scholarly journals Comparison of Health Behaviour Mortality Hazards in Canada and the United States

Author(s):  
Stacey Fisher ◽  
Carol Bennett ◽  
Deirdre Hennessy ◽  
Philippe Fines ◽  
Mahsa Jessri ◽  
...  

IntroductionNational health surveys, available in over 100 countries, are the most common data used for health behaviour surveillance and are increasingly being linked to individual-level health outcomes. We propose that improved health behaviour hazard estimates can be obtained from pooled international population health surveys linked to outcome data. Objectives and ApproachThe objective of this study was to compare smoking, alcohol, diet and physical activity all-cause mortality hazards in Canada and the United States using individual-level, linked population health survey data and common model specifications. The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (2003-2007) and the United States National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (2000, 2005) linked to individual-level mortality outcomes with follow up to December 31, 2011 were used. Variable definitions consistent across the CCHS and NHIS were developed and used to estimate country-specific mortality hazards with sex-specific Cox proportional hazard models, including health behaviours, sociodemographic indicators and proximal factors including disease history. ResultsA total of 296,407 respondents and 1,813,884 million person-years of follow-up from the CCHS and 62,226 respondents and 497,909 person-years from the NHIS were included. Hazards of smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity in Canada and the United States are of similar magnitude and direction, with similar dose response relationships. The largest health behaviour mortality hazards were associated with female heavy smokers in both Canada (HR: 3.36, 95% CI: 2.86, 3.95) and the United States (Female HR: 2.63, 95% CI: 2.11, 3.27), compared to non-smokers. Conclusion/ImplicationsHealth behaviour mortality hazards are comparable in Canada and the United States, supporting the use of hazards obtained from pooled analyses for population heath. These hazards can replace those obtained from independent epidemiology studies that are often incompletely adjusted, rarely population-based and often not generalizable to the population of interest.

Author(s):  
Stacey Fisher ◽  
Carol Bennett ◽  
Claudia Sanmartin ◽  
Doug Manuel

ABSTRACTObjectivesIncreasingly, national health surveys are being linked to vital statistics and health care information, providing a new and unique source of individual population health data. Given that nationally-representative health surveys are performed in over a hundred countries, these linkages create comprehensive data sets that are potentially larger than most existing cohort studies. To date, this resource has not been utilized. ApproachThe purpose, study base, content and methods of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) cycles 2.1 (2003-04) and 3.1 (2005-06) and the United States 2000 and 2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were examined for comparability and consistency. Smoking, alcohol, physical activity and diet questions were identified, question construct and response categorization were compared, and variable constructions possible for both national health surveys were created. All respondents 20+ years of age were identified and stratified by country and sex. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate 5-year hazards of mortality associated with the common smoking, alcohol, physical activity and diet variables. ResultsThe CCHS and NHIS are highly consistent and comparable. Health behaviour questions are similar and permit the creation of smoking, alcohol, physical activity and diet variables that are comparable across surveys. A total of 284 475 survey respondents from Canada and the United States (CCHS, N= 226 731; NHIS, N= 57 744) were included. The largest mortality hazards were associated with female heavy smokers in both Canada (HR: 2.91; 95% CI: 2.52, 3.37) and the United States (Female HR: 2.96; 95% CI: 2.59, 3.38), compared to non-smokers. Moderate variation in the age adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratios was observed; both smoking and physical activity hazard ratios were consistently higher in the United States than in Canada. ConclusionThis study provides initial support for the methodological feasibility of pooling linked population health surveys however, challenges introduced by dissimilarities will require the use of innovative methodologies, and discussions regarding how to manage jurisdictional data restrictions and privacy issues are needed. Pooled population health data has the potential to improve national and international health surveillance and public health.


Author(s):  
Xiaotao Zhang ◽  
Abiodun Oluyomi ◽  
LeChauncy Woodard ◽  
Syed Ahsan Raza ◽  
Maral Adel Fahmideh ◽  
...  

This study examined individual-level determinants of self-reported changes in healthy (diet and physical activity) and addictive (alcohol use, smoking, and vaping) lifestyle behaviors during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in the USA. A national online survey was administered between May and June 2020 that targeted a representative U.S. sample and yielded data from 1276 respondents, including 58% male and 50% racial/ethnic minorities. We used univariate and multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations of sociodemographic, mental health, and behavioral determinants with self-reported changes in lifestyle behaviors. Some study participants reported increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors since the pandemic (i.e., 36% increased healthy eating behaviors, and 33% increased physical activity). However, they also reported increases in addictive lifestyle behaviors including alcohol use (40%), tobacco use (41%), and vaping (46%). With regard to individual-level determinants, individuals who reported adhering to social distancing guidelines were also more likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.21). Conversely, women (β = −0.37, 95% CI −0.62 to −0.12), and unemployed individuals (β = −0.33, 95% CI −0.64 to −0.02) were less likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors. In addition, individuals reporting anxiety were more likely to report increases in addictive behaviors (β = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.43). Taken together, these findings suggest that women and unemployed individuals may benefit from interventions targeting diet and physical activity, and that individuals reporting anxiety may benefit from interventions targeting smoking and alcohol cessation to address lifestyle changes during the pandemic.


Author(s):  
Armani Hawes ◽  
Genee Smith ◽  
Emma McGinty ◽  
Caryn Bell ◽  
Kelly Bower ◽  
...  

Significant racial disparities in physical activity—a key protective health factor against obesity and cardiovascular disease—exist in the United States. Using data from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2000 United States (US) Census, we estimated the impact of race, individual-level poverty, neighborhood-level poverty, and neighborhood racial composition on the odds of being physically active for 19,678 adults. Compared to whites, blacks had lower odds of being physically active. Individual poverty and neighborhood poverty were associated with decreased odds of being physically active among both whites and blacks. These findings underscore the importance of social context in understanding racial disparities in physical activity and suggest the need for future research to determine specific elements of the social context that drive disparities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. S11
Author(s):  
M. DiBonaventura ◽  
A. Sadosky ◽  
K. Concialdi ◽  
M. Hopps ◽  
I. Kudel ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Frances Sissamis ◽  
Karina Villalba ◽  
Jordan Garcia ◽  
Vickie Melus ◽  
Emily J. Markentell ◽  
...  

Religion can have a favorable impact on individual-level health. The influence of religion on population health, however, remains less clear. This study investigated the association between religion and mortality at the population-level. Using county data, a meta-regression was performed to examine between-county mortality heterogeneity. The percent heterogeneity associated with religion variables were compared to demographics (i.e., place, race, language, age, and gender) and health factors (i.e., individual behaviors, clinical care, social and economic, and physical environment) as predictors of mortality. Religion was measured in terms of adherence (i.e., prevalence attending/belonging to a congregation), congregation density, and the diversity of adherents and congregation by denominations. Results showed counties with lower mortality were associated with higher proportions of religion adherents and a greater diversity of adherents and congregations. Counties with higher mortality were associated with higher religion congregation density. Religion, as a parsimonious multivariate model with all demographic and health factor predictors, had less added value when controlled for individual variables or constructs. The direction of association between religion and mortality was consistent, even when controlling for demographics and health factors, and thus merits further consideration as a population health determinant, as it may play a critical role in understanding other population health outcomes.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Shannon Lange ◽  
Courtney Bagge ◽  
Charlotte Probst ◽  
Jürgen Rehm

Abstract. Background: In recent years, the rate of death by suicide has been increasing disproportionately among females and young adults in the United States. Presumably this trend has been mirrored by the proportion of individuals with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. Aim: We aimed to investigate whether the proportion of individuals in the United States with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide differed by age and/or sex, and whether this proportion has increased over time. Method: Individual-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2008–2017, were used to estimate the year-, age category-, and sex-specific proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. We then determined whether this proportion differed by age category, sex, and across years using random-effects meta-regression. Overall, age category- and sex-specific proportions across survey years were estimated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Although the proportion was found to be significantly higher among females and those aged 18–25 years, it had not significantly increased over the past 10 years. Limitations: Data were self-reported and restricted to past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Conclusion: The increase in the death by suicide rate in the United States over the past 10 years was not mirrored by the proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide during this period.


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