Promoting Scientific Integrity at Health Canada

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the atmosphere, including polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and furans. The circumstances of exposure are detailed in Part 1, Background and Policy Issues. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted in two parts with two levels of government as sponsors. The first, called the Swan Hills Study, is described in Part 2. A subsequent evaluation, described here in Part 3, was undertaken by Health Canada and focused exclusively on Aboriginal residents in three communities living near the lake, downwind, and downstream of the SHSWTC of the area. It was designed to isolate effects on members living a more traditional Aboriginal lifestyle. Aboriginal communities place great cultural emphasis on access to traditional lands and derive both cultural and health benefits from “country foods” such as venison (deer meat) and local fish. The suspicion of contamination of traditional lands and the food supply made risk management exceptionally difficult in this situation. The conclusion of both the Swan Hills and Lesser Slave Lake studies was that although POPs had entered the ecosystem, no effect could be demonstrated on human exposure or health outcome attributable to the incident. However, the value of this case study is in the detail of the process, not the ultimate dimensions of risk. The findings of the Lesser Slave Lake Study have not been published previously and are incomplete.

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Use of Nutrition Information and Understanding of “Percent Daily Value” on Nutrition Facts Tables: Evaluating the Impact of a National Public Education Campaign among Youth and Young Adults in Canada

Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research ◽

10.3148/cjdpr-2019-010 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 80 (4) ◽

pp. 200-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brittany Cormier ◽

Lana Vanderlee ◽

David Hammond

Keyword(s):

Population Level ◽

Correct Recall ◽

Nutrition Information ◽

Education Campaign ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Public Education Campaign ◽

Youth And Young Adults ◽

Campaign Message ◽

Health Canada ◽

The Impact

Purpose: In 2010, Health Canada implemented a national campaign to improve understanding of “percent daily value” (%DV) in Nutrition Facts Tables (NFTs). This study examined sources of nutrition information and knowledge of %DV information communicated in the campaign. Methods: Respondents aged 16–30 years completed the Canada Food Study in 2016 (n = 2665). Measures included sources of nutrition information, NFT use, and %DV knowledge based on the campaign message (“5% DV or less is a little; 15% DV or more is a lot”). A logistic regression examined correlates of providing “correct” responses to %DV questions related to the campaign messaging. Results: Overall, 7.2% (n = 191) respondents correctly indicated that 5% is “a little”, and 4.3% (n = 115) correctly indicated 15% DV was “a lot”. Only 4.0% (n = 107) correctly answered both. Correct recall of %DV amounts was not associated with number of information sources reported, but was greater among those who were female, were younger, and reported greater NFT understanding and serving size information use (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Results show low awareness of messaging from the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign among young Canadians. Such a mass media campaign may be insufficient on its own to enhance population-level understanding of %DV.

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Effects of Cigarette Smoking in Adults

MacEwan University Student eJournal ◽

10.31542/j.muse.806 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lana Lan Chan

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Cigarette Smoking ◽

Direct Effects ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Adverse Health Effects ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Health Promoting ◽

The Many ◽

Physical Consequences ◽

Health Canada

First-hand cigarette smoking is known to result in adverse health effects in adults, influencing wellbeing physically and mentally. The most prevalent physical consequences are cardiovascular diseases, cancer of the throat and oral cavities, diseases of the bowel, eye, respiratory system, and reproductive system. Arguably, direct effects of tobacco smoking have been said to affect mental aspects of wellbeing such as depression, mood, and anxiety disorders. Undoubtedly smoking comes with many negative effects, but with implementation of smoking cessation strategies, it is possible to strengthen the overall health and wellbeing of smokers. As such, Health Canada recognizes the many health benefits associated with smoking cessation, by delivering health-promoting campaigns that strongly urge, it is not too late to quit.

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