Developmental Disorders in Canada

Author(s):  
Sarah Palmeter

In the completion of my practicum at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) this summer, I worked to develop a surveillance knowledge product to support the national surveillance of developmental disorders. This project used Statistics Canada’s 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability to investigate the burden of developmental disorders in Canada. Developmental disorders are conditions with onset in the developmental period. They are associated with developmental deficits and impairments of personal, social, academic, and occupational function. The project objectives are to estimate the prevalence of developmental disorders in Canadians 15 years of age or older, overall and by age and sex, as well as report on the age of diagnosis, disability severity, and disability co-occurrence in those with developmental disorders. The majority of the analysis has been completed and preliminary results completed, which cannot be released prior to PHAC publication. Although not highly prevalent, developmental disorders are associated with a high level of disability in young Canadians. Early detection and interventions have been shown to improve health and social outcomes among affected individuals. Understanding the burden of developmental disorders in Canada is essential to the development of public health policies and services.

Author(s):  
Joshua M. Sharfstein

Firefighters fight fires. Police officers race to crime scenes, sirens blaring. And health officials? Health officials respond to crises. There are infectious disease crises, budget crises, environmental health crises, human resources crises—and many more. At such critical moments, what happens next really matters. A strong response can generate greater credibility and authority for a health agency and its leadership, while a bungled response can lead to humiliation and even resignation. Health officials must be able to manage and communicate effectively as emotions run high, communities become engaged, politicians lean in, and journalists circle. In popular imagination, leaders intuitively rise to the challenge of a crisis: Either they have what it takes or they do not. In fact, preparation is invaluable, and critical skills can be learned and practiced. Students and health officials alike can prepare not only to avoid catastrophe during crises, but to take advantage of new opportunities for health improvement. The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide provides historical perspective, managerial insight, and strategic guidance to help health officials at all levels not just survive but thrive in the most challenging of times.


2021 ◽  
pp. 145507252199570
Author(s):  
Marjut Salokannel ◽  
Eeva Ollila

Background: Use of snus and snus-like nicotine products is increasing, in particular among young people, in several Nordic countries and Estonia, while snus is legally on the market only in Sweden and Norway. Snus is available in a great variety of tastes and packaging particularly catering for young users. Recently, strong snus-resembling nicotine pouches have emerged on the market. This research investigates the regulatory means to counteract this development. Methods: European Union (EU) and national tobacco control legislation, case law of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) and relevant public health studies are analysed. Results: The research finds that the judgement of the CJEU relating to the sale of snus on Finnish ferries has not been enforced. Permitted large traveller imports for personal use have contributed to wide availability of snus in Finland. Even if the legislation in Sweden is in conformity with the exemption it obtained in the Accession Treaty, the public health impact of snus use for young people in its neighbouring countries has become considerable. Nicotine pouches, -which are not regarded as medical products in terms of medicine legislation, lack harmonised EU-wide regulation. Controlling smuggling across open borders is challenging. Conclusions: The legislation at the EU and national levels should be able to protect young people from new tobacco and nicotine products. It is urgent to harmonise regulation relating to new tobacco and nicotine products taking as a base a high level of protection of health as required in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Månsdotter ◽  
K Godoy ◽  
K Guldbrandsson ◽  
R Henriksson ◽  
S Löfdahl ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Woo Lee

<p></p><p>Does intense electoral competition in electoral autocracies (EAs) increase the government health expenditure? Previous studies on EAs and public health expenditure focus on the presence of multiparty elections in EAs as a significant determinant on the expenditure. Most of elections in EAs often are unfair because those are for the victory of dictators; hence. multiparty elections <i>per se</i> do not capture well-known impact of elections, such as the electoral competition increasing health expenditure. Some EAs pay health expenditure less than others even though electoral competition is high. This paper analyzes the effect of electoral competition on the government health expenditure with the balanced panel data of 20 EAs from 2001 to 2017. There are two rival arguments on how electoral competition affect the expenditure according to previous studies; (a) a high level of electoral competition indicates a difficulty of dictatorial winning in elections. Autocrats, hence, gather various demands including health issues from voters, and can increase the government health expenditure; (b) Autocrats pursue the victory in elections. Pork and personal benefits to voters rather than programmed policies are helpful for the victory. Therefore, there is no incentive for autocrats to provide government health expenditure to voters when the level of electoral competition is high. Empirical findings demonstrate that electoral competition in EAs lead the decrease of government health expenditure. This paper concludes that electoral competition does not increase the public health expenditure; the higher level of competition in autocracies does not mean that voters can exert their power to autocrats to realize policies.</p><br><p></p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (42) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikard Dryselius ◽  
Marika Hjertqvist ◽  
Signar Mäkitalo ◽  
Anders Lindblom ◽  
Tobias Lilja ◽  
...  

On 31 of July 2019, the Public Health Agency of Sweden was alerted about an increasing number of tularaemia cases in Gävleborg, a county in central Sweden. The number of cases increased thereafter peaking at about 150 reports of illnesses every week. As at 6 October, a total of 979 cases (734 laboratory-confirmed) have been reported, mainly from counties in central Sweden. The outbreak is now considered over (as at 14 October).


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 386-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Fazal ◽  
Suzanne F. Jackson ◽  
Katy Wong ◽  
Jennifer Yessis ◽  
Nina Jetha

Introduction In health promotion and chronic disease prevention, both best and promising practices can provide critical insights into what works for enhancing the healthrelated outcomes of individuals and communities, and how/why these practices work in different situations and contexts. Methods The promising practices criteria were developed using the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC’s) existing best practices criteria as the foundation. They were modified and pilot tested (three rounds) using published interventions. Theoretical and methodological issues and challenges were resolved via consultation and in-depth discussions with a working group. Results The team established a set of promising practices criteria, which differentiated from the best practices criteria via six specific measures. Conclusion While a number of complex challenges emerged in the development of these criteria, they were thoroughly discussed, debated and resolved. The Canadian Best Practices Portal’s screening criteria allow one to screen for both best and promising practices in the fields of public health, health promotion, chronic disease prevention, and potentially beyond.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Apatu ◽  
W Sinnott ◽  
T Piggott ◽  
D Butler-Jones ◽  
L N Anderson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a common graduate-level professional degree that is offered by Canadian Universities. To date, few studies have examined competency-based MPH education in Canada. Objective To examine the degree to which MPH programs' course descriptions align with the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) core competency categories in order to identify strengths and training gaps in such programs across Canada. Methods A content analysis of MPH programs in Canada was conducted from July 2019 to November 2019. A sampling frame of programs was obtained from a list from the PHAC website. Program information, including mandatory and elective course descriptions was extracted from each program's website and analyzed in NVivo 12. Course descriptions were independently categorized by two researchers into one or more of the seven categories of the core competencies outlined by PHAC. Results We identified 18 universities with MPH programs with 267 courses across Canada. Thematic analysis revealed that 100% of programs had coursework that addressed the “Public Health Sciences” and “Assessment and Analysis” categories; 93% addressed “Policy and Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation”; 67% addressed each of “Communication,” “Leadership,” and “Partnerships, Collaboration, and Advocacy”; and only 56% had course descriptions addressing “Diversity and Inclusiveness.” Conclusions We find that Canadian MPH programs may lack course offerings addressing core competency categories relating to diversity and inclusiveness, communication, and leadership. Our findings were limited in scope as we relied on program Web sites; thus, further research should explore course content in more depth than this course description analysis allowed and identify ways to close the MPH curricular gaps we identified. Key messages Further research should be conducted to determine if the current model of competency education in Canada is successfully guiding MPH programs in meeting local and international workforce demands. Continued discussion is needed to raise the importance of MPH competency-based education in Canada.


2020 ◽  
pp. 155982762095727
Author(s):  
Susan M. Friedman ◽  
Carol Hee Barnett ◽  
Ted D. Barnett

Patients with chronic conditions are at higher risk of complications and mortality if they get COVID-19. Approximately half of American adults have at least 1 condition that increases their risk of complications if they become infected. The medical and public health communities need to send a clear message about the impact of lifestyle on health, particularly in the time of this pandemic. We need to communicate with patients and the public, to let them know how rapidly major lifestyle changes can improve health. This communication is urgent; the timeline for self-care and lifestyle medicine interventions has been telescoped, so that chronic diseases are now acute risk factors.


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