Biomedical subjects

W J Millar

Publications and source records attributed to W J Millar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Patterns of use--alternative health care practitioners.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines consultations with alternative practitioners and the characteristics of people who use such care. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the longitudinal (1994/95 to 1998/99) and cross-sectional (1998/99) household components of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey (NPHS). ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Descriptive information about the use of alternative practitioners is presented. Logistic regression is used to compare the odds of consulting alternative practitioners while controlling for a number of related factors. MAIN RESULTS: In 1998/99, about 3.8 million people reported having used the services of an alternative practitioner. Relatively high percentages of women, 25- to 64-year-olds, and people in the Western provinces reported seeking alternative care. When related factors, including chronic pain, were taken into account, asthma and back problems were significantly associated with alternative practitioner use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Heart disease, family history and physical activity.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the association of family history of heart disease and leisure-time physical activity with incident heart disease. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the 1994/95, 1996/97 and 1998/99 longitudinal household components of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey. This study is based on information provided by 9,255 respondents aged 20 or older who reported that, in 1994/95, they were free of diagnosed heart disease and in good health. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the association of family history and physical activity with a new diagnosis of heart disease, while controlling for age, sex, educational attainment, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and body mass index. MAIN RESULTS: When family history and other risk factors were taken into account, people who, in 1994/95, engaged in regular physical activity at a moderate level or beyond had lower odds of receiving a new diagnosis of heart disease than did sedentary individuals. People with a family history of heart disease who regularly participated in at least moderate physical activity had lower odds of developing heart disease than did their sedentary counterparts.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Starting and sustaining physical activity.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines factors associated with starting or sustaining physical activity during leisure time. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the longitudinal household components of the National Population Health Survey. The sample consisted of 11,026 respondents who were aged 20 and older in 1994/95. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Multiple logistic regression was used to identify variables that independently predicted the adoption or maintenance of leisure-time physical activity. MAIN RESULTS: Among people who had been inactive in 1994/95, the two-year incidence of starting at least moderate physical activity by 1996/97 or 1998/99 was 24 cases per 100 person-years. For people who had been at least moderately active in 1994/95, the two-year incidence of ceasing to maintain that level of activity was 32 cases per 100 person-years. Many predictors of starting or sustaining activity were the same: sex, age, educational attainment, smoking, and sense of mastery. However, some factors were significant for one sex only. For instance, overweight and the presence of children were deterrents for women, but not for men. Social involvement and smoking status were significant for men, but not for women.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Hysterectomy, 1981/82 to 1996/97.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines national and provincial trends in hysterectomies from 1981/82 to 1996/97 among women aged 35 or older. DATA SOURCES: Data for 1981/82 to 1994/95 were obtained from the Hospital Morbidity File maintained by Statistics Canada; for 1995/96 and 1996/97, from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Supplementary data are from the 1998/99 National Population Health Survey. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Descriptive analyses present hospitalization rates for hysterectomy, the percentage performed vaginally, and average length of stay. A hierarchy of indications was used to establish the main reason for hysterectomy. Confidence intervals were calculated to determine significant changes over time and between provinces and the national level. MAIN RESULTS: From 1981/82 to 1996/97, the hysterectomy rate declined; the proportion performed vaginally increased; and average length of stay for a hysterectomy decreased. These trends generally characterized each province, although there were substantial provincial differences in rates, procedures, and average length of stay.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Are recent cohorts healthier than their predecessors?

OBJECTIVES: This article examines changes in the health status of Canadian adults between 1978/79 and 1996/97. DATA SOURCES: Data are from the the Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base, the 1991 General Social Survey, the 1978/79 Canada Health Survey (CHS), and the 1996/97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Age-specific mortality rates are presented for 1978 and 1996. The cumulative incidence of heart disease is shown for 1991. Cross-sectional comparisons of prevalence rates for selected chronic conditions, activity limitation, disability days, smoking and overweight are shown for 1978/79 and 1996/97. Multiple logistic regression models were used to test differences in odds ratios for the chronic conditions and for activity limitation between the CHS and the NPHS. SUDAAN, which accounts for the complex survey design, was used to estimate standard errors of the prevalence and of the coefficients in the logistic model. MAIN RESULTS: Lower mortality rates and lower prevalence of heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and activity limitation suggest that recent cohorts are healthier than previous cohorts. When the age effect was controlled along with education and income, the odds of having these conditions were generally lower for each successive cohort, and lower in the mid-1990s than in the late 1970s. However, the odds of having diabetes were higher in 1996/97 than in 1978/79, and higher among more recent cohorts than among earlier cohorts.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Disparities in prescription drug insurance coverage.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines socioeconomic differences in supplementary insurance for prescription drugs among Canadians aged 15 or older and how the availability of such insurance affects prescription drug use. DATA SOURCE: The data on prescription drug insurance coverage and drug use are from the cross-sectional Health file of the 1996/97 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) conducted by Statistics Canada. The sample size of the population aged 15 or older was 70,884. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Rates of insurance coverage for prescription drug services were calculated. All summary estimates were age-adjusted using the 1996/97 population of Canada (both sexes). MAIN RESULTS: Among people aged 15 or older, 61% were covered for prescription medications in 1996/97. Sixty-five percent of workers reported coverage, while those who were not working were less likely to have benefits (52%). Only 38% of lower income groups had insurance compared with 74% of the highest income group. Regardless of the number of chronic diseases individuals had, those with drug insurance were more likely to report taking medication.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Birth outcome, the social environment and child health.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the effects of birth outcome and selected social environmental factors on the health of young children. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the 1994/95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Information provided by the biological mothers of 5,888 children younger than age 3 is analyzed. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: The analysis focuses on two measures of child health: the mother's perception of the child's general health and a diagnosis of asthma. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of birth outcome and selected social environmental factors on these measures. Birth outcome refers to gestational age and birthweight. Social environmental factors include maternal education, maternal smoking, maternal age at birth of child, family status and household income. MAIN RESULTS: Preterm low birthweight was associated with a higher risk of poor health and asthma among children when all the other selected risk factors were controlled. Poor maternal health and maternal smoking were important risk factors for poor child health. Maternal asthma and low maternal education were significantly associated with childhood asthma.

Asthma↗

PubMed1999

Changes in children's hospital use.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines changes in hospital separations of children aged 1 to 14 between 1986/87 and 1996/97. It focuses on four common causes of childhood hospitalization: asthma, chronic disease of tonsils and adenoids, fractures, and acute appendicitis. DATA SOURCES: Hospital separation data are from the Hospital Morbidity File, from Statistics Canada for fiscal year 1986/87, and from the Canadian Institute for Health Information for fiscal year 1996/97. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Diagnoses were coded to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and surgical procedures were coded to the Canadian Classification of Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Surgical Procedures. Population estimates for 1986 and 1996 were used to calculate hospital separation rates and surgical rates. MAIN RESULTS: In 1986/87, there were 355,000 hospital separations of children aged 1 to 14; by 1996/97, the number of separations had fallen to just over 206,000. The hospital separation rate was 37.0 per 1,000 children in 1996/97, down from 69.7 ten years earlier. The average length of stay fell from 4.5 days to 3.8. The total annual number of days Canadian children stayed in hospital dropped from over 1.6 million to 788,700.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Older drivers--a complex public health issue.

OBJECTIVES: This article provides estimates of the percentage of seniors who are licensed to operate a motor vehicle. It describes the health characteristics of these license holders and reviews research relating to older drivers. DATA SOURCES: The data are from the cross-sectional file of Statistics Canada's 1996/97 National Population Health Survey. The sample size of respondents aged 65 or older was 13,363, weighted to represent 3.4 million individuals. Supplementary data are from the 1991 Survey of Ageing and Independence, also conducted by Statistics Canada, and from Transport Canada. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: The percentages of seniors with a license were calculated by age and sex. Percentages by presence of chronic conditions, disabilities and medication use were age-standardized to control for the increasing prevalence of illness at older ages. MAIN RESULTS: The percentage of seniors who had a driver's license declined with advancing age. The negative association between disability and license holding was pronounced. The percentage of seniors with a driver's license was also relatively low among those with heart disease, arthritis, stroke or cataracts, and among those who reported taking selected medications in the last month.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1999

Health effects of physical activity.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the potential protective effect of leisure-time physical activity on the incidence of heart disease and depression. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the household longitudinal component of the 1994/95 and 1996/97 cycles of the National Population Health Survey, conducted by Statistics Canada. Results are based on two subsamples: 7,158 respondents aged 20 or older who were healthy and free of heart disease in 1994/95, and 7,593 respondents aged 12 or older who were healthy and free of depression in 1994/95. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of leisure-time physical activity on the incidence of heart disease and depression, while controlling for selected characteristics. MAIN RESULTS: Individuals who were healthy and free of heart disease or depression in 1994/95 and who engaged in regular physical activity at a moderate level of energy expenditure had lower odds of reporting a diagnosis of heart disease or an episode of depression in 1996/97 than those who were less active.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Dental insurance and use of dental services.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines socioeconomic differences in insurance for dental services among Canadians aged 15 or older and factors associated with the use of dental services. DATA SOURCE: The data on dental insurance coverage and use of dental services are from the cross-sectional file of Statistics Canada's 1996/97 National Population Health Survey. The sample size of respondents aged 15 or older was 70,884. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Logistic regression analysis was used to model variables related to dental insurance coverage and to dental visits in the past year. A weighted bootstrap resampling procedure was used to derive variance estimates. MAIN RESULTS: In 1996/97, 53% of the population aged 15 or older reported having dental insurance, and 59% said they had visited a dentist in the past year. But even when they had insurance, individuals with low incomes and low educational attainment had much lower odds of visiting a dentist than those with higher incomes and more education.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Multiple medication use among seniors.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the prevalence of medication use among Canadian seniors. Indicators of patient-physician and patient-pharmacist communication were also investigated. DATA SOURCE: Health Canada-sponsored supplementary questions to the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were used in this analysis. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: All estimates were weighted to represent the Canadian population on the data of the survey. Summary rates by sex were age-standardized to the estimated survey population for both sexes. Respondents who reported taking five or more drugs in the two days before their NPHS interview were considered to be multiple-medication users. MAIN RESULTS: In 1994/95, 10% of Canadians aged 65 to 74, and 13% of those aged 75 and older were multiple-medication users. For certain drug-related information, there was a decline with advancing age in the percent of the population who reported that they received this information from their physician and from their pharmacist.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Age of smoking initiation: implications for quitting.

OBJECTIVES: The effect of an early age of smoking initiation on cigarette consumption and on the probability of quitting is analyzed for people aged 21 to 39. DATA SOURCE: The data are from Statistics Canada's 1994/95 National Population Health Survey. The findings in this article are based on 3,449 randomly selected respondents aged 21 to 39 who were or had ever been daily smokers. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between age of smoking initiation and heavy cigarette consumption (more than 20 a day). Survival analysis techniques were used to study the relationship between age of smoking initiation and smoking cessation for men and women. Cox proportional hazard models were used to control for potential confounding factors such as education, household income, depression, chronic stress, self-esteem, and amount smoked. MAIN RESULTS: Among 21- to 39-year-olds, smoking initiation during early adolescence was associated with greater daily cigarette consumption and a lower cumulative probability of quitting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Maternal education and risk factors for small-for-gestational-age births.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the association between maternal education, smoking and other risk factors and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births. DATA SOURCE: The data are from the 1994/95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The analysis was restricted to a subsample of 4,181 children younger than age 2 and was based on information provided by their biological mothers. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios for SGA by maternal education, controlling for maternal smoking during pregnancy, household income, family status, maternal age at birth of child, and use of prenatal care. MAIN RESULTS: Maternal education and smoking during pregnancy appear to have independent effects on SGA, after controlling for other risk factors. The effects of maternal education, smoking and other risk factors are likely underestimated, as the analysis pertains only to children who had survived at the time of the interview.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Childhood asthma.

OBJECTIVES: This article describes trends in the prevalence of asthma among children aged 0 to 14 from 1978/79 to 1994/95, and in hospital separations for asthma from 1974/75 to 1994/95. It also examines factors associated with childhood asthma. DATA SOURCES: Information on asthma among children aged 0 to 11 is from the 1994/95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), and among children aged 12 to 14, from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Hospital separation data are from the Hospital Morbidity File. Mortality data are from the Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Prevalence estimates of asthma were calculated based on a sample of 22,831 children aged 0 to 11 from the NLSCY and 637 children aged 12 to 14 from the NPHS. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of asthma among children aged 0 to 11 by selected characteristics. MAIN RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood asthma and hospital separations rates for asthma have increased sharply. A history of bronchitis and allergies, parental asthma, and residence in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec are associated with higher rates of asthma in children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Teenage pregnancies, 1974 to 1994.

OBJECTIVES: This article provides an overview of trends from 1974 to 1994 in pregnancies among women aged 15 to 19. DATA SOURCES: Vital statistics, abortion data, and hospital morbidity files maintained by Statistics Canada were used to develop estimated of pregnancies, live births, abortions, and stillbirths/miscarriages. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Rates of pregnancy, live birth, abortion and stillbirth/miscarriage are based on the female population aged 15 to 19. MAIN RESULTS: In 1994, there were an estimated 46,800 teenage pregnancies. This marked the continuation of an almost steady rise from 1987, when the number was 39,300. As well, there has been an increase in the percentage of teenage pregnancies ending in an abortion.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1997

Marital status and abortion.

OBJECTIVES: This article examines the marital status of women who obtained abortions between 1974 and 1994, with particular attention to those who were married or in common-law relationships. DATA SOURCES: The data come from Statistics Canada's publications on abortions, in-patient hospital morbidity data, and reports from the United States. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Crude and age-standardized abortion rates from 1974 to 1994 were calculated by marital status. MAIN RESULTS: While abortion rates were highest for single women, those who were married (including common-law and separated) accounted for over one-quarter of all abortions performed in 1994. Since 1974, the age-standardized abortion rate per 1,000 married women aged 15 to 44 almost doubled from 6.6 to 11.2. For most of these women, it was their first abortion, and the majority had taken at least one pregnancy to term.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1996

Chronic pain.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗