Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique最新文献

{"title":"Edmonton's Race-based Data Table: A municipal approach to addressing systemic racism through the collection and use of disaggregated, race-based data.","authors":"Uchechi Shirley Anaduaka, Alexa Ferdinands, Janelle Knoop, Sarah Barber, Maria J Mayan","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00897-3","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00897-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have drawn nationwide attention to systemic racism as a serious threat to public health in Canada. One promising approach to address such racism is through developing and implementing standardized procedures for collecting and using disaggregated, race-based data. In this commentary, we summarize why this approach is necessary to address systemic racism in Canada, and highlight municipal actions being taken in Edmonton, Alberta, to move this approach forward. In 2021, a Race-based Data Table, comprising 24 institutions and organizations affiliated with health, education, and policing systems, was formed in Edmonton. It aimed to engage practitioners, systems representatives, academics, and community members in collective advocacy around accessing race-based data to better understand and address disparate health outcomes associated with COVID-19 for racialized communities. Further, the Table intends to co-create a charter and toolkit outlining best practices for ethical, race-based data collection and use with local stakeholders and knowledge users. In documenting the beginning stages of the Table, and in evaluating its ongoing progress, we contribute to national conversations regarding the need for government institutions and other organizations to consistently collect and use race-based data as a means of increasing transparency and accountability in their actions.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"577-584"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141262280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imagining and implementing healthy city interventions: Combined results from parallel concept mapping exercises in Montreal with community members and stakeholders.","authors":"Zoé Poirier Stephens, Caislin Leah Firth, Michael Cantinotti, Daniel Fuller, Meghan Winters, Yan Kestens","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00883-9","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00883-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Built environment interventions provide structural solutions to complex urban challenges. Though community voices are part of municipal decision-making, planners and public health professionals need tools to better integrate their perspectives for desired changes (what) when implementing built environment interventions (how). We present two simultaneous concept mapping exercises conducted in Montréal, Canada, to facilitate the consideration of these dimensions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Community members were prompted about neighbourhood changes that could improve their quality of life; stakeholders were prompted about factors that contribute to successful implementation of interventions. Through each exercise, items were generated, grouped, and rated on importance and feasibility. Concept maps were produced using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. The clusters identified by community members and stakeholders were combined into a Community × Stakeholder Matrix, which supported discussions on interventions with the research's Advisory Committee.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-two community members generated 41 responses, which resulted in 6 clusters: (1) strengthen public transportation, (2) reduce space dedicated to cars, (3) foster local social connections, (4) develop quality cycling infrastructure, (5) improve pedestrian accessibility, and (6) green the city. Thirty-seven stakeholders generated 40 items, which resulted in 5 clusters: (1) collaboration with stakeholders and citizens, (2) planning and evaluation, (3) common vision for the future, (4) regulatory framework and funding, and (5) context-informed approach.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Capturing the collective vision of our urban environments and the processes underlying change through concept mapping can lead to more successful changes. We propose combining understandings of the what and how into a matrix to support evaluation and strategic planning of interventions and better integrate community voices into operational planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"599-610"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140859817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is alcohol outlet availability associated with binge drinking in Canadian young adults? Findings from British Columbia and Quebec.","authors":"Stephanie Sersli, Martine Shareck","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00905-6","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00905-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Alcohol availability is associated with alcohol consumption and related harms, but there is less evidence on associations with heavy episodic drinking (HED), a drinking pattern prevalent among young adults. This study aimed to assess the associations between alcohol availability and HED among young Canadians.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used a population-based sample of Canadian urban-dwelling young adult drinkers (18‒29 years) from the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS; cycles 2015‒2019). We linked data from CCHS respondents in British Columbia and Quebec with two measures of alcohol availability for both offsite and onsite outlets: density (AOD) and accessibility (SAI) within dissemination areas (N = 1,067,747). We used logistic regression to estimate the associations between alcohol availability and monthly HED, adjusting for covariates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The associations between availability and HED differed by province, and availability measure. In British Columbia, offsite and onsite accessibility using SAI was inversely associated with HED. For example, living in neighbourhoods with medium alcohol accessibility (as compared to low) was significantly associated with reduced odds of HED (offsite OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.17‒0.64; onsite OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.27‒0.89). In Quebec, offsite availability was positively associated with HED using SAI (although not statistically significant) while no clear trend was seen for onsite availability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Results were consistent with previous evidence. Restricting spatial availability of alcohol remains an important public health strategy for decreasing the ease/convenience of access. Understanding why patterns of availability and drinking differ across regions could inform regionally tailored policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"567-576"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382645/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141452077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The BC Radon Data Repository (BCRDR) and BC Radon Map: Integrating disparate data sources for improved public health communication.","authors":"Jeffrey Trieu, Cheryl Young, Phuong D M Nguyen, Anne-Marie Nicol, Sarah B Henderson, David McVea","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00895-5","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00895-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Setting: </strong>The potential for exposure to indoor radon varies dramatically across British Columbia (BC) due to varied geology. Individuals may struggle to understand their exposure risk and agencies may struggle to understand the value of population-level programs and policies to mitigate risk.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) established the BC Radon Data Repository (BCRDR) to facilitate radon research, public awareness, and action in the province. The BCRDR aggregates indoor radon measurements collected by government agencies, industry professionals and organizations, and research and advocacy groups. Participation was formalized with a data sharing agreement, which outlines how the BCCDC anonymizes and manages the shared data integrated into the BCRDR.</p><p><strong>Outcomes: </strong>The BCRDR currently holds 38,733 measurements from 18 data contributors. The repository continues to grow with new measurements from existing contributors and the addition of new contributors. A prominent use of the BCRDR was to create the online, interactive BC Radon Map, which includes regional concentration summaries, risk interpretation messaging, and health promotion information. Anonymized BCRDR data are also available for external release upon request.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>The BCCDC leverages existing radon measurement programs to create a large and integrated database with wide geographic coverage. The development and application of the BCRDR informs public health research and action beyond the BCCDC, and the repository can serve as a model for other regional or national initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"680-687"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303615/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141162738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modernizing public health communication competencies in Canada: A survey of the Canadian public health workforce.","authors":"Devon McAlpine, Melissa MacKay, Lauren E Grant, Andrew Papadopoulos, Jennifer E McWhirter","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00890-w","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00890-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Since the publication of the Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada in 2008, the public health and communication landscape has changed dramatically. Digital media and infodemics have shifted how practitioners must communicate and respond to health information. The age of the current competency framework, which is relied on for workforce development, alongside emerging public health challenges, have prompted calls for modernized competency statements. This study aims to (i) measure self-reported communication competence in the public health workforce, (ii) measure agreement with new communication competency statements, (iii) identify variation in agreement between sub-groups of professionals, and (iv) explore current and needed communication training.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a mixed-methods online survey, a sample of 378 participants in various Canadian public health roles and regions were asked to rate their current communication competence and agreement with a modernized, evidence-based draft communication competency framework. The survey was distributed in both official languages through partner organizations and social media. Descriptive statistics were performed to assess agreement and variation was analyzed in relation to public health roles and experience.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While most participants self-reported communication competence, specific areas were rated lower. All 21 proposed competency statements received high agreement with some variation observed between expertise and experience levels. Demand for communication training is high.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Strong agreement with statements indicates support for a modernized communication competency framework among sampled professionals. Research to gather more evidence surrounding the communication demands of the public health workforce and observed variation in strong agreement for the proposed statements is underway.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"664-679"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303361/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140946291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An assessment of federal alcohol policies in Canada and priority recommendations: Results from the 3rd Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation Project.","authors":"Elizabeth K Farkouh, Kate Vallance, Ashley Wettlaufer, Norman Giesbrecht, Mark Asbridge, Amanda M Farrell-Low, Marilou Gagnon, Tina R Price, Isabella Priore, Jacob Shelley, Adam Sherk, Kevin D Shield, Robert Solomon, Tim R Stockwell, Kara Thompson, Nicole Vishnevsky, Timothy S Naimi","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00889-3","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00889-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To systematically assess the Canadian federal government's current alcohol policies in relation to public health best practices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The 2022 Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) Project assessed federal alcohol policies across 10 domains. Policy domains were weighted according to evidence for their relative impact, including effectiveness and scope. A detailed scoring rubric of best practices was developed and externally reviewed by international experts. Policy data were collected between June and December 2022, using official legislation, government websites, and data sources identified from previous iterations of CAPE as sources. Contacts within relevant government departments provided any additional data sources, reviewed the accuracy and completeness of the data, and provided amendments as needed. Data were scored independently by members of the research team. Final policy scores were tabulated and presented as a weighted overall average score and as unweighted domain-specific scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to public health best practices, the federal government of Canada scored 37% overall. The three most impactful domains-(1) pricing and taxation, (2) marketing and advertising controls, and (3) impaired driving countermeasures-received some of the lowest scores (39%, 10%, and 40%, respectively). Domain-specific scores varied considerably from 0% for minimum legal age policies to 100% for controls on physical availability of alcohol.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Many evidence-informed alcohol policies have not been adopted, or been adopted only partially, by the Canadian federal government. Urgent adoption of the recommended policies is needed to prevent and reduce the enormous health, social, and economic costs of alcohol use in Canada.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"640-653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303602/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140912791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Canada's approach to SARS-CoV-2 sero-surveillance: Lessons learned for routine surveillance and future pandemics.","authors":"Sheila F O'Brien, Michael Asamoah-Boaheng, Brian Grunau, Mel Krajden, David L Buckeridge, David M Goldfarb, Maureen Anderson, Marc Germain, Patrick Brown, Derek R Stein, Kami Kandola, Graham Tipples, Philip Awadalla, Amanda Lang, Lesley Behl, Tiffany Fitzpatrick, Steven J Drews","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00901-w","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00901-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Setting: </strong>In Canada's federated healthcare system, 13 provincial and territorial jurisdictions have independent responsibility to collect data to inform health policies. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023), national and regional sero-surveys mostly drew upon existing infrastructure to quickly test specimens and collect data but required cross-jurisdiction coordination and communication.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>There were 4 national and 7 regional general population SARS-CoV-2 sero-surveys. Survey methodologies varied by participant selection approaches, assay choices, and reporting structures. We analyzed Canadian pandemic sero-surveillance initiatives to identify key learnings to inform future pandemic planning.</p><p><strong>Outcomes: </strong>Over a million samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from 2020 to 2023 but siloed in 11 distinct datasets. Most national sero-surveys had insufficient sample size to estimate regional prevalence; differences in methodology hampered cross-regional comparisons of regional sero-surveys. Only four sero-surveys included questionnaires. Sero-surveys were not directly comparable due to different assays, sampling methodologies, and time-frames. Linkage to health records occurred in three provinces only. Dried blood spots permitted sample collection in remote populations and during stay-at-home orders.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>To provide timely, high-quality information for public health decision-making, routine sero-surveillance systems must be adaptable, flexible, and scalable. National capability planning should include consortiums for assay design and validation, defined mechanisms to improve test capacity, base documents for data linkage and material transfer across jurisdictions, and mechanisms for real-time communication of data. Lessons learned will inform incorporation of a robust sero-survey program into routine surveillance with strategic sampling and capacity to adapt and scale rapidly as a part of a comprehensive national pandemic response plan.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"558-566"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382644/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141565091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1/2 in Canada over 33 years: A unique contribution of blood donors to public health surveillance.","authors":"Sheila F O'Brien, Behrouz Ehsani-Moghaddam, Mindy Goldman, Lori Osmond, Wenli Fan, Steven J Drews","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00886-6","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00886-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Estimate HTLV-1/2 (human T-cell lymphotropic viruses) prevalence in Canadian blood donors and the association of demographic variables with infection and their corresponding risk factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>First-time blood donors in all Canadian provinces (except Quebec) from 1990 to 2022 were included. Blood samples were tested for HTLV-1/2 by enzyme-linked immunoassay, confirmed by Western blot. Multivariable logistic regression with year, age group, sex, region, neighbourhood material deprivation, and ethnocultural composition indices predicted HTLV-1/2. Since 2005, all HTLV-1/2-positive donors (cases) were invited to participate in a risk factor interview, and 4 non-positive donors (controls per case) were matched for age, sex, and region. Case-control predictors of HTLV-1/2 were analyzed using logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were 3,085,554 first-time donors from 1990 to 2022. HTLV-1/2 prevalence remained low (12 per 100,000 in 2022, 95% CI 6.4-23.5). The odds ratios predicting HTLV-1/2 were higher in females (2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.6), older age groups (50 + ; 6.3, 95% CI 4.3-9.2), British Columbia and Ontario, those materially deprived (1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9), and those in ethnocultural neighbourhoods (7.5, 95% CI 3.2-17.3). Most HTLV-1/2 in Ontario was HTLV-1, whereas in British Columbia half were HTLV-2. Forty-three of 149 (28.8%) cases and 172 of 413 (41.6%) controls completed an interview. The strongest predictor of HTLV-1/2 in case-control analysis was birth in a high-prevalence country (OR 39.8, 95% CI 7.8-204.3) but about 50% of HTLV-1 and 90% of HTLV-2 were Canadian-born.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>HTLV-1/2 prevalence is low in blood donors. High-prevalence country of birth accounts for about half of HTLV-1; HTLV-2 positives are usually Canadian-born. HTLV-1/2 transmission likely occurs overseas and within Canada.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"611-621"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382685/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140923791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing an alcohol strategy for the Northwest Territories: Evaluating global research evidence against rural and remote realities.","authors":"Bryany Denning, Paul Andrew, Pertice Moffitt, Barbara Broers","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00899-1","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00899-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This paper outlines the engagement process that was used to develop the Northwest Territories Alcohol Strategy, based on a recommendation by the developers of the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation report, and how this informed the final actions in the strategy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A literature review, four targeted engagement activities, and iterative validation by advisory groups and community and Indigenous leadership were used to evaluate, modify, or reject the original recommendations and develop the final actions that were included in the NWT Alcohol Strategy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There are fourteen original CAPE recommendations, four of which had already been implemented in the Northwest Territories before the development of the strategy. On completion of the process, four recommendations had already been implemented in the NWT. Two recommendations were included in the strategy without changes, two were adapted for use in the strategy, and six were not included. One stand-alone alcohol policy measure was created and included.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Alcohol strategies are dependent on a variety of contextual factors. Developers need to take into consideration the unique geography, political climate, and cultural context of the region for which they are being developed, in order to produce a strategy that is applicable, acceptable, and feasible at the community level.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"654-663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303368/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141460681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continued care and provision of glasses are necessary to improve visual and academic outcomes in children: Experience from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of school-based vision screening.","authors":"Mayu Nishimura, Agnes Wong, Daphne Maurer","doi":"10.17269/s41997-024-00884-8","DOIUrl":"10.17269/s41997-024-00884-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the effectiveness of a kindergarten vision screening program by randomly assigning schools to receive or not receive vision screening, then following up 1.5 years later.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Fifty high-needs elementary schools were randomly assigned to participate or not in a vision screening program for children in senior kindergarten (SK; age 5‒6 years). When the children were in Grade 2 (age 6‒7 years), vision screening was conducted at all 50 schools.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Contrary to expectations, screened and non-screened schools did not differ in the prevalence of suspected amblyopia in Grade 2 (8.6% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.10), nor prevalence of other visual problems such as astigmatism (45.1% vs. 47.1%, p = 0.51). There was also no difference between screened and non-screened schools in academic outcomes such as the proportion of children below grade level in reading (33% vs. 29%) or math (44% vs. 38%) (p = 0.86). However, more children were wearing glasses in screened than in non-screened schools (10.2% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.05), and more children reported their glasses as missing or broken (8.3% vs. 4.7%, p = 0.01), suggesting that SK screening had identified successfully those in need of glasses. Examination of individual results revealed that 72% of children diagnosed and treated for amblyopia in SK no longer had amblyopia in Grade 2.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prevalence of amblyopia and other visual problems was not reduced in Grade 2 by our SK vision screening program, perhaps because of poor treatment compliance and high attrition. The results suggest that a single screening intervention is insufficient to reduce visual problems among young children. However, the data from individuals with amblyopia suggest that continuing vision care and access to glasses benefits children, especially children from lower socioeconomic class.</p>","PeriodicalId":51407,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Public Health-Revue Canadienne De Sante Publique","volume":" ","pages":"688-698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11303613/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140873367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}