framework for the delivery of public health services by the health care system. Considering the many factors associated with a population's health status and well-being, health care systems must provide public health services in addition to clinical preventive health care services. ⋯ The delivery of public health services is carried out, in partnership with groups and organizations, through the use of strategies that enable, advocate and educate. These strategies, taking place at the earliest possible moment in the natural history of problems, act as catalysts in the process of change towards health and well-being.