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W J Millar

Publications and source records attributed to W J Millar.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Smokeless tobacco use by youth in the Canadian Arctic.

Results from a 1987 school survey in the Canadian Arctic indicate that among boys, 7% of the 5-9 age group, 12% of the 10-14 and 15-19 age groups were current users of chewing tobacco. Prevalence rates for chewing tobacco use were higher among Dene/Métis and Inuit youth. Among Dene/Métis boys, 21% of the 5-9 age group, 12% of the 10-14 age group and 11% of the 15-19 age group used chewing tobacco. Prevalence rates for Inuit boys in the corresponding age groups were 6%, 19% and 18%. In general, prevalence rates among girls were low. Dene/Métis girls were the exception to this pattern. Eight percent of Dene/Métis girls in the 5-9 and 10-14 age groups reported that they were current users of chewing tobacco. The pattern of snuff use was very similar to the use of chewing tobacco. In the total population 12% of boys in the 5-9 age group and 14% of youth in the 10-14 and 15-19 age groups used snuff. Prevalence rates for snuff use were higher in Native groups. Among Dene/Métis boys, 29% of the 5-9 age group, 20% of the 10-14 age group and 18% of the 15-19 age group used snuff. Prevalence rates for Inuit boys in the corresponding age groups were 14%, 20% and 19%. In the total population, 4% of 5-9 year old girls, 6% of the 10-14 age group and 3% of the 15-19 age group were current snuff users. Prevalence rates were highest in the Dene/Métis group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Britain, Canada, and United States.

Three nations carried out large surveys of their non-institutionalized populations during the period 1976-81, with essentially similar techniques for measuring height and weight. Using criteria previously published for the British survey, we analyzed the Canadian and United States data and compared the prevalence of excessive weight for ages 20-64 in the three countries. Overweight was defined as a Quetelet index value of 25.1-30, and obesity as a value exceeding 30. Compared to their Canadian and British counterparts, American men are more likely to be overweight or obese, especially at the lower age levels. The proportion of excessively heavy men reaches a plateau around age 50 in all three countries, possibly indicative of a survivor phenomenon. Among women, the US has the highest proportion of excessively heavy individuals at all ages except 20-24; this difference is especially marked at ages 45-54. Unlike men, there is no evidence that the proportion of overweight or obese women reaches a plateau by age 64.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Socioeconomic disparities in risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Despite a general decline in mortality rates in recent decades, these rates are substantially higher among lower socioeconomic groups. To determine target groups for preventive health promotion programs, the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic group in Canadian adults aged 20 to 69 years was examined through comparison of estimates from the 1978-79 Canada Health Survey, the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey and the labour force smoking surveys of 1975 and 1983. Level of education was used as a measure of socioeconomic status. The risk factors considered were cigarette smoking, overweight, obesity, elevated diastolic blood pressure, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, elevated serum cholesterol level, diabetes mellitus and the conjoint use of oral contraceptives and cigarettes. The prevalence of the risk factors tended to be higher among men and women with a low level of education. The results were consistent with those of recent Canadian studies showing that both men and women in lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Distribution of body weight and height: comparison of estimates based on self-reported and observed measures.

The distribution of weight in the adult population aged 20-69 years was examined by comparison of estimates obtained from the 1985 Health Promotion Survey and the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey. The Health Promotion Survey obtained information on self-reported weight and height, and the Canada Fitness Survey utilised measured weight and height. The classification of respondents into weight categories followed the recommendations of the 1973 Fogarty Conference on Obesity. Values of the Quetelet index defined as W/H2, where W = kilograms and H = metres, were used to define four weight categories: underweight, acceptable weight, overweight, and obese. The comparisons of prevalence estimates of the various weight categories indicate that self-reported weight and height leads to a systematic weight misclassification bias. The implications of this bias for epidemiological studies are discussed and suggestions are offered to handle the bias.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Household context and youth smoking behaviour: prevalence, frequency and tar yield.

Labour Force Smoking Survey data were used to examine the impact of household environment on the smoking behaviour of youth and young adults. Three indicators of older adult smoking behaviour were used to classify the smoking environment of households. The indicators were smoking prevalence, the mean number of cigarettes smoked per day, and the mean tar yield of cigarettes. Within households, the probability that a young person smokes, how much they smoke, and the type of cigarette they smoke is closely associated with the smoking behaviour of older adults in the household. Household smoking patterns contribute to the overall exposure of family members to the hazards of cigarette smoking and may influence the outcome of smoking cessation programs. Smoking cessation and prevention programs should consider the potential effect of family and household environments.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of chewing tobacco and snuff in Canada, 1986.

This paper reviews current data relating to the use of smokeless tobacco products in Canada. Sources of data include production, disposition, and sales statistics; special population surveys, and estimates obtained from the 1986 Labour Force Survey smoking supplement. In Canada, the use of smokeless tobacco products is confined to the male population. About 0.7% of males over age 15 use chewing tobacco and 0.4% use snuff. The pattern of use is similar to that of the United States in the early 70s. Prevalence rates for both substances tend to be higher in older age groups. Men employed in outdoor occupations are more likely to use chewing tobacco or snuff. Chewing tobacco use tends to be more prevalent in eastern Canada and snuff use in western Canada. The low national prevalence estimates conceal the relatively high usage rates among sub-populations. Among Inuit youth in the Northwest Territories in 1982, 25% of the 10-14 age group used smokeless tobacco.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking in the workplace 1986: Labour Force Survey estimates.

A smoking supplement on the December 1986 Canadian Labour Force Survey (LFS) obtained data on smoking rates within occupational groups, the percentage of workers in occupations which permit smoking at the worksite, the proportion of workers with designated smoking areas at their place of employment, and worker attitudes towards restriction of smoking. Smoking prevalence ranges from 18% among professional workers to 42% among transportation workers. Smoking rates are also high in mining (40%), construction (39%), and other craft occupations (37%). About 53% of the working population state that smoking is permitted in their immediate work area. Proportions of workers who indicate that smoking is permitted range from 39% among professional workers to 67% among transportation workers. Managerial (66%) and construction employees (65%) are also likely to state that smoking is permitted in their work area. Only 40% of the working population report that there are designated smoking areas at their place of work. Professionals (55%) and mining workers (52%) are most likely to have designated smoking areas. Workers in outdoor (17%), construction (23%), and transportation occupations (26%) are least likely. A large percentage (81%) of the working population favour smoking restrictions. Support for restricting smoking is closely linked to smoking prevalence within an occupational group. About 65% of smokers favour restrictions. The degree of support among smokers for restrictions on smoking in the workplace suggests that many smokers desire environmental constraints on their smoking behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Motor vehicle traffic accident mortality in Canada, 1921-1984.

The analysis of motor vehicle traffic accident mortality through the use of cross-sectional and secular death rates indicates that motor vehicle traffic accident death rates increased over all age and sex groups from 1921 to 1970. Each generation, defined as a birth cohort, experienced successively higher motor vehicle traffic accident mortality rates until the 1970s. The most striking increase occurred among youths 15-24 years of age. Motor vehicle traffic accidents were responsible for 518,488 hospital days in Canadian hospitals in 1981-82. Approximately 47% of the days involved youths below the age of 25. Among youths in the 15-24 age group, about 30% of the hospital separations attributable to motor vehicle traffic accidents involved head injuries. Between 1970 and 1984, motor vehicle traffic accident mortality rates declined in all age groups. The possible reasons for the decline and the current pattern of motor vehicle traffic accident mortality are discussed in terms of the implications for hospital utilization and the prevalence of disability.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Repeat abortions in Canada, 1975-1993.

In Canada, 20% of women who obtained an abortion between 1975 and 1993 had had at least one previous abortion. An analysis of data on 1.2 million abortions shows that the proportion of abortion patients undergoing repeat procedures increased from 9% to 29% over the 19-year period. The proportion was above average (22-28% for all years combined) among women who were in common-law marriages, those aged 25-39 and those who had previously had children. In 1993, 27 women per 1,000 who had ever had an abortion underwent another one, while 13 women per 1,000 who had never had an abortion obtained their first one; among teenagers, the repeat rate was four times the rate of first abortions (81 per 1,000 vs. 19 per 1,000). During the study period, the repeat rate rose sharply among women younger than 25 but fell among those aged 30 and older. In 1993, fewer than 2% of abortions were obtained by women who had had three or more previous procedures, suggesting that abortion is not widely used as a primary method of birth control.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of alternative health care practitioners by Canadians.

This study focuses on the use of alternative health care practitioners by Canadians aged 15 and over using data from the 1994-95 National Population Health Survey. A total of 17,626 respondents were selected. Consultation with an alternative health care provider or with a chiropractor was deemed to be an indicator of the use of alternative health care. In 1994-95, an estimated 15% of Canadians aged 15 and over (3.3 million people) used some form of alternative health care in the year preceding the survey. Use of alternative health care was most prevalent among women, persons aged 45-64 and among higher income groups. The use of alternative health care was associated with the number of diagnosed chronic illnesses. Among persons free of chronic diseases, 9% consulted alternative health care providers compared with 26% of those with three or more chronic conditions. Since the population is aging, the proportion with multiple chronic illness will also increase, with consequent demand for services from alternative health practitioners. The inclusion of any alternative practitioner services under existing health care plans could result in higher health care costs.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A perspective on Canadian teenage births, 1992-94: older men and younger women?

This article uses vital statistics relating to births by Canadian mothers between 1992 and 1994 to examine the distribution of age of father by age of mother at the birth of the child. Over 77% of births to teenage mothers involved males who were older than the mother. At the time of birth of the child, the mean difference between age of the teenage mother and the father was 4.1 years, compared with a mean of 2.6 years for all mothers and fathers. For mothers below the age of 18 years, 37% of partners were within 2 years of the woman's age, 39% were 3 to 5 years older, and 24% were six or more years older. Family planning and sex education programs directed at the prevention of teenage pregnancy, especially if these programs are given in the elementary or high school system, would not necessarily reach older males, who make up the majority of partners in teenage pregnancies.

Adolescent↗