Our Health Counts Toronto: Commercial tobacco use among Indigenous peoples in Toronto.

Objective: Fueled by the commercial tobacco industry, commercial tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of premature death in Canada, with opportunities to improve health outcomes. The objective of this research was to work with Indigenous partners to generate Indigenous population prevalence estimates of commercial tobacco use in Toronto, and examine the association between smoking and sociodemographic, cultural, resiliency, and social variables.

Methods: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to generate prevalence estimates of commercial tobacco use and potentially associated sociodemographic, cultural, resiliency, and social connection variables for Indigenous adults living in Toronto.

Increased PrEP uptake and PrEP-RN coincide with decreased HIV diagnoses in men who have sex with men in Ottawa, Canada.

Background: We sought to evaluate if increased uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) correlated to population-level changes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemiology, in a setting with an integrated PrEP delivery system centred on a public health nurse-led PrEP clinic and referral process.

Methods: This study was conducted in Ottawa, Canada, where all positive HIV test results are reported to the public health units. Risk factor information is also collected by nurses and subsequently entered into a provincial database.

Low human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among women engaged in HIV care in Ontario, Canada.

Women living with HIV are at higher risk for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related dysplasia and cancers and thus are prioritized for HPV vaccination. We measured HPV vaccine uptake among women engaged in HIV care in Ontario, Canada, and identified socio-demographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics associated with HPV vaccination. During annual interviews from 2017 to 2020, women participating in a multi-site, clinical HIV cohort responded to a cross-sectional survey on HPV vaccine knowledge and receipt.

Relationships to land as a determinant of wellness for Indigenous women, two-spirit, trans, and gender diverse people of reproductive age in Toronto, Canada.

Objective: Disparities in Indigenous reproductive health reflect Canada's historic and ongoing colonial relationship with Indigenous peoples, which includes persistent inequities in health and social services. Reproductive justice scholars and activists advocate for intersectional approaches to enhancing Indigenous health equity that recognize land as a central determinant of wellness. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between relationships to land and wellness in a study of urban Indigenous women, two-spirit, trans, and gender diverse people of reproductive age in Canada's largest city, Toronto.

Long-distance travel for birthing among Indigenous and non-Indigenous pregnant people in Canada.

Background: For Indigenous Peoples in Canada, birthing on or near traditional territories in the presence of family and community is of foundational cultural and social importance. We aimed to evaluate the association between Indigenous identity and distance travelled for birth in Canada.

Methods: We obtained data from the Maternity Experiences Survey, a national population-based sample of new Canadian people aged 15 years or older who gave birth (defined as mothers) and were interviewed in 2006-2007.

The effect of a Housing First intervention on primary care retention among homeless individuals with mental illness.

Background: Primary care retention, defined as ongoing periodic contact with a consistent primary care provider, is beneficial for people with serious chronic illnesses. This study examined the effect of a Housing First intervention on primary care retention among homeless individuals with mental illness.

Methods: Two hundred individuals enrolled in the Toronto site of the At Home Project and randomized to Housing First or Treatment As Usual were studied.

Postpartum depression prevalence and risk factors among Indigenous, non-Indigenous and immigrant women in Canada.

Objectives: The social position of different minority groups in contemporary societies suggests different risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD). In this study, we used two cut-offs of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) to examine prevalence and risk factors for PPD among mothers participating in the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES), and to compare Indigenous, Canadian-born non-Indigenous and immigrant mothers.

Methods: We used cross-sectional nationwide data from the 2006 MES (unweighted N = 6237, weighted N = 74,231) and conducted multivariate logistic regression models for EPDS ≥ 10 and EPDS ≥ 13 to explore risk factors for the total sample of mothers and in each study group.

Primary care intervention to address cardiovascular disease medication health literacy among Indigenous peoples: Canadian results of a pre-post-design study.

Context: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of illness and death for Indigenous people in Canada and globally. Appropriate medication can significantly improve health outcomes for persons diagnosed with CVD or for those at high risk of CVD. Poor health literacy has been identified as a major barrier that interferes with client understanding and taking of CVD medication.

Evaluation of the Safety of a Vancomycin Nomogram Used to Achieve Target Trough Concentrations.

Background: Dosing vancomycin to achieve target concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/L has been recommended for select infections. To date, few vancomycin nomograms designed to target these higher concentrations have been published, and only one has been published in North America. Based on the success of this nomogram in developing empiric vancomycin regimens that achieve higher target trough concentrations with low rates of nephrotoxicity, a vancomycin nomogram targeting concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/L was developed and implemented at Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Predictors of Low-Acuity Emergency Department Use by Patients Enrolled in a Family Health Team.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and develop a predictive model describing low acuity users of the emergency department (ED) by patients followed by a family health team (FHT). The secondary aim was to contrast this information with characteristics of high acuity users. We also sought to determine what factors were predictive of leaving without being seen (LWBS).

Impact of a Stewardship-Initiated Restriction on Empirical Use of Ciprofloxacin on Nonsusceptibility of Escherichia coli Urinary Isolates to Ciprofloxacin.

Study Objective: To evaluate the impact of a stewardship-initiated restriction on empirical use of ciprofloxacin on the nonsusceptibility of Escherichia coli urinary isolates to ciprofloxacin over time while controlling for the use of other key antibiotics with gram-negative activity.

Design: Retrospective single-center study.

Setting: Large tertiary and quaternary care academic medical center.

Effect of scattered-site housing using rent supplements and intensive case management on housing stability among homeless adults with mental illness: a randomized trial.

Importance: Scattered-site housing with Intensive Case Management (ICM) may be an appropriate and less-costly option for homeless adults with mental illness who do not require the treatment intensity of Assertive Community Treatment.

Objective: To examine the effect of scattered-site housing with ICM services on housing stability and generic quality of life among homeless adults with mental illness and moderate support needs for mental health services.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The At Home/Chez Soi project was an unblinded, randomized trial.

Barriers to Prescription Medication Adherence Among Homeless and Vulnerably Housed Adults in Three Canadian Cities.

Objectives: Medication adherence is an important determinant of successful medical treatment. Marginalized populations, such as homeless and vulnerably housed individuals, may face substantial barriers to medication adherence. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, reasons for, and factors associated with medication nonadherence among homeless and vulnerably housed individuals.

Factors associated with intimate partner violence by a former partner by immigration status and length of residence in Canada.

Purpose: We examined intimate partner violence (IPV) by a former partner among Canadian-born and immigrant women by length of residence in Canada.

Methods: Data from a 2009 national, population-based, telephone survey were used to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with any type of IPV (emotional, financial, physical, and/or sexual) by a former partner with whom there had been contact in the previous 5 years among immigrant women 0 to 19 years in Canada, 20 or more years or longer in Canada, and Canadian-born women (n = 1681).

Results: Of immigrant women in Canada for 0 to 19 years, 41.