COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Southeastern Ontario, Canada: Monitoring and Addressing Health Inequities.

Context: Implementation of a population-based COVID-19 vaccine strategy, with a tailored approach to reduce inequities in 2-dose coverage, by a mid-sized local public health agency in southeastern Ontario, Canada.

Program: Coverage maps and crude and age-standardized coverage rates by material and social deprivation, urban/rural status, and sex were calculated biweekly and reviewed by local public health planners. In collaboration with community partners, the results guided targeted strategies to enhance uptake for marginalized populations.

Place and food insecurity: a critical review and synthesis of the literature.

Objective: In some high-income countries, a sizeable proportion of households are estimated to be food insecure. It is well known that food insecurity varies between countries and is strongly tied to household income level. The local environment may be another level of influence, which has been relatively understudied.

Local social environmental factors are associated with household food insecurity in a longitudinal study of children.

Background: Food insecurity is a significant public health problem in North America and elsewhere. The prevalence of food insecurity varies by country of residence; within countries, it is strongly associated with household socioeconomic status, but the local environment may also play an important role. In this study, we analyzed secondary data from a population-based survey conducted in Québec, Canada, to determine if five local environmental factors: material and social deprivation, social cohesion, disorder, and living location were associated with changes in household food insecurity over a period of 6 years, while adjusting for household socioeconomic status (SES) and other factors.

Trajectories of childhood weight gain: the relative importance of local environment versus individual social and early life factors.

Objective: To determine the association between local environmental factors with child weight status in a longitudinal study, using a semi-parametric, group-based method, while also considering social and early life factors.

Methods: Standardized, directly measured BMI from 4-10 y of age, and group-based trajectory modeling (PROC TRAJ) were used to estimate developmental trajectories of weight change in a Québec birth cohort (n = 1,566). Associations between the weight trajectories and living location, social cohesion, disorder, and material and social deprivation were estimated after controlling for social and early life factors.

The influence of place on weight gain during early childhood: a population-based, longitudinal study.

The objective of this paper was to determine the influence of place factors on weight gain in a contemporary cohort of children while also adjusting for early life and individual/family social factors. Participants from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development comprised the sample for analysis (n = 1,580). A mixed-effects regression analysis was conducted to determine the longitudinal relationship between these place factors and standardized BMI, from age 4 to 10 years.

Higher intakes of energy and grain products at 4 years of age are associated with being overweight at 6 years of age.

This study examined dietary factors associated with overweight in a population-based sample of 6-y-old children. Analyses of data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) included a representative sample (n = 1014) of children born in 1998 in the province of Québec, Canada. Dietary intake was measured by using a 24-h dietary recall administered at 4 y of age.

Improving cardiovascular health at population level: 39 community cluster randomised trial of Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP).

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the community based Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) on morbidity from cardiovascular disease.

Design: Community cluster randomised trial.

Setting: 39 mid-sized communities in Ontario, Canada, stratified by location and population size.

Neighbourhoods and child adiposity: a critical appraisal of the literature.

This paper critically appraised the published literature to determine the relationship between physical and social environmental features of neighbourhoods with child adiposity. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and SCOPUS were searched from 1999 to July 2009 using a systematic search strategy. Twenty-seven primary studies were included based on a priori eligibility criteria.

Examining the relationship between obesity and math performance among Canadian school children: a prospective analysis.

Objectives: To determine whether obesity during the pre-school to primary school years was related to math performance, independently of other factors, in a large representative sample of Canadian children. Our main hypothesis was that obese children would obtain lower overall math scores than their non-obese peers.

Methods: Participants of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth comprised the sample for our analysis (n = 4 664).