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Research is presented describing the study of hospital ports to determine physiological changes in spinal health associated with work schedules.

Objective: The purpose of this impact evaluation was to measure the influence of a government of Ontario, Canada health promotion initiative, the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Programme (NFVPP), on elementary school-aged children's psychosocial variables regarding fruit and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable consumption patterns.Design: A cluster-randomised controlled trial design was used. The NFVPP consisted of three intervention arms: (i) Intervention I: Free Fruit and Vegetable Snack (FFVS) + Enhanced Nutrition Education; (ii) Intervention II: FFVS-alone; and (iii) Control group. Using the Pro-Children Questionnaire, the primary outcome measure was children's fruit and vegetable consumption, and the secondary outcome measures included differences in children's awareness, knowledge, self-efficacy, preference, intention and willingness to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.Setting/subjects: Twenty-six elementary schools in a defined area of Northern Ontario were eligible to participate in the impact evaluation. A final sample size of 1,277 students in grades five to eight was achieved.Results: Intervention I students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than their Control counterparts by 0.49 serving/d (P < 0.05). Similarly, Intervention II students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than Control students by 0.42 serving/d, although this difference was not statistically significant. Among students in both intervention groups, preferences for certain fruit and vegetables shifted from 'never tried it' towards 'like it'.Conclusions: The NFVPP resulted in positive changes in elementary school-aged children's fruit and vegetable consumption at school, and favourable preference changes for certain fruit and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite long-standing concern over the sexual health of the population there has been little work undertaken in the UK investigating sexual risk taking and sexual behaviours in the context of: substance use. To investigate this further, 270 non-drug treatment seeking members of the public aged between 18 and 66 were administered a questionnaire containing the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), the Sexual Risks Scale and Attitudes toward condom use (SRSA), the Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and questions pertaining to sexual episodes proximal to substance use. The population reported a varied history of substances and despite there not being serf-awareness of problematic drug use, 39.4% reported above the cut-off mark of six on the DAST. An even greater percentage (57.8%) reported a score above eight on the AUDIT indicating hazardous or harmful drinking behaviour. The substance most often associated with sexual episodes was alcohol, followed by cannabis and ecstasy, and all were most frequently consumed in private houses. Sexual activity after drug use was most frequently circumstantial (i.e. the individual hadn't taken the substance for the specific purposes of sex), and was significantly associated with use of cannabis and ecstasy. The second most frequently reported association between drug use and sex was facilitation of a sexual encounter (i.e. to lower sexual inhibitions, increase serf esteem and confidence), which was associated with use of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. Although it was not possible to identify differences in subjective sexual changes after use of particular drugs, subjects reported that compared to sex after alcohol, sex on other drugs was more pleasurable and satisfying, with a greater perception of interpersonal contact with the partner and a greater willingness to sexually experiment. However, this tatter change was not associated with changes in the type of sexual activity engaged in. Regression analysis revealed that the greatest subjective changes in sexual experiences were reported by younger participants who had ingested either ecstasy or cannabis prior to the sexual episode. These results are discussed in the context of sexual risk taking and suggest areas of intervention focus which may address substance use and sexual risk taking together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Canada. Few published anthropometric data are available to indicate obesity prevalence in Canadian children. Obesity prevalence is reported for school-aged children in 11 London, Ontario, schools. METHODS: Data on body weight and height were obtained using standardized procedures. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI)-for-age references and Cole's international BMI reference were used to classify the children's weight categories. RESULTS: The study included 1,570 pupils aged six to 13. The CDC BMI references categorized 16.6% and 11.8% of children as overweight and obese, respectively. In comparison, when the Cole BMI reference and cut-off points were used, 17.5% and 7.6% of children were classified as overweight and obese, respectively. CONCLUSION: Overweight is prevalent in the study population. Public health interventions are warranted to curb the obesity epidemic in school-aged children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Merseyside and Cheshire Drug Monitoring Unit has collected attributable data on agency based syringe exchange program (SEP) clients between 1991 and 2001, representing 14,491 individual injectors. On first presentation to a SEP, clients provide information relating to their drug use and drug service contact. Details relating to all subsequent syringe transactions are also recorded. Over 206,000 transactions took place, accounting for 6,595,099 syringes provided and an estimated 7,184,727 returns.There was a sixfold increase in the number of new clients using anabolic steroids (P<0.001) with these users currently constituting the largest group of new clients. The reverse is true for new heroin using clients who have significantly declined over the same period (P<0.05). Service utilisation by opiate and stimulant users has changed over time. Opiate users have attended SEP significantly less frequently (P<0.01) but obtain greater quantities of injecting equipment at each attendance (P<0.001). While the visit rate for stimulant users has fluctuated over time, this group of users are also collecting a significantly greater quantity of needles and syringes at each attendance (P<0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]