A cost efficient spatially balanced hierarchical sampling design for monitoring boreal birds incorporating access costs and habitat stratification.

Predicting and mitigating impacts of climate change and development within the boreal biome requires a sound understanding of factors influencing the abundance, distribution, and population dynamics of species inhabiting this vast biome. Unfortunately, the limited accessibility of the boreal biome has resulted in sparse and spatially biased sampling, and thus our understanding of boreal bird population dynamics is limited. To implement effective conservation of boreal birds, a cost-effective approach to sampling the boreal biome will be needed.

Ontario primary care models: a descriptive study.

Background: Between 2001 and 2006, the Ontario government introduced a menu of new primary care models, with elements such as patient enrolment and minimum group sizes, and various combinations of fee-for-service, capitation, pay-for-performance and salary. From the statistical perspective of physicians, as opposed to patients, we looked at the distribution of physician characteristics, group size and patient visit patterns across models to describe primary care practice in Ontario.

Methods: Using administrative data for fiscal year 2010/11 containing information on physician characteristics, patient rostering status, patient visits and other practice information, we described similarities and differences across primary care models.

Towards an understanding of the structural determinants of oral health inequalities: A comparative analysis between Canada and the United States.

Objective: To compare the magnitude of, and contributors to, income-related inequalities in oral health outcomes within and between Canada and the United States over time.

Methods: The concentration index was used to estimate income-related inequalities in three oral health outcomes from the Nutrition Canada National Survey 1970-1972, Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007-2009, Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I 1971-1974, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2008. Concentration indices were decomposed to determine the contribution of demographic and socioeconomic factors to oral health inequalities.

Physical activity and health outcomes: evidence from Canada.

Health production models include participation in physical activity as an input. We investigate the relationship between participation in physical activity and health using a bivariate probit model. Participation is identified with an exclusion restriction on a variable reflecting sense of belonging to the community.

A conceptual framework identifying sources of risk to patient safety in primary care.

The potential risks to patient safety in a primary care setting are different than the risks to patient safety in an acute care setting. The main differences arise from the organisational structures of primary care delivery and the greater involvement of patients in their care. To account for these differences, we present the Patient Safety in Primary Care Framework to conceptualise the sources of risk to patient safety.

Financial burden of household out-of-pocket expenditures for prescription drugs: cross-sectional analysis based on national survey data.

Background: Commentaries on the adequacy of insurance coverage for prescription drugs available to Canadians have emphasized differences in the coverage provided by different provincial governments. Less is known about the actual financial burden of prescription drug spending and how this burden varies by province of residence, affluence and source of primary drug coverage.

Methods: We used data from a nationally representative household expenditure survey to analyze the financial burden of prescription drugs.

A nonparametric vs. latent class model of general practitioner utilization: evidence from Canada.

Predicting health care utilization is the foundation of many health economics analyses, such as calculating risk-adjustment capitation payments or measuring equity in health care utilization. The most common econometric models of physician utilization are parametric count data models, since the most common metric of physician utilization is the number of physician visits. This paper makes two distinct contributions to the literature analyzing GP utilization: (i) it is the first to use a nonparametric kernel conditional density estimator to model GP utilization and compare the predicted utilization with that from a latent class negative binomial model; and (ii) it uses panel data to control for the potential endogeneity between self-reported health status and the number of GP visits.

Cigarette taxes and older adult smoking: evidence from recent large tax increases.

While recent evidence casts some doubt, it is generally accepted that the price sensitivity of smoking varies inversely with age. We investigate the responsiveness of older adult smoking using variation from recent historically large cigarette tax increases in the United States. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2000 to 2005, we find consistent evidence that higher taxes reduced smoking participation by older adults, especially those who are less educated and live in low-income households.