1
|
Pagaduan JE, Lazarescu C, Vallieres E, Skinner K, Zuckermann AM, Idzerda L. The impacts of the Nutrition North Canada program on the accessibility and affordability of perishable, nutritious foods among eligible communities: a scoping review. Int J Circumpolar Health 2024; 83:2313255. [PMID: 38346231 PMCID: PMC10863516 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2024.2313255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The Nutrition North Canada (NNC) program, introduced in April 2011 is a federal strategy to improve access to perishable, nutritious foods for remote and isolated communities in northern Canada by subsidising retailers to provide price reductions at the point of purchase. As of March 2023, 123 communities are eligible for the program. To evaluate existing evidence and research on the NNC program to inform policy decisions to improve the effectiveness of NNC. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted in ten databases along with a supplemental grey literature search of government and non-government reports published between 2011 and 2022. The search yielded 172 publications for screening, of which 42 were included in the analysis. Narrative thematic evidence synthesis yielded 104 critiques and 341 recommendations of the NNC program across eight themes. The most-identified recommendations focus on transparency, communication, and support for harvesting, hunting, and community food initiatives. This review highlights recommendations informed by the literature to address critiques of the NNC program to improve food security, increase access to perishable and non-perishable items, and support community-based food initiatives among eligible communities. The review also identifies priority areas for future policy directions such as additional support for education initiatives, communication and transparency amidst program changes, and food price regulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Edward Pagaduan
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Calin Lazarescu
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric Vallieres
- Health Security and Regional Operations Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kelly Skinner
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Alexandra M.E. Zuckermann
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leanne Idzerda
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lys C, Logie CH, Mackay KI, MacNeill N, Loppie C, Gittings L, Yasseen A. Exploring uptake of HIV/STI knowledge and safer sex-efficacy in an arts-based sexual health workshop among Northern and Indigenous adolescents in the Northwest Territories, Canada. AIDS Care 2022; 35:411-416. [PMID: 35722818 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2089617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTLimited research has evaluated sexual health promotion projects with adolescents living in Arctic regions. The study objective was to examine changes in STI knowledge and safer sex efficacy among youth in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada who participated in arts-based sexual health workshops. We used a pre/post-test design with a convenience sample of students aged 13-18 years recruited from 17 NWT communities. We conducted summary statistics and comparisons between pre and post-test scores using paired t-tests. Among participants (n = 610), we found statistically significant increases in STI knowledge overall (mean difference = 3.9; p < 0.001) and across gender and age stratifications. There were statistically significant increases in safer sex efficacy overall (mean difference = 0.9, p < 0.001), across genders, and among participants: aged <15 years, in rural communities, reporting food insecurity, reporting dating violence, and Indigenous youth. No statistically significant differences in safer sex efficacy were observed among participants who were aged ≥15, sexually active, reporting consistent condom use, and using drugs/alcohol. Findings signal the promise of youth-targeted, arts-based sexual health workshops for improving STI knowledge and safer sex efficacy among adolescents in the NWT. Further research can explore how safer sex efficacy may be shaped by age, substance use, and sexual experience to inform tailored interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Candice Lys
- Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada.,Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada.,Aurora College, 5004 54th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Carmen H Logie
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, 1190 Hornby St., Vancouver, V6Z 2K5 BC, Canada.,United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, 204-175 Longwood Rd S, Hamilton, L8P 0A1 ON, Canada
| | - Kayley Inuksuk Mackay
- Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada.,Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Nancy MacNeill
- Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada.,Strength, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Charlotte Loppie
- School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Lesley Gittings
- Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY), 5029 57th Street, Yellowknife, NT, Canada
| | - Abdool Yasseen
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Leung ACW, Gough WA, Butler KA, Mohsin T, Hewer MJ. Characterizing observed surface wind speed in the Hudson Bay and Labrador regions of Canada from an aviation perspective. Int J Biometeorol 2022; 66:411-425. [PMID: 33044643 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-020-02021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Wind speed analysis is important for informing airport operation and safety. Many communities in the Hudson Bay and Labrador regions (Canada) are remote communities that rely heavily on aircraft for passenger and freight movement. Historical trends in average daily wind speed and maximum daily wind speed from 1971 to 2010 were examined to identify patterns of change and determine how these changes may influence aviation in six northern communities across Hudson Bay and Labrador in Canada. Significant increases in average wind speed and maximum wind speed were found for some of the months and seasons of the year for the Hudson Bay region, along with a significant decrease in those variables for the Labrador communities. Average wind speeds at multiple locations are approaching the threshold (18.5 km/h or 10 knots) when take-off and landing would be restricted to one direction. The results of this study agree with previous research that examined historical patterns for wind speed in these regions but calls into question climate change impact assessments that suggest wind speeds will continue to increase under future climatic conditions for this study area. Future research is needed to further analyse shifts in prevailing wind directions and changes in the frequency of extreme wind conditions, to better understand the potential impacts of projected climate change on this climatic variable and the implications these changes may have on applied sectors, such as aviation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C W Leung
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - William A Gough
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ken A Butler
- Department of Computer & Mathematical Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Tanzina Mohsin
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Micah J Hewer
- Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Luedee J. Locating the Boundaries of the Nuclear North: Arctic Biology, Contaminated Caribou, and the Problem of the Threshold. J Hist Biol 2021; 54:67-93. [PMID: 33666784 PMCID: PMC7933906 DOI: 10.1007/s10739-021-09631-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This essay is a historical-geographical account of how scientists and public health officials conceptualized and assessed northern radioactive exposures in the late 1950s and 1960s. The detection of radionuclides in caribou bodies in northern Canada both demonstrated the global reach of nuclear fallout and revealed the unevenness of toxic relations and radioactive exposures. Following the documentation of the lichen-caribou-human pathway of exposure, Canadian public health officials became increasingly concerned about the possibility of heightened radioactive exposures among Indigenous northerners. Between 1963 and 1969, scientists and officials with Canada's Radiation Protection Division (RPD) coordinated an interdepartmental monitoring program through which they sought to determine whether the consumption of contaminated caribou meat had caused radioactive exposure levels in northern communities to exceed the officially recognized "safe limits." In 1969, the northern monitoring program was suspended after officials determined that radionuclide body burdens had not exceeded the threshold for radioactive exposures. While the RPD emphasized its development of a technoscientific approach to measuring radioactive body burdens, the legitimacy of the monitoring program was linked directly to interdepartmental relations within Canada's colonial northern administration. I situate the northern monitoring program within broader shifts in public health approaches to radiation protection and use Gabrielle Hecht's concept of nuclearity to demonstrate how RPD officials employed the logic of the threshold in their assessment of radioactive exposures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Luedee
- Department of History, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Monosky M, Keeling A. Planning for social and community-engaged closure: A comparison of mine closure plans from Canada's territorial and provincial North. J Environ Manage 2021; 277:111324. [PMID: 32950776 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The inevitable closure and remediation phase of a mine's lifecycle routinely causes negative socio-economic and environmental impacts for nearby communities. While closure planning is meant to ensure post-closure human and environmental safety, it tends to favour short-term technical fixes over longer-term socio-economic, cultural, and ecological considerations. For mines operating on Indigenous territories, where communities have complex and nuanced connections to land and varying levels of jurisdiction, these issues are further exacerbated by the exclusion of Indigenous voices from planning and decision-making. This research employed a qualitative document analysis of ten mine closure plans for mines in Northern Canada that are still operational to understand how the industry is actively planning for the closure and remediation of their sites. In particular, this work asks whether or not mine companies are incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into their mine closure plans, and how they are addressing the complex socio-economic aspects of closure. This analysis showed that mine closure plans across Northern Canada inconsistently apply Indigenous Knowledge and expertise, and the methods used for community consultation in mine closure planning are left vague. While differences in policy between Northern territories and regions account for some of these inconsistencies, a company's willingness to work beyond baseline requirements imposed by governments is also an important factor. Additionally, these closure plans further demonstrate that the industry prioritizes technical aspects of mine closure over the social, cultural, economic, and ecological. For mine closure to be successful in a Northern context it must incorporate community expertise, emerge from the values and priorities of the Indigenous peoples whose lands mines are operating on, and account for a wider scope of social, economic, and cultural impacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Monosky
- Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
| | - Arn Keeling
- Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Shrubovych J, Smykla J, Bernard EC. Protura in Arctic Regions, with Description of Mastodonentomon n. gen. (Acerentomidae, Nipponentominae) and a Key to Known Arctic Taxa. Insects 2020; 11:E173. [PMID: 32182866 DOI: 10.3390/insects11030173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Protura are widespread, but their presence in the Arctic was first noted only ca. 70 years ago and is still little acknowledged. This work compiles taxonomic information on proturans in the Arctic regions and adds unpublished data from Northern Siberia. Currently, this fauna is represented by 23 species in two orders and 14 genera. The large cosmopolitan genus Eosentomon is represented by only four species, whereas Acerentomidae is much more diverse, with 19 species in 13 genera (eight Nipponentominae, five Acerentominae). Most of the Arctic species possess a larger number of setae than species living in temperate regions. Based on several unique characters, a new genus, Mastodonentomon, is erected for Nipponentomon macleani, and the species is re-described with the original description supplemented with new characters, including head chaetotaxy, seta length, and porotaxy. Proturan occurrence in the Arctic is limited to Beringia, but the majority of species have restricted distributions and none have been found in both the American Arctic and Siberia. This implies relict origins and high levels of proturan endemism in the Arctic. This emerging view on biogeographical history is, however, hampered by the limited extent of available data, which highlights the need for considerably greater survey efforts. A key to Arctic proturans is provided to facilitate further studies.
Collapse
|
7
|
Young TK, Chatwood S, Ng C, Young RW, Marchildon GP. The north is not all the same: comparing health system performance in 18 northern regions of Canada. Int J Circumpolar Health 2019; 78:1697474. [PMID: 31782352 PMCID: PMC6896462 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2019.1697474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the availability of health system performance indicator data in Canada’s 18 northern regions and the feasibility of using the performance framework developed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information [CIHI]. We examined the variation in 24 indicators across regions and factors that might explain such variation. The 18 regions vary in population size and various measures of socioeconomic status, health-care delivery, and health status. The worst performing health systems generally include Nunavut and the northern regions of Québec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan where indigenous people constitute the overwhelming majority of the population, ranging from 70% to 90%, and where they also fare worst in terms of adverse social determinants. All northern regions perform worse than Canada nationally in hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions and potentially avoidable mortality. Population size, socioeconomic status, degree of urbanisation and proportion of Aboriginal people in the population are all associated with performance. The North is far from homogenous. Inter-regional variation demands further investigation. The more intermediate pathways, especially between health system inputs, outputs and outcomes, are largely unexplored. Improvement of health system performance for northern and remote regions will require the engagement of indigenous leadership, communities and patient representatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Kue Young
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Susan Chatwood
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.,Scientific Director, Institute for Circumpolar Health Research, Yellowknife, Canada
| | - Carmina Ng
- Research Consultant, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Robin W Young
- Research Associate, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Gregory P Marchildon
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
New D, Elkin B, Armstrong T, Epp T. ANTHRAX IN THE MACKENZIE WOOD BISON (BISON BISON ATHABASCAE) POPULATION: 2012 ANTHRAX OUTBREAK AND HISTORICAL EXPOSURE IN NONOUTBREAK YEARS. J Wildl Dis 2017; 53:769-80. [PMID: 28767322 DOI: 10.7589/2016-11-257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Anthrax, caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, poses a threat to wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) conservation. We used descriptive epidemiology to characterize a large outbreak of anthrax in the Mackenzie bison population in the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 2012 and investigated historical serologic exposure of the bison to the bacterium in nonoutbreak years. Between late June and early August 2012, 451 bison carcasses were detected; mortality peaked from 13-19 July. A substantial number of calves, yearlings, and adult females died in the 2012 outbreak, unlike in two previous anthrax outbreaks in this population that killed mostly mature males. On the basis of the difference in estimates of population size prior to the outbreak (2012) and after the outbreak (2013), it is possible that not all dead bison were found during the outbreak. We assessed serologic history of exposure to B. anthracis by using samples from the Mackenzie wood bison population collected between 1986 and 2009. Overall, 87 of 278 samples were positive (31%). Seroprevalence was lower in females (18%, 10/55) than males (36%, 72/203). The highest proportion of positive submissions (90%) was from 1994, the year following the only anthrax outbreak within the historical data set. Both adult males and females had a higher likelihood of being seropositive than the younger age categories. There was a trend toward declining antibody levels between the 1993 and 2012 outbreak years.
Collapse
|
9
|
Rotondo JL, Sherrard L, Helferty M, Tsang R, Desai S. The epidemiology of invasive disease due to Haemophilus influenzae serotype a in the Canadian North from 2000 to 2010. Int J Circumpolar Health 2013; 72:21142. [PMID: 25152869 PMCID: PMC4141586 DOI: 10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The International Circumpolar Surveillance (ICS) project is a
population-based surveillance network. Since 2000, Canada has participated
in the ICS Invasive Bacterial Disease Working Group's surveillance of
invasive disease due to Haemophilus influenzae (Hi). Methods A standardized case report form containing demographic and clinical
information was completed for all reported Hi cases in the study regions.
Isolates were sent to a reference laboratory for confirmation and
serotyping. Analysis was conducted on all Hi serotype a (Hia) cases reported
from 2000 to 2010. The northern Canadian population was estimated using
Statistics Canada information. Results Of the 130 Hi cases reported from 2000 to 2010, 72 (56% of cases with
serotype information) were due to Hia. The number of Hia cases reported each
year ranged from 2 in 2008 to 13 in 2010. The average Hia incidence over the
11 years was 4.6 cases per 100,000 population per year. The majority of Hia
occurred in infants less than 2 years of age (73% of cases). This age group
had an average annual incidence of 87.5 cases per 100,000 population. Among
cases for which ethnicity was indicated, 91% of Hia cases reported
Aboriginal status with the average incidence being 6.9 cases per 100,000
population per year. The most common clinical presentation was meningitis
(reported in 37% of cases), followed by bacteraemia (34%) and pneumonia
(27%). More than 90% of cases were hospitalized, and there were 4 deaths,
resulting in a case fatality ratio of 5.6%. Conclusion In the last decade, Hia has become an important cause of morbidity and
mortality in the Canadian North. More detailed surveillance information from
a national perspective is needed. Further work on vaccine development should
be encouraged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny L Rotondo
- Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lindsey Sherrard
- Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Melissa Helferty
- Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Raymond Tsang
- Syphilis Diagnostics and Vaccine Preventable Bacterial Diseases, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shalini Desai
- Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|