Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Narrative Review Of The Disenfranchisement Of Single Mothers In Highland Ecuador, Lisbeth Alexandra Pino Gavidia, Joy C. Macdermid, Laura K. Brunton, Samantha Doralp

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Background:

The Andean South American country of Ecuador presents social challenges that contribute to inequities. The social determinants of health have impacts on the physical, psychological and social health of individuals across all societies. Ecuador is an example of how the interactions of gender roles and social determinants of health impact the health of single mothers and their children.

Methods:

A retrospective historical literature review was conducted on gender role expectations within the rural context Ecuador to inform future public health strategies and health interventions.

Results:

Gender inequality contributes to higher rates of single parenting, child labour, and migration. Food …

Supports For Migrant Farmworkers: Tensions In (In)Access And (In)Action, Susana Caxaj, Amy Cohen, Sarah Marsden

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Purpose: This study examined the role of support actors in promoting or hindering access to migrant agricultural workers' (MAWs) needs, and, to determine the factors that influence adequate support for this population.
Methodology: Employing a Situational Analysis methodology, we carried out focus groups and interviews with 35 support actors complimented by a community scan (n=28) with public-facing support persons and a community consultation with migrant agricultural workers (MAWs).
Findings: Two major themes were revealed: (In)access and (In)action, and; Blurred Lines in Service Provision. The first illustrated how support actors could both reinforce or challenge barriers for this population through tensions …

Dynamics Of Spontaneous Alpha Activity Correlate With Language Ability In Young Children., Elaine Yuen Ling Kwok, Janis Oram Cardy, Brian L Allman, Prudence Allen, Björn Herrmann

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Early childhood is a period of tremendous growth in both language ability and brain maturation. To understand the dynamic interplay between neural activity and spoken language development, we used resting-state EEG recordings to explore the relation between alpha oscillations (7-10 Hz) and oral language ability in 4- to 6-year-old children with typical development (N = 41). Three properties of alpha oscillations were investigated: a) alpha power using spectral analysis, b) flexibility of the alpha frequency quantified via the oscillation's moment-to-moment fluctuations, and c) scaling behavior of the alpha oscillator investigated via the long-range temporal correlation in the alpha-amplitude time course. …

Immature Auditory Evoked Potentials In Children With Moderate-Severe Developmental Language Disorder., Elaine Yuen Ling Kwok, Marc F Joanisse, Lisa Archibald, Janis Oram Cardy

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Purpose: Immature auditory processing has been proposed to underlie language impairments in children with developmental language disorder (DLD; also known as specific language impairment). Using newly available normative auditory evoked potential (AEP) waveforms, we estimated AEP maturity in individual children with DLD and explored whether this maturational index was related to their language abilities.

Method: AEPs were elicited by 225 trials of a 490-Hz pure tone. Using intraclass correlation and our previously established normative AEP waveforms of 7- to 10-year-old children with typical development, we estimated the age equivalent of the AEPs (AEP-age) from 21 children with DLD. The relation …

Mathematical Abilities In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Alexandra M. Cross, Lisa M.D. Archibald, Marc F. Joanisse

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Purpose. The present paper provides a scoping review of the literature on mathematical abilities in developmental language disorder (DLD). Children with DLD typically struggle with learning in school, however the mechanism by which DLD impacts academic success is unclear. Mathematics involves demands in the multiple domains, and therefore holds potential for examining the relationship between language and academic performance on tasks mediated by verbal and non-verbal demands.

Methods. A scoping review was performed via computerized database searching to examine literature on mathematics and DLD. The 21 papers meeting inclusion criteria compared children with typical development or DLD on various tasks …

Comparing Views About Evidence In Ontario Public Health Units: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Sara Masood, Anita Kothari, Sandra Regan

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Background: Ways of perceiving evidence by public health managers, practitioners and policy makers is one of the key determinants of evidence uptake. Recent public policy in Ontario requires programs to be based on evidence. Therefore, understanding views about evidence in both practice and policy contexts is important to bridge the research-policy-practice gap in public health.

Objective and Methods: This qualitative descriptive study examined understandings about evidence in Ontario public health units by comparing perspectives from managers and frontline staff across six geographically-diverse units. A secondary qualitative content analysis was used to re-analyze transcripts of focus groups from the Renewal of …

Toward A Mixed-Methods Research Approach To Content Analysis In The Digital Age: The Combined Content-Analysis Model And Its Applications To Health Care Twitter Feeds, Eradah O. Hamad, Marie Y. Savundranayagam, Jeffrey D. Holmes, Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Andrew M. Johnson

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

BACKGROUND: Twitter’s 140-character microblog posts are increasingly used to access information and facilitate discussions among health care professionals and between patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers. Recently, efforts have emerged to investigate the content of health care-related posts on Twitter. This marks a new area for researchers to investigate and apply content analysis (CA). In current infodemiology, infoveillance and digital disease detection research initiatives, quantitative and qualitative Twitter data are often combined, and there are no clear guidelines for researchers to follow when collecting and evaluating Twitter-driven content.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify studies on …

Knowledge ‘Translation’ As Social Learning: Negotiating The Uptake Of Research-Based Knowledge In Practice, Katherine Salter, Anita Kothari

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

BACKGROUND: Knowledge translation and evidence-based practice have relied on research derived from clinical trials, which are considered to be methodologically rigorous. The result is practice recommendations based on a narrow view of evidence. We discuss how, within a practice environment, in fact individuals adopt and apply new evidence derived from multiple sources through ongoing, iterative learning cycles.

DISCUSSION: The discussion is presented in four sections. After elaborating on the multiple forms of evidence used in practice, in section 2 we argue that the practitioner derives contextualized knowledge through reflective practice. Then, in section 3, the focus shifts from the individual …

Reliability Of Three Landmarking Methods For Dual Inclinometry Measurements Of Lumbar Flexion And Extension, Joy C. Macdermid, Vanitha Arumugam, Joshua I. Vincent, Kimberly L. Payne, Aubrey K. So

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Background

To examine the intra and inter-rater reliability of lumbar flexion and extension measurements attained using three landmarking methods for dual inclinometry.

Methods

This was a repeated measures reliability study. Convenience sampling was used to obtain forty volunteer subjects. Two assessors measured a series of lumbar flexion and extension movements using the J-Tech™ dual inclinometer. Three different landmarking methods were used: 1) straight palpation of PSIS and L1, 2) palpation of PSIS and the site of the nearest 5 cm interval point closest to L1 and 3) location of PSIS and 15 cm cephalad. Upon landmarking, adhesive tape was used …

The Physical Activity Levels And Sedentary Behaviors Of Latino Children In London (Ontario, Canada), Gillian E. Mandich, Shauna Burke, Anca Gaston, Patricia Tucker

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviors of a sample of Latino children in London, Ontario, Canada.

METHODS: Seventy-four Latino children (54.1% male; mean age = 11.4) completed self-report questionnaires related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors. A subset of children (n = 64) wore Actical (Mini Mitter, Respironics) accelerometers for a maximum of four days.

RESULTS: Latino children self-reported moderate levels of physical activity (i.e., mean score of 2.8 on 5-point scale). Accelerometer data revealed that children spent an average of 50.0 min in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 59.2 min on weekdays and 50.6 min on weekend …

Reverse Innovation: An Opportunity For Strengthening Health Systems, Anne W Snowdon, Harpreet Bassi, Andrew D. Scarffe, Alexander D Smith

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

BACKGROUND: Canada, when compared to other OECD countries, ranks poorly with respect to innovation and innovation adoption while struggling with increasing health system costs. As a result of its failure to innovate, the Canadian health system will struggle to meet the needs and demands of both current and future populations. The purpose of this initiative was to explore if a competition-based reverse innovation challenge could mobilize and stimulate current and future leaders to identify and lead potential reverse innovation projects that address health system challenges in Canada.

METHODS: An open call for applications took place over a 4-month period. Applicants …

A Modified Evidence-Based Practice- Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour And Decisions/Outcomes Questionnaire Is Valid Across Multiple Professions Involved In Pain Management, Qiyun Shi, Bert M Chesworth, Mary Law, R Brian Haynes, Joy C Macdermid

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

BACKGROUND: A validated and reliable instrument was developed to knowledge, attitudes and behaviours with respect to evidence-based practice (EBB-KABQ) in medical trainees but requires further adaptation and validation to be applied across different health professionals.

METHODS: A modified 33-item evidence-based practice scale (EBP-KABQ) was developed to evaluate EBP perceptions and behaviors in clinicians. An international sample of 673 clinicians interested in treatment of pain (mean age = 45 years, 48% occupational therapists/physical therapists, 25% had more than 5 years of clinical training) completed an online English version of the questionnaire and demographics. Scaling properties (internal consistency, floor/ceiling effects) and construct …

The Waiting Game: A Primary Care Intervention To Improve Access To Specialist Care To Patients With Osteoarthritis, Laura K. Churchill, Dianne Bryant

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Osteoarthritis (OA) commonly presents in the knee, contributing to pain and impairment in those affected. Given appropriate candidacy, surgical treatment for end-stage knee OA such as total knee replacement (TKR) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are highly successful with negligible risk. Just as the population has aged over the past decade, so too has the demand for surgical treatment of OA increasing wait times across Canada. Cipriano et al. identified that wait times for TKR in Ontario are longer than clinically appropriate. Several North American studies have demonstrated that general practitioner referrals to specialists do not result in subsequent surgery. …