Overdose deaths and the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia, Canada.

INTRODUCTION: British Columbia (BC) declared an overdose public health emergency in 2016. Since then, BC has consistently reported the highest overdose death rates of any province in Canada. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, overdose deaths in BC reached a record high in 2020. This analysis reports on changes in the profile of people who have died of overdose since BC's declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency on 17 March 2020. METHODS: Using BC Coroners Service data, Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to compare demographic, geographic and post-mortem toxicology data between people who died of overdose before (17 March-31 December 2019) and after (17 March-31 December 2020) BC's declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency. RESULTS: Overdose deaths observed since 17 March 2020 (n = 1516) more than doubled those observed in the same period in 2019 (n = 744). In the adjusted logistic regression model, odds of death in the post compared to pre-COVID-19 period was significantly higher among males compared to females, among all older age groups compared to people aged 30-39, and was lower in public buildings compared to private residences. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Alongside a significant increase in overdose deaths since BC's declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency, the demographic profile of people who have died of overdose has changed. Ongoing overdose prevention efforts in BC must seek to reach people who remain most isolated, including older adults, who during dual public health emergencies are facing compounded risk of preventable mortality.

Predictive models of disease burden at diagnosis in persons with adult-onset ulcerative colitis using health administrative data.

BACKGROUND: Health administrative data is increasingly used to conduct population-based health services research. A major limitation of these data for the study of inflammatory bowel diseases is the absence of detailed clinical information relating to disease burden. We used Ontario health administrative data to develop predictive models of disease burden at diagnosis in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients for future use in population-based studies of incident UC cohorts. METHODS: Through chart review, we characterized macroscopic colitis activity and extent at diagnosis in consecutive adult-onset UC patients diagnosed at The Ottawa Hospital between 2001 and 2012. We linked this cohort to Ontario health administrative data to test the capacity of administrative variables to discriminate different levels of disease activity, disease extent and the disease burden (a composite of disease extent and activity). We modelled outcomes as binary (using logistic regression) and ordinal (using proportional odds regression) variables and performed bootstrap validation of our final models. RESULTS: We tested 20 administrative variables in 587 eligible patients. The logistic model of total disease burden (severe and extensive colitis vs. all other phenotypes) showed moderate discriminatory capacity (optimism-corrected c-statistic value 0.729). Individual models of disease extent and disease activity showed poorer discriminatory capacity (c-statistic value < 0.7 for 3 of 4 models). CONCLUSIONS: Ontario health administrative data may reasonably discriminate levels of total disease burden at diagnosis in adult-onset UC patients. Our models should be externally validated before their widespread application in future population-based studies of incident UC cohorts to adjust for the confounding effects of differences in disease burden.

Relationship between leisure time physical activity, sedentary behaviour and symptoms of depression and anxiety: evidence from a population-based sample of Canadian adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Physical and sedentary activities have been identified as potentially modifiable risk factors for many diseases, including mental illness, and may be effective targets for public health policy and intervention. However, the relative contribution of physical activity versus sedentary behaviour to mental health is less clear. This study investigated the cross-sectional association between physical activity, sedentary activity and symptoms of depression and anxiety at age 14-15 in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). METHODS: Respondents aged 14-15 years between 1996 and 2009 who reported on symptoms of depression in the NLSCY were included (n=9702). Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between physical and sedentary activity and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Joint models including both physical and sedentary activity were also explored. Models were adjusted for sex, ethnicity, immigration status, family income, parental education, recent major stressful life events and chronic health conditions. RESULTS: The odds of having moderate and severe symptoms of depression and anxiety compared with no symptoms was 1.43 (1.11 to 1.84) and 1.88 (1.45 to 2.45) times higher, respectively, in physically inactive youth relative to physically active youth. The odds of having moderate and severe symptoms of depression and anxiety compared with no symptoms was 1.38 (1.13 to 1.69) and 1.31 (1.02 to 1.69) times higher, respectively, in sedentary youth relative to non-sedentary youth. In joint models including both physical and sedentary activity, sedentary activity was not consistently associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Both physical inactivity and sedentary activity appear to be significantly related to symptoms of depression and anxiety. The importance of distinguishing these two behaviours has relevance for research as well as policies targeting physical activity and mental health in youth.

Effect modification of perinatal exposure to air pollution and childhood asthma incidence.

Perinatal exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with childhood asthma incidence, however, less is known regarding the potential effect modifiers in this association. We examined whether maternal and infant characteristics modified the association between perinatal exposure to air pollution and development of childhood asthma.761 172 births occurring between 2006 and 2012 were identified in the province of Ontario, Canada. Associations between exposure to ambient air pollutants and childhood asthma incidence (up to age 6) were estimated using Cox regression models.110,981 children with asthma were identified. In models adjusted for postnatal exposures, second trimester exposures to particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) (Hazard Ratio (HR) per interquartile (IQR) increase=1.07, 95% CI: 1.06-1.09) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (HR per IQR increase=1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.08) were associated with childhood asthma development. Enhanced impacts were found among children born to mothers with asthma, those who smoked during pregnancy, boys, those born preterm, of low birth weight and among those born to mothers living in urban areas during pregnancy.Prenatal exposure to air pollution may have a differential impact on the risk of asthma development according to maternal and infant characteristics.

Comparison of Accuracy Between 13C- and 14C-Urea Breath Testing: Is an Indeterminate-Results Category Still Needed?

Helicobacter pylori infection is the leading cause of peptic ulcer disease. The purpose of this study was, first, to assess the difference in the distribution of negative versus positive results between the older 14C-urea breath test and the newer 13C-urea breath test and, second, to determine whether use of an indeterminate-results category is still meaningful and what type of results should trigger repeated testing. Methods: A retrospective survey was performed of all consecutive patients referred to our service for urea breath testing. We analyzed 562 patients who had undergone testing with 14C-urea and 454 patients who had undergone testing with 13C-urea. Results: In comparison with the wide distribution of negative 14C results, negative 13C results were distributed farther from the cutoff and were grouped more tightly around the mean negative value. Distribution analysis of the negative results for 13C testing, compared with those for 14C testing, revealed a statistically significant difference between the two. Within the 13C group, only 1 patient could have been classified as having indeterminate results using the same indeterminate zone as was used for the 14C group. This is significantly less frequent than what was found for the 14C group. Discussion: Borderline-negative results do occur with 13C-urea breath testing, although less frequently than with 14C-urea breath testing, and we will be carefully monitoring differences falling between 3.0 and 3.5 %Δ. 13C-urea breath testing is safe and simple for the patient and, in most cases, provides clearer positive or negative results for the clinician.

Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of early childhood cancers: A population-based study in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: There are increasing concerns regarding the role of exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy in the development of early childhood cancers. OBJECTIVE: This population based study examined whether prenatal and early life (<1year of age) exposures to ambient air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5µm (PM2.5), were associated with selected common early childhood cancers in Canada. METHODS: 2,350,898 singleton live births occurring between 1988 and 2012 were identified in the province of Ontario, Canada. We assigned temporally varying satellite-derived estimates of PM2.5 and land-use regression model estimates of NO2 to maternal residences during pregnancy. Incident cases of 13 subtypes of pediatric cancers among children up to age 6 until 2013 were ascertained through administrative health data linkages. Associations of trimester-specific, overall pregnancy and first year of life exposures were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: A total of 2044 childhood cancers were identified. Exposure to PM2.5, per interquartile range increase, over the entire pregnancy, and during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of astrocytoma (hazard ratio (HR) per 3.9µg/m3=1.38 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.88) and, HR per 4.0µg/m3=1.40 (95% CI: 1.05-1.86), respectively). We also found a positive association between first trimester NO2 and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (HR=1.20 (95% CI: 1.02-1.41) per IQR (13.3ppb)). CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study in the largest province of Canada, results suggest an association between exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester and an increased risk of astrocytoma and ALL. Further studies are required to replicate the findings of this study with adjustment for important individual-level confounders.

Incidence of Hospitalization for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection amongst Children in Ontario, Canada: A Population-Based Study Using Validated Health Administrative Data.

IMPORTANCE: RSV is a common illness among young children that causes significant morbidity and health care costs. OBJECTIVE: Routinely collected health administrative data can be used to track disease incidence, explore risk factors and conduct health services research. Due to potential for misclassification bias, the accuracy of data-elements should be validated prior to use. The objectives of this study were to validate an algorithm to accurately identify pediatric cases of hospitalized respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from within Ontario's health administrative data, estimate annual incidence of hospitalization due to RSV and report the prevalence of major risk factors within hospitalized patients. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective chart review was performed to establish a reference-standard cohort of children from the Ottawa region admitted to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for RSV-related disease in 2010 and 2011. Chart review data was linked to Ontario's administrative data and used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of algorithms of RSV-related ICD-10 codes within provincial hospitalization and emergency department databases. Age- and sex-standardized incidence was calculated over time, with trends in incidence assessed using Poisson regression. RESULTS: From a total of 1411 admissions, chart review identified 327 children hospitalized for laboratory confirmed RSV-related disease. Following linkage to administrative data and restriction to first admissions, there were 289 RSV patients in the reference-standard cohort. The best algorithm, based on hospitalization data, resulted in sensitivity 97.9% (95%CI: 95.5-99.2%), specificity 99.6% (95%CI: 98.2-99.8%), PPV 96.9% (95%CI: 94.2-98.6%), NPV 99.4% (95%CI: 99.4-99.9%). Incidence of hospitalized RSV in Ontario from 2005-2012 was 10.2 per 1000 children under 1 year and 4.8 per 1000 children aged 1 to 3 years. During the surveillance period, there was no identifiable increasing or decreasing linear trend in the incidence of hospitalized RSV, hospital length of stay and PICU admission rates. Among the Ontario RSV cohort, 16.3% had one or more major risk factors, with a decreasing trend observed over time. CONCLUSION: Children hospitalized for RSV-related disease can be accurately identified within population-based health administrative data. RSV is a major public health concern and incidence has not changed over time, suggesting a lack of progress in prevention.

CARTOONS KILL: casualties in animated recreational theater in an objective observational new study of kids' introduction to loss of life.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of on-screen death of important characters in children's animated films versus dramatic films for adults. DESIGN: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with Cox regression comparing time to first on-screen death. SETTING: Authors' television screens, with and without popcorn. PARTICIPANTS: Important characters in 45 top grossing children's animated films and a comparison group of 90 top grossing dramatic films for adults. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to first on-screen death. RESULTS: Important characters in children's animated films were at an increased risk of death compared with characters in dramatic films for adults (hazard ratio 2.52, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 4.90). Risk of on-screen murder of important characters was higher in children's animated films than in comparison films (2.78, 1.02 to 7.58). CONCLUSIONS: Rather than being the innocuous form of entertainment they are assumed to be, children's animated films are rife with on-screen death and murder.

Media coverage of youth suicides and its impact on paediatric mental health emergency department presentations.

BACKGROUND: To examine mental health (MH) presentations to the emergency department (ED) of a paediatric hospital following two highly publicized local teen suicides. METHODS: Youths aged 12-18 years with a MH chief complaint and/or diagnosis were included. Differences in frequencies were analyzed using chi-square tests, and relative risks were evaluated using generalized linear modelling. RESULTS: Significant increases in the number of ED presentations were found within the months of the publicized suicides compared to the same months of previous years. No differences were found in symptom acuity, suicidal status and psychiatric hospitalization rates. Significant increases were found in relative risk of presenting to the ED 28 and 90 days post both publicized suicides. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS suggest there was an association between highly publicized suicides and an increase in the number of MH presentations to the local paediatric ED. Considerations of media's potentially positive role in MH awareness are needed.