A scoping review shows that no single existing risk of bias assessment tool considers all sources of bias for cross-sectional studies.

Objectives: Different tools to assess the potential risk of bias (RoB) for cross-sectional studies have been developed, but it is unclear whether all pertinent bias concepts are addressed. We aimed to identify RoB concepts applicable to cross-sectional research validity and to explore coverage for each in existing appraisal tools.

Study Design And Setting: This scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.

Risk of bias in cross-sectional studies: Protocol for a scoping review of concepts and tools.

Cross-sectional studies are commonly used to study human health and disease, but are especially susceptible to bias. This scoping review aims to identify and describe available tools to assess the risk of bias (RoB) in cross-sectional studies and to compile the key bias concepts relevant to cross-sectional studies into an item bank. Using the JBI scoping review methodology, the strategy to locate relevant RoB concepts and tools is a combination of database searches, prospective review of PROSPERO registry records; and consultation with knowledge users and content experts.

Vitamin D Status of People 3 to 79 Years of Age from the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012-2019.

Background: Vitamin D is recognized in bone health and the prevention of rickets and osteomalacia.

Objective: This study aimed to assess vitamin D status of people in Canada and to identify factors associated with vitamin D inadequacy and deficiency.

Methods: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (cycles 3-6, n = 21,770, 3-79 y) were evaluated for geometric means and proportions <40 (inadequate) and <30 (risk of deficiency) nmol/L.

Fast food consumption in adults living in Canada: alternative measurement methods, consumption choices, and correlates.

Global industries and technological advancements have contributed to the proliferation of fast food (FF) establishments and ultraprocessed food, associated with poorer diet quality and health outcomes. To investigate FF as an indicator, we compared alternative methods to capture self-reported FF consumption and examined associated socio-demographic factors. We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2014-2015 Foodbook study, a cross-sectional survey on foods consumed by Canadians during the previous week.

NUQUEST-NUtrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools: development of tools for the evaluation of risk of bias in nutrition studies.

Background: Dietary exposure assessments are a critical issue in evaluating human nutrition studies; however, nutrition-specific criteria are not consistently included in existing bias assessment tools.

Objectives: Our objective was to develop a set of risk of bias (RoB) tools that integrated nutrition-specific criteria into validated generic assessment tools to address RoB issues, including those specific to dietary exposure assessment.

Methods: The Nutrition QUality Evaluation Strengthening Tools (NUQUEST) development and validation process included 8 steps.

Proportions of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes of Canadian adults: Results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012-2015.

Background: The Omega-3 Index (OI) is a proposed marker of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. Another index, the EPA/arachidonic acid (AA) ratio has also been proposed as a possible risk marker for CAD.

Objective: Our primary objective was to characterize the Canadian population subgroups that have an undesirable OI (<4%, associated with high CAD risk) and to identify the participants' characteristics most strongly associated with the OI.

Examining the diversity of ultra-processed food consumption and associated factors in Canadian adults.

Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is increasing globally at an unprecedented rate. We investigated UPF consumption among Canadian adults and associated sociodemographic and health-related factors. This study was a secondary analysis of the Foodbook study (2014-2015), which collected self-reported data on foods consumed by Canadians during a 7-day period.

A report of activities related to the Dietary Reference Intakes from the Joint Canada-US Dietary Reference Intakes Working Group.

The governments of the United States and Canada have jointly undertaken the development of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) since the mid-1990s. The Federal DRI committees from each country work collaboratively to identify DRI needs, prioritize nutrient reviews, advance work to resolve methodological issues that is necessary for new reviews, and sponsor DRI-related committees through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. In recent years, the Joint Canada-US DRI Working Group, consisting of members from both Federal DRI committees, developed an open and transparent nomination process for prioritizing nutrients for DRI review, by which sodium, the omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids, vitamin E, and magnesium were identified.

Overweight and obesity are associated with lower vitamin D status in Canadian children and adolescents.

Introduction: There is evidence that 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are lower in overweight and obese youth. This study examined the relationship between weight status and 25-hydroxyvitamin D, while controlling for confounders, in Canadian youth.

Methods: Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D from subjects aged 6 to 17 years from the Canadian Health Measures Survey cycles 1 (2007 to 2009) and 2 (2009 to 2011) was used.

An Analysis of Factors Associated with 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in White and Non-White Canadians.

Vitamin D status was assessed in 19-79 year old whites (8351 participants of European ancestry) and non-whites (1840 participants encompassing all other ancestries) from cycles 1 to 3 (years 2007-2013) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Status was assessed using the U.S.

Options for basing Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) on chronic disease endpoints: report from a joint US-/Canadian-sponsored working group.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are used in Canada and the United States in planning and assessing diets of apparently healthy individuals and population groups. The approaches used to establish DRIs on the basis of classical nutrient deficiencies and/or toxicities have worked well. However, it has proved to be more challenging to base DRI values on chronic disease endpoints; deviations from the traditional framework were often required, and in some cases, DRI values were not established for intakes that affected chronic disease outcomes despite evidence that supported a relation.

High-dose compared with low-dose vitamin B-12 supplement use is not associated with higher vitamin B-12 status in children, adolescents, and older adults.

Over-the-counter vitamin supplements on the Canadian market are permitted to contain a daily vitamin B-12 dose of up to 1000 μg. Our objective was to determine the association between total daily vitamin B-12 supplement dose and markers of vitamin B-12 status in Canadians. Blood collected from a nationally representative sample aged 6-79 y (n = ∼5600) in the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007-2009) was analyzed for serum vitamin B-12 and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy).

Characteristics of users of supplements containing vitamin D in Canada and associations between dose and 25-hydroxvitamin D.

Canadians using supplements containing vitamin D are more likely to have 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels consistent with the Recommended Dietary Allowance, particularly with the low UVB exposure during the winter. This study aimed to determine these users' characteristics and to examine the relationship between dosage and 25(OH)D using the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (n = 5604, 6-79 years of age). Logistic regression models examined the odds of supplement use within the preceding 30 days.

Iron sufficiency of Canadians.

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, but little is known about the iron status of people in Canada, where the last estimates are from 1970-1972.

Data And Methods: The data are from cycle 2 (2009 to 2011) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, which collected blood samples from a nationally representative sample of Canadians aged 3 to 79. Descriptive statistics (percentages, arithmetic means, geometric means) were used to estimate hemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations, and other markers of iron status.

Temporal trends and determinants of longitudinal change in 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels.

Vitamin D is essential for facilitating calcium absorption and preventing increases in parathyroid hormone (PTH), which can augment bone resorption. Our objectives were to examine serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and PTH, and factors related to longitudinal change in a population-based cohort. This is the first longitudinal population-based study looking at PTH and 25(OH)D levels.

Vitamin B-12 and homocysteine status in a folate-replete population: results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Background: Vitamin B-12 is an important cofactor required for nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Vitamin B-12 deficiency causes anemia and neurologic abnormalities-a cause for concern for the elderly, who are at increased risk of vitamin B-12 malabsorption. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is also associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects and hyperhomocysteinemia.

Department of Transportation vs self-reported data on motor vehicle collisions and driving convictions for stroke survivors: do they agree?

Objective: Research on stroke survivors' driving safety has typically used either self-reports or government records, but the extent to which the 2 may differ is not known. We compared government records and self-reports of motor vehicle collisions and driving convictions in a sample of stroke survivors.

Methods: The 56 participants were originally recruited for a prospective study on driving and community re-integration post-stroke; the study population consisted of moderately impaired stroke survivors without severe communication disorders who had been referred for a driving assessment.

The vitamin D status of Canadians relative to the 2011 Dietary Reference Intakes: an examination in children and adults with and without supplement use.

Background: The 2011 Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for vitamin D use 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations to define vitamin D deficiency (<30 nmol/L), the Estimated Average Requirement (40 nmol/L), and the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA; 50 nmol/L). The Canadian population has not yet been assessed according to these recommendations.

Objective: We determined the prevalence of meeting DRI recommendations and the role of vitamin D supplement use among Canadians aged 6-79 y.

Driving and reintegration into the community in patients after stroke.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between driving versus not driving and community integration after stroke. Much research on patients who drive after experiencing a stroke has focused on driving assessment protocols; little attention has been given to the implications of assessment outcomes.

Design: Prospective study.

Vitamin D status of Canadians as measured in the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem, but little is known about the vitamin D status of Canadians.

Data And Methods: The data are from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey, which collected blood samples. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, means) were used to estimate 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations among a sample of 5,306 individuals aged 6 to 79 years, representing 28.

Differences between poststroke drivers and nondrivers: demographic characteristics, medical status, and transportation use.

Objective: To determine the demographic, medical, and transportation use characteristics of stroke survivors wanting to drive who resumed or did not resume driving and compare the driving habits of those who drove with those of a nonstroke control group.

Design: One hundred and six stroke survivors who underwent a driving evaluation at a rehabilitation center in Ottawa, Canada, between 1995 and 2003, participated in a structured telephone interview 4-5 yrs after the evaluation. Information on driving history and transportation use before the driving assessment was obtained from the driving assessment client database.

Dietary reference intakes for vitamin D: justification for a review of the 1997 values.

Recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) reviews of the process for deriving Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) suggest that determining the need for a new nutrient review should be evaluated against criteria set a priori. After selecting the criterion of significant new and relevant research, a working group of US and Canadian government scientists used results from a systematic review and 2 conferences on vitamin D and health to evaluate whether significant new and relevant scientific evidence had become available since the 1997 IOM publication of the DRIs for vitamin D. This working group concluded that there appears to be new research meeting the criteria for 4 key DRI questions.

Tracking clinical improvement of swallowing disorders after stroke.

Goal: The goal of this study was to determine recovery rates from swallowing disorders, or dysphagia, at 3 weeks and 3 months poststroke by tracking changes in nutritional management.

Materials And Methods: Ninety-one newly diagnosed stroke patients were studied. Patients with suspected dysphagia were referred for bedside swallowing assessment, performed by a speech-language pathologist, and, where indicated, a videofluoroscopic modified barium swallow.

Adolescents' low-carbohydrate-density diets are related to poorer dietary intakes.

This study was undertaken to assess how low-carbohydrate-density diets below the acceptable macronutrient distribution range relate to food and micronutrient intake and sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. The multistage stratified cluster design in the 1990 Ontario Health Survey was used. There were 5,194 subjects, 12 to 18 years of age, in sampled households.

Dietary intake among young adolescents in Ontario: associations with vegetarian status and attitude toward health.

Background: This study aimed to describe the dietary intakes of adolescent vegetarians and omnivores and determine if, and how, attitude toward personal health related to food consumption.

Methods: Among grade 9 students in Ontario, Canada (n = 630), vegetarian status and estimated consumption of foods and food groups were determined by food frequency questionnaire. Personal health was self-categorized as very important (the "health conscious") or somewhat/not important (the "non-health conscious").