Publications by authors named "Melissa M Baker"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study explores psychological well-being (PWB) in Canadian adults aged 18+ and its significance for overall mental health and population health.
  • - Researchers used data from the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey to analyze various factors influencing PWB, such as age, relationship status, and mental health conditions, using linear regression.
  • - Key findings revealed that older age, being in a relationship, and a specific BMI range were linked to higher PWB, while mood disorders, anxiety, high life stress, and substance use contributed to lower PWB.
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Providing children healthy diversified diets is important for their optimal growth and development. The high prevalence of under-nourishment during the critical early life period is of serious concern in West Africa. We assessed the level of dietary diversity and associated factors for children aged 6-23 months in Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Senegal.

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Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a leading contributor to the poor health and nutrition of young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Funding constraints are compelling many countries to shift from longstanding campaigns to integrating vitamin A supplementation (VAS) into routine health services. We assessed child VAS coverage and associated factors for integrated delivery systems in Mozambique, Senegal, and Sierra Leone and for a campaign-based delivery strategy in Tanzania.

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The burden of micronutrient malnutrition is high among women of reproductive age (WRA) in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the dietary quality and associated factors for WRA in Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania. Data were collected from women aged 15-49 years using representative Diet Quality Questionnaire surveys.

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Vitamin A deficiency and soil-transmitted helminth infection are serious public health problems in Kenya. The coverage of vitamin A supplementation and deworming medication (VASD) provided through mass campaigns is generally high, yet with a cost that is not sustainable, while coverage offered through routine health services is low. Alternative strategies are needed that achieve the recommended coverage of >80% of children twice annually and can be managed by health systems with limited resources.

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Introduction: There is evidence that some frontline and essential workers have increased their alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this has not been examined in Canada.

Methods: Using the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health 2020, weighted prevalence and 95% confidence intervals of self-reported increased alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking were calculated for each of the population groups: frontline workers, essential workers, and nonfrontline or essential workers (NFEW). Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between social determinants of health, mental health and alcohol use for each group.

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Objective: To assess child vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage in 2019 and 2020 and explore key factors, including COVID-19 concerns, that influenced VAS status in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Design: Data from eight representative household surveys were used to assess VAS coverage. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the effect of rural/urban residence, child sex and age, caregiver education, COVID-19 concern and household wealth on VAS status.

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Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore demographic and clinical characteristics of vaping-associated lung illness (VALI) cases reported in Canada from September 2019 to December 2020; compare the epidemiology of VALI cases in Canada to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) cases in the US; and examine possible explanations for differences between the two countries.

Methods: A federal/provincial/territorial task group developed a national outbreak definition, minimum dataset and case report form for identification and surveillance of VALI cases in Canada. Descriptive analysis explored the characteristics and epidemiology of reported VALI cases.

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Introduction: Increased alcohol and cannabis consumption and related harms have been reported since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing evidence shows that substance use and related harms differ by gender. Yet, no Canadian study has applied a gendered lens to alcohol and cannabis consumption use during this time.

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This study presents nationally representative estimates of self-reported changes in alcohol and cannabis consumption since the onset of COVID-19 in Canada. We used data from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (collected from September to December 2020) to calculate the prevalence of self-reported change in alcohol and cannabis consumption. We found that 15.

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Introduction: Reporting on alcohol use among women of reproductive age in Canada addresses a major gap in evidence.

Methods: We assessed the prevalence of weekly and heavy alcohol consumption among women aged 15 to 54 years by sociodemographic characteristics, province of residence and concurrent use of other substance(s) using data from the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Results: Of the target population, 30.

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Objective: This study of Canadian women estimates the prevalence of opioid and cannabis use during pregnancy and cannabis use during the breastfeeding period and explores the sociodemographic and mental health characteristics associated with use.

Methods: A total of 13 000 women who gave birth between January and June 2018 were invited to participate in the Survey on Maternal Health by Statistics Canada; 7111 women participated for a response rate of 54.7%.

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Background: The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is a measure of positive mental health and flourishing, which is widely used in several countries but has not yet been validated in Denmark. This study aimed to examine its qualitative and quantitative properties in a Danish population sample and compare scores with Canada and the Netherlands.

Methods: Three thousand five hundred eight participants aged 16-95 filled out an electronic survey.

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Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare the prevalence of three positive mental health (PMH) outcomes (self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, sense of community belonging) in postpartum women to the general population, and to examine the relationship between protective factors and the three PMH outcomes among postpartum women.

Methods: The national cross-sectional Survey on Maternal Health (n = 6558) was analyzed. Analyses were weighted and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

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Background: The prevalence of thoughts of self-harm during the postpartum period is not well documented in Canada. To estimate the prevalence of thoughts of self-harm among postpartum women in Canada, this study explored prevalence by socio-demographic characteristics and examined the associations between thoughts of self-harm and aspects of maternal mental health.

Methods: This study used data from the 2018/2019 Survey on Maternal Health which surveyed women living in the 10 provinces anywhere between 6-13 months postpartum.

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Context:   Whereas researchers have provided estimates for the number of head impacts sustained within a youth football season, less is known about the number of plays across which such impact exposure occurs.

Objective:   To estimate the number of plays in which youth football players participated during the 2013 season and to estimate injury incidence through play-based injury rates.

Design:   Descriptive epidemiology study.

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Context: Sports participation is one of the leading causes of concussions among nearly 8 million US high school student-athletes.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of sport-related concussion (SRC) in 27 high school sports during the 2011-2012 through 2013-2014 academic years.

Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

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