Factors associated with the use of psychedelics, ketamine and MDMA among sexual and gender minority youths in Canada: a machine learning analysis.

Background: Substance use is increasing among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). This increase may be due to changes in social norms and socialisation, or due to SGMY exploring the potential therapeutic value of drugs such as psychedelics. We identified predictors of psychedelics, MDMA and ketamine use.

Do cigarette prices near secondary schools vary by area-level socioeconomic status? Findings from a field study in Ontario and Québec, Canada.

Objectives: To examine, in the context of youth smoking, whether cigarette prices near secondary schools varied by area-level socioeconomic status in Southwestern and Central Ontario, and the greater Montréal region.

Methods: We collected cigarette prices four times between 2016 and 2019 from stores near secondary schools and used mixed-effects and ordinary least squares regressions.

Results: We found consistent evidence that cigarette prices near secondary schools were lower in neighbourhoods with lower area-level household income, and that differences were large enough to be meaningful.

Correlates of wanting to seek help for mental health and substance use concerns by sexual and gender minority young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A machine learning analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the mental health and substance use challenges among many people who are Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (2SLGBTQI+). We aimed to identify the important correlates and their effects on the predicted likelihood of wanting to seek help among 2SLGBTQI+ young adults for mental health or substance use concerns during the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2020-2021 among 2SLGBTQI+ young adults aged 16-29 living in two Canadian provinces (Ontario and Quebec).

Prices, taxes and alcohol use: a systematic umbrella review.

Aim: To measure the impact of taxes and prices on alcohol use with particular attention to the different context of rising alcohol consumption in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: Systematic review: we searched MEDLINE, Embase, EconLit and LILACS, grey literature, hand-searched five specialty journals and examined references of relevant studies. We considered all reviews that included studies that quantitatively examined the relationship between alcohol prices or taxes and alcohol use.

Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Resources for 2SLGBTQ+ Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Previous research has established that gender and sexual minority (2SLGBTQ+) youth experience worse mental health and substance use outcomes than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Research suggests that mental health and substance use concerns have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study used self-reported online survey responses from 1404 Canadian 2SLGBTQ+ youth which included, but were not limited to, questions regarding previous mental health experiences, diagnoses, and substance use.

Machine Learning Applications in Mental Health and Substance Use Research Among the LGBTQ2S+ Population: Scoping Review.

Background: A high risk of mental health or substance addiction issues among sexual and gender minority populations may have more nuanced characteristics that may not be easily discovered by traditional statistical methods.

Objective: This review aims to identify literature studies that used machine learning (ML) to investigate mental health or substance use concerns among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) population and direct future research in this field.

Methods: The MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, and Summon databases were searched from November to December 2020.

Is vaping cessation like smoking cessation? A qualitative study exploring the responses of youth and young adults who vape e-cigarettes.

Introduction: Young people are now seeking help to quit vaping. However, little is known about vaping cessation. To bridge the gap between the current state of research and the urgent need for interventions, practitioners have drawn upon smoking cessation models under the assumption that vaping and smoking are fairly similar.

An experimental study on perceptions of energy drink ads among youth and young adults in Canada.

Current regulations in Canada prohibit the marketing of caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs) for use during sports, with alcohol, and by children. The study examined perceptions of CED ads in association with sports and alcohol use, as well as target age groups. An online survey was conducted in 2015 with youth and young adults aged 12-24 years (n = 2010).

Comparison of Developers' and End-Users' Perspectives About Smoking Cessation Support Through the Crush the Crave App.

Background: High smoking rates among end-users, combined with their high rates of app use, render this age group as a particularly captive audience for quit smoking apps. There is emerging evidence that apps are an effective way to support smoking cessation among end-users. How the expectations behind the design of apps align with the needs and preferences of end-users, and if this differs by gender, is poorly understood, limiting the ability to evaluate and scale these interventions.

Exposure to Caffeinated Energy Drink Marketing and Educational Messages among Youth and Young Adults in Canada.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate young Canadians' exposure to caffeinated energy drink marketing and educational messages that warn about the potential health risks of energy drinks. An online survey was conducted in 2015 with youth and young adults aged 12⁻24 years recruited from a national online panel ( = 2023). Respondents were asked about their exposure to energy drink marketing and educational messages that warn about the potential health risks of energy drinks.

A qualitative study of tobacco interventions for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults: overarching themes and key learnings.

Background: Smoking prevalence is very high among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ+) youth and young adults (YYA) compared to non-LGBTQ+ YYA. A knowledge gap exists on culturally appropriate and effective prevention and cessation efforts for members of this diverse community, as limited interventions have been developed with and for this population, and there are very few studies determining the impact of these interventions. This study identifies the most salient elements of LGBTQ+ cessation and prevention interventions from the perspective of LGBTQ+ YYA.

Tobacco use cessation interventions for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth and young adults: A scoping review.

Smoking prevalence among LGBTQ + youth and young adults is alarmingly high compared to their non-LGBTQ + peers. The purpose of the scoping review was to assess the current state of smoking prevention and cessation intervention research for LGBTQ + youth and young adults, identify and describe these interventions and their effectiveness, and identify gaps in both practice and research. A search for published literature was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and LGBT Life, as well as an in-depth search of the grey literature.

Perceptions Toward a Smoking Cessation App Targeting LGBTQ+ Youth and Young Adults: A Qualitative Framework Analysis of Focus Groups.

Background: The prevalence of smoking among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual minority (LGBTQ+) youth and young adults (YYA) is significantly higher compared with that among non-LGBTQ+ persons. However, in the past, interventions were primarily group cessation classes that targeted LGBTQ+ persons of all ages. mHealth interventions offer an alternate and modern intervention platform for this subpopulation and may be of particular interest for young LGBTQ+ persons.

Impact of Canadian tobacco packaging policy on use of a toll-free quit-smoking line: an interrupted time-series analysis.

Background: A policy for new pictorial health warning labels on tobacco packaging was introduced by Health Canada in 2012. The labels included, for the first time, a prominently displayed toll-free number for a quit-smoking line. We used data from the Ontario provincial quitline to investigate the call volume and number of new callers receiving treatment in the months before and after the new policy was introduced.

Impact of Canadian tobacco packaging policy on quitline reach and reach equity.

Objective: To examine the impact of the new Canadian tobacco package warning labels with a quitline toll-free phone number for seven provincial quitlines, focusing on treatment reach and reach equity in selected vulnerable groups.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design assessed changes in new incoming caller characteristics, treatment reach for selected vulnerable sub-populations and the extent to which this reach is equitable, before and after the introduction of the labels in June, 2012. Administrative call data on smokers were collected at intake.

Disparities in tobacco use by sexual orientation among high school students.

Objective: This study examined whether cigarette use is associated with sexual orientation among high school students.

Methods: Data were from a 2012 cross-sectional survey of 5994 students in grades 9, 10 and 12 attending public schools in Atlantic Canada. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine differences in cigarette use by sexual orientation.

The reach ratio--a new indicator for comparing quitline reach into smoking subgroups.

Introduction: There is growing concern about population disparities in tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. This paper introduces the reach ratio as a complementary measure to reach for monitoring whether quitline interventions are reaching high risk groups of smokers proportionate to their prevalence in the population.

Methods: Data on smokers were collected at intake by 7 Canadian provincial quitlines from 2007 to 2009 and grouped to identify 4 high risk subgroups: males, young adults, heavy smokers, and those with low education.

Australian and Pacific contributions to the genetic diversity of Norfolk Island feral chickens.

Background: Norfolk Island has a population of feral chickens which could be the result of domestic stock introduced onto the island by British settlers in 1788. However, there is ongoing debate about their origins because multiple human arrivals to the island may have brought chickens with them. Here we investigate the genetic origins of these feral chickens by sequencing their mitochondrial control region.

An overview of practice facilitation programs in Canada: current perspectives and future directions.

Practice facilitation has proven to be effective in improving the quality of primary care. A practice facilitator is a health professional, usually external to the practice, who regularly visits the practice to provide support in change management that targets improvements in the delivery of care. Our environmental scan shows that several initiatives across Canada utilize practice facilitation as a quality improvement method; however, many are conducted in isolation as there is a lack of coordinated effort, knowledge translation and dissemination in this field across the country.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of practice facilitation within primary care settings.

Purpose: This study was a systematic review with a quantitative synthesis of the literature examining the overall effect size of practice facilitation and possible moderating factors. The primary outcome was the change in evidence-based practice behavior calculated as a standardized mean difference.

Methods: In this systematic review, we searched 4 electronic databases and the reference lists of published literature reviews to find practice facilitation studies that identified evidence-based guideline implementation within primary care practices as the outcome.

Preterm delivery among Inuit women in the Baffin Region of the Canadian Arctic.

Objective: To evaluate the rate and causes of preterm (before 37 weeks gestation) and very preterm (before 32 weeks gestation) delivery among a population of Inuit living in Canada.

Study Design: Three-year retrospective cross-sectional review of charts for patients delivering in the Baffin Region of Canada.

Results: There were 938 births over the study period; 95% to Inuit women.

Survey of consumer and non-consumer mental health service providers on assertive community treatment teams in Ontario.

Reflecting the increasing trend of consumers as providers in mental health services, the standards for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams in Ontario, Canada require the hiring of at least 0.5 full-time equivalent consumer as a service provider. Through a mail-out survey, we explored how the consumer position has been integrated into these ACT teams.