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Feature Articles |
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1. The burden of adult obesity in Canada
|
PDF version |
2. Prostate cancer risk and diet, recreational physical
activity and cigarette smoking |
PDF
version |
3. Smoking-attributable mortality
and expected years of life lost in Canada 2002: Conclusions for
prevention and policy |
PDF
version |
4. Rugby injury in Kingston,
Canada: A ten-year study |
PDF
version |
Chronic Diseases in Canada (CDIC) is a quarterly scientific journal focussing on current evidence relevant to the control and prevention of chronic (i.e. non-communicable) diseases and injuries in Canada. Since 1980 the journal has published a unique blend of peer-reviewed feature articles by authors from the public and private sectors and which may include research from such fields as epidemiology, public/community health, biostatistics, the behavioural sciences, and health services or economics. Only feature articles are peer reviewed. Authors retain responsibility for the content of their articles; the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the CDIC editorial committee nor of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Authors: Wei Luo, Howard Morrison, Margaret de Groh, Chris Waters, Marie DesMeules, Elaine Jones-McLean, Anne-Marie Ugnat, Sylvie Desjardins, Morgan Lim and Yang Mao
Abstract:
Obesity is a major public health
problem associated with a wide range of health problems. This study
estimates the prevalence of obesity, calculates the proportion (or
population attributable
fraction [PAF]) of major chronic diseases which is attributable to
obesity, estimates the deaths attributable to it and projects its
future prevalence trends. In Canada, the overall age-standardized
prevalence proportion of obesity has increased from 10% in 1970 to
23% in 2004 (8% to 23% in men and 13% to 22% in women). The
increasing prevalence of obesity was observed for all five age
groups examined: 20-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65+. On average,
the PAF of prevalence of selected major chronic diseases which is
attributable to obesity from 1970 to 2004 has increased by 138% for
men and by 60% for women. Overall, in 2004, 45% of hypertension,
39% of type II diabetes, 35% of gallbladder disease, 23% of
coronary artery diseases (CAD), 19% of osteoarthritis, 11% of
stroke, 22% of endometrial cancer, 12% of postmenopausal breast
cancer, and 10% of colon cancer could be attributed to obesity. In
2004, 8,414 (95% CI: 6,881-9,927) deaths were attributable to
obesity. If current obesity prevalence trends remain unchanged, the
prevalence proportion of obesity in Canada is projected to reach
27% in men and 24% in women by the year 2010. These increases will
have a profound impact on the treatment needs and prevalence of a
wide variety of chronic diseases, and also on the health care
system in terms of capacity issues and resource allocation.
Authors: Gerarda Ann Darlington, Nancy Kreiger, Nancy Lightfoot, James Purdham and Andrea Sass-Kortsak
Abstract:
Associations between prostate cancer
and dietary factors, physical activity and smoking were assessed
based on data from a population-based case-control study. The study
was conducted among residents of northeastern Ontario. Cases were
identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry and diagnosed between
1995 and 1998 at ages 50 to 84 years (N=752). Male controls were
identified from telephone listings and were frequency matched to
cases on age (N=1,613). Logistic regression analyses investigated
history of diet, physical activity and smoking as potential risk
factors. Tomato intake had a significant positive association with
prostate cancer risk for highest versus lowest quartiles (OR=1.6;
95% CI: 1.2-2.0). Associations were observed for tomato or
vegetable juices and ketchup (OR=1.5; 95% CI: 1.2-1.9; OR=1.2; 95%
CI: 1.0-1.5, respectively). Neither other dietary variables nor
smoking were associated with prostate cancer risk. Strenuous
physical activity by men in their early 50s was associated with
reduced risk (OR=0.8; 95% CI: 0.6-0.9). While the recreational
physical activity association was consistent with results from
previous studies, the tomato products association was not.
Authors: Dolly Baliunas, Jayadeep Patra, Jürgen Rehm, Svetlana Popova, Murry Kaiserman and Benjamin Taylor
Abstract:
Cigarette smoking is one of the most
important risk factors for burden of disease. Our objective was to
estimate the smoking-attributable deaths and the years of life lost
for Canada 2002. For Canada in 2002, 37,209 of all deaths aged 0 to
80+ years were attributable to smoking, 23,766 in men and 13,443 in
women. This constituted 16.6% of all deaths in Canada, 21% for men
and 12.2% for women. Main causes of smoking-attributable death were
malignant neoplasms (17,427), cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
(10,275) and respiratory diseases (8,282). Lung cancer (13,401) and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (7,533) were the
single largest disease contributors to deaths caused by smoking.
515,608 years of life were lost prematurely in Canada in that year,
316,417 years in men and 199,191 years in women. Cigarette smoking
is a major contributor to mortality in Canada and its impact on
Canadian society continues to be an unacceptable burden.
Authors: Justin Underhill, Suzanne M Dostaler, Robert J Brison and William Pickett
Abstract:
Rugby is a high-contact sport with an
elevated risk for injury. While many studies have examined the
epidemiology of rugby injury, there are no surveillance-based
injury studies from North America. The objective of this study was
to profile the scope and nature of injuries experienced during the
sport of rugby. We analyzed emergency department injury
surveillance data over a decade (1993−2003) from the Kingston
sites of the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention
Program. Rugby injuries were examined by mechanism, nature and
anatomical site of injury, with stratification according to sex and
age. A total of 1,527 injuries was observed (mean of 153 per year).
Results show the tackling phase of play accounted for the highest
number of injuries (506/1,527; 33.1%). The most common natures of
injury were sprains and strains (426/1,527; 27.9%), while the
leading anatomical location of injury was the face (294/1,527;
19.3%). Target patterns of injury were identified as priorities for
prevention, based on injury frequency and severity.