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To date, very little is known archaeologically about First World War-era internment camps, especially in Canada, where this history was actively erased through the destruction of the Federal Internment records in the 1950s. Archaeologists can play a fundamental role in contributing knowledge where oral and documentary evidence is lacking. This paper focuses on one of Canada's 24 WWI internment camps: the Morrissey Internment Camp. Through GPR survey and excavation, archival records retrieval, and oral histories, the PoW diet is analysed in order to confirm whether it was as poor as many prisoners had claimed. The material record adds a new line of evidence, contributing to a more nuanced perspective that aids in reducing the gaps in this dark facet of Canadian history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of considerable period propaganda to the otherwise, the average member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was far from a northern superman. Some, in fact, were quite the opposite. A close analysis of enlistment records indicates that majority of Canada's would-be warriors not only were - as one might expect - of average height and build, but also that many suffered from a wide variety of health concerns ranging from poor eyesight and dentition through to serious musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychiatric disorders. Moreover, evidence suggests that many recruits were poorly nourished. Indeed, despite the very real horrors and dangers that the Great War presented, the enlistment and discharge weights of CEF members suggests that joining the military was actually good for many Canadian males. This analysis is based on summary statistical examination of the medical and attestation papers of over 20,000 servicemen and a close textual analysis of the full file for a smaller number of men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent critiques of contemporary obesity discourses that link 'modern Western lifestyles' to an 'obesity epidemic', the population's weight remains a central concern of current dietary guidelines. Food choices that are considered beneficial to maintaining a certain weight are understood to play a key role in one's health. This concern reflects medico-moral assumptions about the properties of food and what people should eat. However, the impact of obesity discourses on different individuals and social groups is rarely considered, although there is some evidence that people do generate, reflect and resist the norms and standards set for them, including those that relate to food/weight. In this paper, we will examine the perspectives on fatness and food choice amongst Black and White women and men living in Vancouver and Halifax, Canada. With this examination, we will challenge conventional assumptions about the singular 'modern Western lifestyle' that leads to obesity concerns by teasing out some of the social, cultural and political contexts within which people conceptualise issues regarding weight and make their food choices. By examining the experiences of both women and men we will also provide important insights into the gendered ways in which people engage with obesity discourses and the injunction to 'eat healthily' as a form of weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore how parents support the health behaviours of their child with a disability, and their motivations for registering their child in a health promotion program for children with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Using a descriptive qualitative design, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with individual parents (n = 8) and one group (n = 3) to explore their experiences of health promotion for their child with a disability. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify themes and patterns to develop an understanding of parental perspectives. Three themes were identified in the analysis of parents' experiences supporting their children in health behaviours and registering them in a disability health promotion program: (1) Parents struggle to meet all of their child's health promotion needs; (2) Parents recognize the social components of healthy behaviours; and (3) Health promotion opportunities tailored for children with disabilities are limited. These themes were not mutually exclusive and had overlapping factors that influenced parental experiences. Parents experience many challenges supporting the health behaviours of their children with disabilities. This study reinforces the need for accessible, developmentally appropriate, social health promotion programs for children with disabilities. Children with disabilities frequently demonstrate significantly higher sedentary behaviours, lower rates of physical activity and consumption of high-fat foods than their typically developing peers. Promoting healthy behaviours such as healthy eating and physical activity among children with disabilities and their families is therefore crucial to the child's physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Parents of children with disabilities have sufficient health literacy and knowledge but report a lack of appropriate opportunities and strategies to support their child in developing healthy behaviours. Parents need increased availability and accessibility of socially inclusive programs that promote healthy behaviours for children of all physical and cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because successful integration post-immigration is critical to Canada's population health, national data were analyzed to examine mental health, food insecurity (Household Food Security Survey Module), and diet quality (e.g., nutrient intakes) between foreign-born immigrants and native-born Canadians. After controlling for sociodemographic and health covariates, immigrants were more likely to report poor mental health, food insecurity, and poor diet quality (ORs 1.038–1.080); consume less carbohydrates, vitamin B1, and iron (ORs 0.814–0.996); and have higher intakes of fat, fiber, and vitamins B6 and B9 (ORs 1.003–1.420; all p's<0.05). These results can help to advance policy developments to help mitigate the 'healthy immigrant effect'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical methods are generally developed and optimized for specific commodities. Total Diet Studies, representing typical food products 'as consumed', pose an analytical challenge since every food product is different. In order to address this technical challenge, a selective and sensitive analytical method was developed suitable for the quantitation of ochratoxin A (OTA) in Canadian Total Diet Study composites. The method uses an acidified solvent extraction, an immunoaffinity column (IAC) for clean-up, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for identification and quantification, and a uniformly stable isotope-labelled OTA (U-[13C20]-OTA) as an internal recovery standard. Results are corrected for this standard. The method is accurate (101% average recovery) and precise (5.5% relative standard deviation (RSD)) based on 17 duplicate analysis of various food products over 2 years. A total of 140 diet composites were analysed for OTA as part of the Canadian Total Diet Study. Samples were collected at retail level from two Canadian cities, Quebec City and Calgary, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The results indicate that 73% (102/140) of the samples had detectable levels of OTA, with some of the highest levels of OTA contamination found in the Canadian bread supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred and fifty-six samples of breakfast cereals were collected from the Canadian retail marketplace over a 3-year period. The samples were analysed for the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, HT-2 toxin, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, and fumonisins B1 and B2 to contribute to dietary exposure estimates in support of the development of Canadian guidelines for selected mycotoxins in foods. The samples included corn-, oat-, wheat- and rice-based cereals, as well as mixed-grain cereals, and were primarily from North American processors. Overall, deoxynivalenol was the most frequently detected mycotoxin - it was detected in over 40% of all samples analysed. Fumonisins and ochratoxin A were each detected in over 30% of all samples. Zearalenone was detected in over 20% of all samples. Nivalenol and HT-2 toxin were each detected in only one sample. The survey clearly demonstrated regular occurrence of low levels of multiple mycotoxins in breakfast cereals on the Canadian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maria Daria Haust, MD, has made many significant contributions to our understanding of atherogenesis in children, particularly in associating the earliest lesions (fatty spots and streaks) with the normal growth and remodeling of arteries. It is my privilege to link her early work to more recent findings which show that the early lesions seen in the arteries of children before puberty bear no relationship to the risk of atherosclerosis in later life. Furthermore, present evidence supports the view that intervening in childhood (2-15 years) with low-fat low-cholesterol diets or even worse, lipid-lowering drugs to prevent atheroslerotic plaques in adulthood is wasted effort. Overzealous parents may unwittingly induce malnutrition in their children and many children with restricted access to palatable foods, will yearn for them even more as they become older leading to overweightness. Pediatricians from various scientific bodies around the world vary in their advice to mothers regarding diets for children. The program adopted by Health Canada on the advice of pediatricians in that country, which is also supported by the European Society of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, recommends that the fat content of diets for children should be tapered gradually from 40% of energy at 2 years of age to 30% of energy at the conclusion of linear growth (late adolescence). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]