A Bayesian shared components modeling approach to develop small area indicators of social determinants of health with measures of uncertainty.

Objectives: Existing Canadian social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators do not quantify uncertainty to identify priority areas. The objectives of this methodologic study were: (1) to estimate and map small area (dissemination area) shared and variable-specific SDOH indicators with measures of uncertainty using a Bayesian model that accounts for spatial dependence; (2) to quantify geographic variation in the SDOH indicators and their contribution to a shared indicator; and (3) to assess the SDOH indicators' associations with behavioural risk factors and their consistency with the Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg).

Methods: Lower education-, income-, unemployment-, living alone- and visible minority-related variables used in existing Canadian SDOH indices were fit as dependent variables to a Bayesian model to produce area-based SDOH indicators that were mapped with measures of uncertainty in two study areas.

The number and type of food retailers surrounding schools and their association with lunchtime eating behaviours in students.

Background: The primary study objective was to examine whether the presence of food retailers surrounding schools was associated with students' lunchtime eating behaviours. The secondary objective was to determine whether measures of the food retail environment around schools captured using road network or circular buffers were more strongly related to eating behaviours while at school.

Methods: Grade 9 and 10 students (N=6,971) who participated in the 2009/10 Canadian Health Behaviour in School Aged Children Survey were included in this study.

Identification of the appropriate boundary size to use when measuring the food retail environment surrounding schools.

This study included 6,971 students in grades 9 and 10 (ages 13 to 16 years) from 158 schools who participated in the 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study. Students provided information on where they typically ate lunch. The number of food retailers was obtained for six road network buffer sizes (500, 750, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, and 5,000 meters) surrounding schools.

Field validation of food service listings: a comparison of commercial and online geographic information system databases.

Many studies examining the food retail environment rely on geographic information system (GIS) databases for location information. The purpose of this study was to validate information provided by two GIS databases, comparing the positional accuracy of food service places within a 1 km circular buffer surrounding 34 schools in Ontario, Canada. A commercial database (InfoCanada) and an online database (Yellow Pages) provided the addresses of food service places.

Urban sprawl and its relationship with active transportation, physical activity and obesity in Canadian youth.

Background: Urban sprawl is a potential environmental influence on youth overweight/obesity. However, little is known about the association between urban sprawl and behaviours that influence obesity such as active transportation and physical activity.

Methods: The study population consisted of 7,017 respondents aged 12 to 19 to the 2007/2008 Canadian Community Health Survey, living in Canada's 33 census metropolitan areas (CMAs).

Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: variations across socioeconomic status.

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods may have differential access to food retailers, potentially explaining the varying area-level obesity rates. The food retail environment around 188 schools across Canada was examined, including full-service restaurants, fast food restaurants, sub/sandwich retailers, donut/coffee shops, convenience stores, and grocery stores. School addresses were linked to census data to obtain area-level SES measures.

Association between the food retail environment surrounding schools and overweight in Canadian youth.

Introduction: There is growing interest in how the physical environment influences obesity. Few studies have considered how the food retail environment surrounding schools influences overweight in students.

Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between food retailers surrounding schools and overweight among Canadian youth.