Comparing Twitter data to routine data sources in public health surveillance for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games: an ecological study.

Objectives: This study examined Twitter for public health surveillance during a mass gathering in Canada with two objectives: to explore the feasibility of acquiring, categorizing and using geolocated Twitter data and to compare Twitter data against other data sources used for Pan Parapan American Games (P/PAG) surveillance.

Methods: Syndrome definitions were created using keyword categorization to extract posts from Twitter. Categories were developed iteratively for four relevant syndromes: respiratory, gastrointestinal, heat-related illness, and influenza-like illness (ILI).

A primer on population health: a new resource for students and clinicians.

This is one of six short papers that describe additional innovations that support the integration of public health into medical education. These were featured in the "Patients and Populations: Public Health in Medical Education" conference and describe innovative endeavors or curricular components not previously published. This paper describes the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada's Primer in Population Health and its collaborative development with contributions from all Canadian medical schools, in particular from the medical faculties of the University of Ottawa and the Université de Sherbrooke.

Integration of community health teaching in the undergraduate medicine curriculum at the University of Toronto.

Background: In 1999, Determinants of Community Health was introduced at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. The course spanned all 4 years of the undergraduate curriculum and focused on addressing individual patient and community needs, prevention and population health, and diverse learning contexts.

Purpose: To demonstrate the value of an integrated, longitudinal approach to the efficiency of delivering a public health curriculum.

Increasing tuition fees in a country with two different models of medical education.

CONTEXT Since the early 1990s, medical school tuition fees have increased substantially in all regions of Canada except Quebec. This provides a natural opportunity to examine the effect of tuition fee increases on medical student demographics, indebtedness and financial stress. METHODS We conducted a national survey of medical students in 2007.

A comparison of Canadian medical students from rural and non-rural backgrounds.

Context: Very little is known about medical students from rural areas currently enrolled in Canadian medical schools.

Purpose: We aimed to compare rural and non-rural students in terms of demographics, socioeconomic status, financial status and career choices.

Methods: As part of a larger Internet survey of all students at Canadian medical schools outside Quebec, conducted in January and February 2001, we conducted post-hoc analyses to compare students from rural and non-rural areas.

Prevalence of smoking associated with pregnancy in three Southern Ontario Health Units.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of pregnancy-associated smoking among women residing in three Southern Ontario Health Units and to examine potential risk factors for smoking during pregnancy, using an existing data collection mechanism.

Methods: During May 2001, questions about pregnancy-associated smoking were asked during the telephone follow-up of postpartum women living in the three health units in Southern Ontario; this follow-up is routinely conducted by public health nurses. Sociodemographic data were also obtained.

Sex differences in first-year students at Canadian medical schools.

Objectives: To compare male and female medical students by age, level of education before admission to medical school, race/ethnicity, parental education level, socioeconomic status, and attitudes toward public health care.

Methods: In 2001, we conducted an Internet-based survey of all students enrolled in the 16 medical schools across Canada. Based on the high response rate, first-year medical students at Canadian medical schools outside of Quebec were included in this analysis.

Characteristics of first-year students in Canadian medical schools.

Background: The demographic and socioeconomic profile of medical school classes has implications for where people choose to practise and whether they choose to treat certain disadvantaged groups. We aimed to describe the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of first-year Canadian medical students and compare them with those of the Canadian population to determine whether there are groups that are over- or underrepresented. Furthermore, we wished to test the hypothesis that medical students often come from privileged socioeconomic backgrounds.

Effects of rising tuition fees on medical school class composition and financial outlook.

Background: Since 1997, tuition has more than doubled at Ontario medical schools but has remained relatively stable in other Canadian provinces. We sought to determine whether the increasing tuition fees in Ontario affected the demographic characteristics and financial outlook of medical students in that province as compared with those of medical students in the rest of Canada.

Methods: As part of a larger Internet survey of all students at Canadian medical schools outside Quebec, conducted in January and February 2001, we compared the respondents from Ontario schools with those from the other schools (control group).