Associations between the receipt of inpatient palliative care and acute care outcomes: A retrospective study.

Background: Palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve outcomes for individuals at the end of life. Despite this, many Canadians do not receive PC prior to death. The present study examines the receipt of inpatient PC and its association with location of death, as well as with admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and use of alternate level of care (ALC) beds in hospital in the last 30 days of life.

Using Canadian administrative health data to examine the health of caregivers of children with and without health problems: A demonstration of feasibility.

Introduction: Caregivers of children with health problems experience poorer health than the caregivers of healthy children. To date, population-based studies on this issue have primarily used survey data.

Objectives: We demonstrate that administrative health data may be used to study these issues, and explore how non-categorical indicators of child health in administrative data can enable population-level study of caregiver health.

Changes in Caregiver Health in the Years Surrounding the Birth of a Child With Health Problems: Administrative Data From British Columbia.

Background: Caregivers of children with health problems (CHPs; usually mothers) experience more physical and psychological health problems than those of children without health problems (non-CHPs). Primarily cross-sectional and survey-driven, this literature has not yet explored whether these health differences existed before the birth of the CHPs, or are exacerbated postbirth.

Methods: Using linked administrative health data on all mother-child dyads for children born in the year 2000 in British Columbia, Canada, we examined maternal health before, during, and after the birth of CHPs, and compared it between mothers of CHPs and non-CHPs with piecewise growth curve modeling.

Associations between cadmium levels in blood and urine, blood pressure and hypertension among Canadian adults.

Background: Cadmium has been inconsistently related to blood pressure and hypertension. The present study seeks to clarify the relationship between cadmium levels found in blood and urine, blood pressure and hypertension in a large sample of adults.

Methods: The study sample included participants ages 20 through 79 from multiple cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007 through 2013) with measured blood cadmium (n=10,099) and urinary cadmium (n=6988).

Developing a non-categorical measure of child health using administrative data.

Background: Few studies have examined the potential of linked administrative data for research on child health. This analysis describes the application of a non-categorical survey-based tool, the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Screener, to administrative data.

Data And Methods: Five Screener items were applied to linked administrative health data from Population Data British Columbia.

Psychosocial functioning in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and externalizing behavior problems.

Purpose: This study examines psychosocial functioning in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and/or externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) as compared to children with neither condition.

Methods: The longitudinal sample, drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, included children who were 6 to 9 years old in Cycle 1 who were followed-up biennially in Cycles 2 and 3 (N = 3476). The associations between NDDs and/or EBPs, child and family socio-demographic characteristics and parenting behaviors (consistency and ineffective parenting), were examined across several measures of child psychosocial functioning: peer relationships, general self-esteem, prosocial behavior and anxiety-emotional problems.

Dynamics of smoking cessation and health-related quality of life among Canadians.

Background: People who smoke are at increased risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, chronic lung disease and premature death. After smoking cessation, these risks diminish, but little is known about the time required to regain the level of health of people who have never smoked. This analysis describes trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in relation to smoking status, focusing on the time required for former smokers to achieve an HRQL level similar to that of never-smokers.

Changes over time in the health of caregivers of children with health problems: growth-curve findings from a 10-year Canadian population-based study.

Objectives: We used Canadian population-based data to examine changes in the health of caregivers of children with complex health problems compared with caregivers of healthy children over a 10-year time period.

Methods: The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth collected data biennially from 9401 children and their caregivers in 6 waves from 1994-1995 to 2004-2005. We conducted growth-curve analyses of these data to model self-reported general health and depressive symptoms for 4 groups of caregivers: caregivers of healthy children, and caregivers of children with 1, 2, or at least 3 of 4 conceptually distinct indicators of child health problems.

Bodyweight, gender, and quality of life: a population-based longitudinal study.

Purpose: The objective of the paper is to describe trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQL) associated with categories of body mass index (BMI): underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese class I, and obese classes II and III.

Methods: Data come from the longitudinal Canadian National Population Health Survey. Analyses are based on data for 3,864 men and 4,745 women who were 40+ in 1998/1999 and followed through 2006/2007.

Patterns of children's participation in unorganized physical activity.

Children's leisure-time or unorganized physical activity is associated with positive physical and mental health, yet there is little information available on tracking and predicting participation throughout the childhood and adolescent years. The purpose of the current study was to explore patterns of unorganized physical activity participation of children ages 4 through 17 years. Longitudinal data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth were analyzed using semiparametrice group-based trajectory modeling Participation in unorganized physical activity was best represented by two trajectory groups for boys (n = 4,476) and girls (n = 4,502).

Children's organized physical activity patterns from childhood into adolescence.

Background: Few longitudinal studies of physical activity have included young children or used nationally representative datasets. The purpose of the current study was to explore patterns of organized physical activity for Canadian children aged 4 through 17 years.

Methods: Data from 5 cycles of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth were analyzed separately for boys (n = 4463) and girls (n = 4354) using multiple trajectory modeling.

The health and psychosocial functioning of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose: Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (Neuro) pose complex parenting challenges, particularly if the condition co-occurs with behaviour problems. Such challenges are likely to impact caregiver health and well-being. This study explores the extent to which caregivers of children with both 'Neuro' and behaviour problems differ in their physical and psychosocial outcomes from caregivers of children with either condition or neither condition.

The health and psychosocial functioning of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose: Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (Neuro) pose complex parenting challenges, particularly if the condition co-occurs with behaviour problems. Such challenges are likely to impact caregiver health and well-being. This study explores the extent to which caregivers of children with both Neuro and behaviour problems differ in their physical and psychosocial outcomes from caregivers of children with either condition or neither condition.

Health among caregivers of children with health problems: findings from a Canadian population-based study.

Objectives: We used population-based data to evaluate whether caring for a child with health problems had implications for caregiver health after we controlled for relevant covariates.

Methods: We used data on 9401 children and their caregivers from a population-based Canadian study. We performed analyses to compare 3633 healthy children with 2485 children with health problems.

Conceptualizing childhood health problems using survey data: a comparison of key indicators.

Background: Many definitions are being used to conceptualize child health problems. With survey data, commonly used indicators for identifying children with health problems have included chronic condition checklists, measures of activity limitations, elevated service use, and health utility thresholds. This study compares these different indicators in terms of the prevalence rates elicited, and in terms of how the subgroups identified differ.

Interventions to improve the health of the homeless: a systematic review.

Background: Homelessness is a widespread problem in the United States. The primary goal of this systematic review is to provide guidance in the development and organization of programs to improve the health of homeless people.

Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, HealthStar, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and Social Services Abstracts databases were searched from their inception through July 2004 using the following terms: homeless, homeless persons, and homelessness.