Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Jennifer E. Enns, Nathan C. Nickel, Mariette Chartier, Dan Chateau, Rhonda Campbell, Wanda Phillips-Beck, Joykrishna Sarkar, Elaine Burland, Alan Katz, Rob Santos, Marni Brownell
Summary: The study found that receiving a modest unconditional income supplement of CAD $81 per month during pregnancy was associated with improved birth outcomes, increased vaccination rates, and better developmental health outcomes for children from low-income First Nations families in Manitoba, Canada.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu, Jennifer Dunne, Gizachew Assefa Tessema, Ben Mullins, Bernard Kumi-Boateng, Michelle Lee Bell, Bereket Duko, Gavin Pereira
Summary: This study systematically reviewed and evaluated the associations between air pollutants and birth outcomes, finding plausible causal effects and consistent positive associations. However, more high-quality studies are needed to strengthen the evidence.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Adina Mihaela Epure, Emilie Courtin, Philippe Wanner, Arnaud Chiolero, Stephane Cullati, Cristian Carmeli
Summary: A health policy reform in Switzerland that fully covered healthcare costs during pregnancy and 8 weeks postpartum resulted in improved neonatal health outcomes.
LANCET PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vinoj H. Sewberath Misser, Ashna D. Hindori-Mohangoo, Arti Shankar, Jeffrey K. Wickliffe, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Dennis R. A. Mans
Summary: Globally, prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants such as mercury, manganese, and lead is increasingly linked to adverse birth outcomes. This study in Suriname found no statistically significant relationship between blood levels of mercury, manganese, or lead and stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and low Apgar score. However, diabetes mellitus was independently associated with preterm birth and hypertension with low birth weight.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aalekhya Reddam, Andreas Sjodin, Whitney Cowell, Richard Jones, Shuang Wang, Frederica Perera, Julie B. Herbstman, Allison Kupsco
Summary: This study found associations between exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and birth outcomes in a cohort of Dominican and African American newborns, mainly affecting birth weight and length.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Family Studies
Shannon Struck, Jennifer E. Enns, Julianne Sanguins, Mariette Chartier, Nathan C. Nickel, Dan Chateau, Joykrishna Sarkar, Elaine Burland, Aynslie Hinds, Alan Katz, Rob Santos, A. Frances Chartrand, Marni Brownell
Summary: The study found that providing a modest prenatal benefit to low-income Metis women was associated with improved birth outcomes and child vaccinations. However, the association with increased large-for-gestational-age births may require further exploration. The lack of significant associations between the prenatal benefit and child development measures suggests that more sustained support may be necessary to improve longer-term outcomes.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chengyu Pan, Jinxia Yu, Qian Yao, Nan Lin, Zhenping Lu, Yan Zhang, Shasha Zhao, Zixia Wang, Xiaoning Lei, Ying Tian, Yu Gao
Summary: This study investigated the prenatal exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) in pregnant women in China and assessed its association with birth outcomes. The study found that exposure to NEOs may have an impact on the head circumference and ponderal index of newborns, and this association may be mediated by urinary 8-OHdG. These findings are important for understanding the effects of NEOs on human health.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Boonsita Suwannakul, Ratana Sapbamrer, Natrujee Wiwattanadittakul, Surat Hongsibsong
Summary: This study revealed a potential association between prenatal urinary OP metabolite levels among pregnant agricultural workers and adverse birth outcomes in infants, emphasizing the need for effective strategies to reduce prenatal exposure to OP pesticides.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
C. Schneider, H. Schuele, C. F. Baum, P. J. Landrigan, S. S. Hawkins
Summary: Using birth certificate data from 50 states and DC, this study examines the associations between prenatal exposure to power plants and birth outcomes, specifically focusing on the effects on different racial/ethnic groups. The findings suggest that exposure to power plants during pregnancy has negative effects on infant health, particularly for infants born to White women.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Dong Keun Rhee, Yuelong Ji, Xiumei Hong, Colleen Pearson, Xiaobin Wang, Laura E. Caulfield
Summary: This study investigates the impact of Mediterranean-style diet on pregnancy and birth outcomes in a large urban, multiethnic cohort from Boston. Findings indicate that adherence to this diet may lead to improved birth outcomes for African American women, suggesting its potential benefits in reducing unfavorable birth outcomes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu-Hsuan Shih, Hua Yun Chen, Krista Christensen, Arden Handler, Mary E. Turyk, Maria Argos
Summary: The study found that prenatal exposure to metals like lead, selenium, and mercury may affect birth outcomes, with infant sex potentially modifying these associations.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leticia Achangebe Akum, Eunice Amina Offei, Mary Rachael Kpordoxah, Daudi Yeboah, Abdul-Nasir Issah, Michael Boah
Summary: The study found that receiving at least eight antenatal care contacts before delivery can reduce the risk of adverse birth outcomes, such as low birthweight and preterm birth, in the Tamale Metropolitan Area of northern Ghana. However, less than four out of every ten pregnant women receive at least eight antenatal care contacts before delivery. Efforts are needed to increase coverage of eight contacts among pregnant women before delivery to reduce the risk of adverse birth outcomes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Susan B. Brogly, Maria P. Velez, Martha M. Werler, Wenbin Li, Andi Camden, Astrid Guttmann
Summary: This study found that the use of opioid analgesics in pregnant women may increase the risk of preterm birth and stillbirth, while the impact on small for gestational age birth is not significant.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lisa M. Christian, Shannon Webber, Shannon Gillespie, Anna M. Strahm, Jonathan Schaffir, Yevgeniya Gokun, Kyle Porter
Summary: The study found that women with poor sleep quality and elevated depressive symptoms have higher odds of spontaneous shortened gestation, with even greater risk for those with both factors. Black women were more likely to have both risk factors compared to white women.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lisa M. Christian, Shannon Webber, Shannon Gillespie, Anna M. Strahm, Jonathan Schaffir, Yevgeniya Gokun, Kyle Porter
Summary: Black women had higher odds of spontaneous shortened gestation compared to White women, and women with both poor subjective sleep quality and depressive symptoms exhibited significantly higher odds of spontaneous shortened gestation. Black women were more likely to have both risk factors, while White women were more likely to have neither risk factor.
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Anita Minh, Lisa Ritland, Simon Webb, Barry Forer, Marni Brownell, Eric Duku, Monique Gagne, Magdalena Janus, Nazeem Muhajarine, Martin Guhn
Summary: This study examines the role of social capital in moderating the relationship between neighborhood income and developmental outcomes for children in kindergarten. The findings show that higher levels of social capital are associated with better child outcomes in both British Columbia and Ontario, particularly in language and cognitive development and social competence. The results suggest a positive impact of social capital on child development outcomes.
SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ruth Ann Marrie, John D. Fisk, Randy Walld, James M. Bolton, Jitender Sareen, Scott B. Patten, Alexander Singer, Lisa M. Lix, Carol A. Hitchon, Renee El-Gabalawy, Alan Katz, James J. Marriott, Charles N. Bernstein
Summary: The study found that the use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs is more common in people with MS than in the general population, and their use in persons with MS is often chronic.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Magdalena Janus, Julia Ryan, Molly Pottruff, Caroline Reid-Westoby, Marni Brownell, Teresa Bennett, Catherine S. Birken, Eric Duku, Mark A. Ferro, Barry Forer, Stelios Georgiades, Jan Willem Gorter, Martin Guhn, Jonathon Maguire, Heather Manson, Jacqueline Pei, Rob Santos, Robert J. Coplan
Summary: Despite being a prevalent mental health problem, there is little data on the pervasiveness and levels of anxiety symptoms in kindergarteners. This study collected data from Canada over a span of 11 years and found that highly anxious children were more likely to be male, have English/French as a second language, and have special needs designation. Furthermore, highly anxious children were more likely to score below the 10th percentile in physical, social, language/cognitive, and communication domains.
CHILD PSYCHIATRY & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Roheema Ewesesan, Mariette J. Chartier, Nathan C. Nickel, Elizabeth Wall-Wieler, Marcelo L. Urquia
Summary: This study found that immigrant women had a higher prevalence of social isolation but a lower prevalence of other psychosocial and behavioral perinatal health indicators compared to non-immigrants. Health care providers may need to tailor care approaches for immigrant subgroups at higher risk, such as refugees, recent immigrants, and those from certain world regions, considering the observed heterogeneity in risk.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nathan C. Nickel, Jennifer E. Enns, Amy Freier, Scott C. McCulloch, Mariette Chartier, Hera J. M. Casidsid, Oludolapo Deborah Balogun, Drew Mulhall, Roxana Dragan, Joykrishna Sarkar, James Bolton, Geoffrey Konrad, Wanda Phillips-Beck, Julianne Sanguins, Carolyn Shimmin, Neil McDonald, Javier Mignone, Aynslie Hinds
Summary: The rising use of methamphetamine in Canada has become a major public health concern. This study aims to address the knowledge gaps, guide harm reduction and treatment efforts, and inform health and social policies for people using methamphetamine.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Grace Kyoon Achan, Rachel Eni, Wanda Phillips-Beck, Josee G. Lavoie, Kathi Avery Kinew, Alan Katz
Summary: This study reports on the cultural, community, and family strengths that have supported First Nation communities in Canada in developing community-based primary healthcare strategies. The results show that healthcare models based on local strengths promote easier access to care and shorter wait times. Community cooperation, youth power, responsive leadership, economic development, and a strong cultural and spiritual base are identified as key strengths supporting health and social wellbeing.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Josee G. Lavoie, Wayne Clark, Leah McDonnell, Nathan Nickel, Rachel Dutton, Janet Kanayok, Jack Anawak, Caroline Anawak, Levinia Brown, Grace Voisey Clark, Maata Evaluardjuk-Palmer, Frederick Ford, Melinda Fowler-Woods, Sabrina Wong, Julianne Sanguins, Alan Katz
Summary: The Qanuinngitsiarutiksait study aimed to examine the utilization of health services by Inuit people in Manitoba, focusing on prenatal care and birthing services for Inuit from the Kivalliq region. The study found that a significant proportion of Kivalliq women give birth in Manitoba, highlighting the practice of evacuating women for specialized care. However, this practice denies Inuit women the choice of birthing location and is costly.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Jacqueline Berger, Laura Burnham, Nathan Nickel, Rebecca Knapp, Aishat Gambari, Paige Beliveau, Anne Merewood
Summary: This study aimed to assess changes in maternity care policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming-in rates. The findings revealed inconsistent policy changes in maternity hospitals during the pandemic, which had a negative impact on breastfeeding and maternity care practices. Ongoing monitoring is recommended.
BREASTFEEDING MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
David Rudoler, M. Ruth Lavergne, Emily Gard Marshall, Juveria Zaheer, Selene Etches, Kimberley P. Good, Agnes Grudniewicz, Alan Katz, Paul Kurdyak, James Bolton, Ridhwana Kaoser, Catherine Moravac, Jason Morrison, Benoit Mulsant, Sandra Peterson, Phil G. Tibbo
Summary: Despite a steady per-capita supply of psychiatrists in most provinces, the Canadian population has poor and inequitable access to psychiatric care. This study aims to improve access to psychiatric care by developing comparable indicators of supply, analyzing variations in the characteristics and practice style of the psychiatrist workforce, and studying psychiatrist practice choices and intentions.
Article
Medical Informatics
Aman Jaiswal, Alan Katz, Marcello Nesca, Evangelos Milios
Summary: This study proposes and trains a deep learning model to identify risk factors for lower back pain in clinical notes, and evaluates its performance in new clinical notes. The results show that using BERT models for multi-label classification can effectively detect risk factors indicating the need for imaging in patients with lower back pain.
JMIR MEDICAL INFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Emily Brownell, Jennifer E. Enns, Julianne Sanguins, Marni Brownell, Mariette Chartier, Dan Chateau, Joykrishna Sarkar, Elaine Burland, Aynslie Hinds, Alan Katz, Rob Santos, A. Frances Chartrand, Nathan C. Nickel
Summary: Due to colonization, Metis in Canada have faced challenges in politics and socioeconomic factors, including lower educational achievement compared to other Canadian students. This study examined the impact of full-time kindergarten (FTK) versus half-time kindergarten (HTK) on educational outcomes for Metis students in Manitoba. The results showed no significant differences between FTK and HTK students, suggesting that FTK alone is not enough to overcome the structural barriers to academic success faced by Metis students.
INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS POLICY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Jennifer E. Enns, Marni Brownell, Hera J. M. Casidsid, Mikayla Hunter, Anita Durksen, Lorna A. Turnbull, Nathan C. Nickel, Karine Levasseur, Myra J. Tait, Scott Sinclair, Selena Randall, Amy Freier, Colette Scatliff, Emily Brownell, Aine Dolin, Nora Murdock, Alyson Mahar, Stephanie Sinclair, SPECTRUM Partnership
Summary: In Canadian society, there is a lack of coordination and collaboration between departments, sectors, and organizations in the planning and implementation of social services. This can result in poor outcomes and wasted resources when the needs of individuals are not addressed. To address this issue, the SPECTRUM Partnership was formed in 2018, bringing together community organizations, government, and academia to conduct research and evaluation on social programs and systems.
GATEWAYS-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Monica Aggarwal, Alan Katz, Kristina Marie Kokorelias, Sabrina T. Wong, Fariba Aghajafari, Noah M. Ivers, Ruth Martin-Misener, Kris Aubrey-Bassler, Mylaine Breton, Ross E. G. Upshur, Jeffrey C. Kwong
Summary: This study aims to compare vaccine distribution strategies in different provinces and propose effective distribution methods for underserved communities. The study uses multiple methods, including policy document review, interviews, and data analysis, to obtain comprehensive research findings. The outcome will be a series of recommendations for stakeholders, including underserved and at-risk populations, to implement future vaccine distribution approaches.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Surani Matharaarachchi, Mike Domaratzki, Alan Katz, Saman Muthukumarana
Summary: This study analyzed Twitter discussions on long COVID symptoms and found that breathlessness, fatigue, and brain fog are the most common and persistent symptoms reported by patients. The study also revealed associations between different symptoms, such as the relationship between lung/breathing issues and loss of taste.
JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jennifer E. Enns, Nathan C. Nickel, Dan Chateau, Alan Katz, Joykrishna Sarkar, Drew Lambert, Marni Brownell
Summary: The article discusses the potential of using robotic technology in the agricultural sector, according to the CEO of malee wild harvest company in Canberra, Navarro. He believes that robots can help farmers improve productivity, reduce costs, and reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POPULATION DATA SCIENCE (IJPDS)
(2022)