Health / Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Canada’s Indigenous populations are disproportionately affected by Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Indigenous cultures and knowledge are poorly integrated into HCV health interventions and nursing care also has deficiencies in this regard.

Objectives: The purpose of this narrative review was to analyze community-based HCV interventions in Indigenous populations in order to propose recommendations for strengthening HCV nursing practice and ensuring it responds to the needs and values of the Indigenous communities.

Methods: Rapid review methods were used. Searches were conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases and using the Google search engine. The community readiness model of Stanley et al. (2014), which promotes the development of tailored interventions based on strengths, the issue and the context, guided the analysis.

Results: A total of 24 sources were used to analyze 13 intervention projects. Similarities emerged within 11/13 intervention projects applying a holistic approach (n=11) and/or a harm reduction approach (n=7), which involved a trusting, non-judgmental, and non-stigmatizing relationship. Community mobilization was inherent to all 13 intervention projects, and it is through a self-determination approach that nurses were most likely to achieve this mobilization needed for the intervention on HCV.

Discussion and conclusion: It is through the application of a holistic harm-reduction approach, that nurses can support self-determination and community mobilization to effectively reduce the burden of HCV experienced by Indigenous communities.

Abstract

Note:
Funding Declaration: We would like to acknowledge the support of Manon Lapierre, Director of Operations at La Maison Bleue, towards the realisation of this project. Additionally, we recognize the support provided to C.Woronko by the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec Bourses de fin d’études à la maîtrise – 2021-2022. A Cuerrier acknowledges the support provided by the Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, for the Student Research Support received. L Merry, P Li and A Van Hulst acknowledge the support received through Fonds de la recherche du Québec en santé Research Salary Awards.

Background: The number of people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing worldwide. The prevalence rate of this disease is generally higher in the migrant population compared to the general population. However significant inequalities in the prevalence of T2D are notable between and within migrant populations. Among them, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, South America and South Asia are more affected than those of European origin. The act of eating and the corporality play an essential role in the development of this disease. Dietary and body norms systems favorable to the prevention and control of type 2 go against what is vital for most of these people, exposing them to conflicts of norms that are difficult to reconcile. 

Objectif: to identify factors that may influence the acceptance or rejection of dietary and body norm systems favorable to the prevention and control of T2D by Sub-Saharan Africa migrants living with T2D. 

Materials and methods: Scoping review according to the steps described by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) will be conducted. An electronic search of studies from 2011 to 2022, published English, Italian, French or in Portuguese will be conducted in eight databases (CINAHL, Cochrane library, Embase, Google Scholar, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences). The grey literature including publication in Open Grey database and Website of non-governmental organizations working on migrant from Sub-Saharan Africa will be searched. All articles related to body norms, dietary behaviors, or determinants of body behaviors and dietary of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and those related to factors that influence acceptance or rejection of dietary and body norms systems favorable to the prevention and control of T2D among the migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa living with T2D or at risk to develop this disease will be included. This scoping review will be reported following the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for interventional Trials (SPIRIT) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. 

Results: The results will focus on factors influencing the acceptance or rejection of dietary and body norms systems favorable to the prevention and control of T2D among the migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa living with T2D or at risk to develop it.

When approaching the multiplicity of the spiritual experiences of healing, ethnographers are often presented with ideas of the existence of “other” worlds that may intersect with the so-called “material” or “physical” worlds. This book proposes a sensory ethnography of healing with a focus on ethnographic knowing as embedded in an embodied epistemology of healing. Epistemological embodiment signals that personal scholarly experience of the “unknown”—be it in the form of trance, or as the embodiment of an “other”—shapes the concepts of healing, body, trance, self, and matter by which ethnographers craft out analysis.

Accumulation of diverse mutations across the structural and nonstructural genes is leading to rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2, altering its pathogenicity. We performed whole genome sequencing of 239 SARS-CoV-2 RNA samples collected from both adult and pediatric patients across eastern India (West Bengal), during the second pandemic wave in India (April–May 2021). In addition to several common spike mutations within the Delta variant, a unique constellation of eight co-appearing non-Spike mutations was identified, which revealed a high degree of positive mutual correlation. Our results also demonstrated the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants among unvaccinated pediatric patients. 41.4% of our studied Delta strains harbored this signature set of eight co-appearing non-Spike mutations and phylogenetically out-clustered other Delta sub-lineages like 21J, 21A, or 21I. This is the first report from eastern India that portrayed a landscape of co-appearing mutations in the non-Spike proteins, which might have led to the evolution of a distinct Delta subcluster. Accumulation of such mutations in SARS-CoV-2 may lead to the emergence of “vaccine-evading variants.” Hence, monitoring of such non-Spike mutations will be significant in the formulation of any future vaccines against those SARS-CoV-2 variants that might evade the current vaccine-induced immunity, among both the pediatric and adult populations.

This study documents immigrant men’s use of Quebec healthcare and social services. It begins by sketching a portrait of the physical health and psychological well-being of these men. It then looks at their use (or non-use) of these services and explores both the barriers they encounter while trying to access services and factors facilitating their use of services. Finally, it examines the expectations and perceptions immigrant men have of these services. Transversally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and confinement measures on the various sub-themes was specifically examined, since all of the data was collected in the context of the pandemic.

In the fight against infectious diseases, social inequalities in health (SIH) are generally forgotten. Mali, already weakened by security and political unrest, has not been spared by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the country was unprepared, the authorities were quick to implement public health measures, including a SARS-CoV-2 testing programme. This study aimed to understand if and how social inequalities in health were addressed in the design and planning for the national COVID-19 testing policy in Mali. A qualitative survey was conducted between March and April 2021 in Bamako, the capital of Mali. A total of 26 interviews were conducted with key government actors and national and international partners. A document review of national reports and policy documents complemented this data collection. The results demonstrated that the concept of SIH was unclear to the participants and was not a priority. The authorities focused on a symptom-based testing strategy that was publicly available. Participants also mentioned some efforts to reduce inequalities across geographical territories. The reflection and consideration of SIH within COVID-19 interventions was difficult given the governance approach to response efforts. The urgency of the situation, the perceptions of COVID-19 and the country’s pre-existing fragility were factors limiting this reflection. Over time, little action has been taken to adapt to the specific needs of certain groups in the Malian population. This study (re)highlights the need to consider SIH in the planning stages of a public health intervention, to adapt its implementation and to limit the negative impact on SIH.

We sought to determine the association between SES and glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) followed at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH), and whether insulin pump use, processes of care and depression modified the association. Using MCH’s Pediatric Diabetes Database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of children ages 0 to 18 years diagnosed with T1D for at least a year with a visit between November 2019 and October 2020. Our outcome was mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the following year. Our main exposure was socioeconomic status (SES; least deprived, moderately deprived, most deprived) measured by the Material and Social Deprivation Index. We used multivariable linear regression to determine the association between SES and HbA1c, adjusting for age, sex, diabetes duration, insulin pump use and processes of care. Interaction terms for insulin pump, processes of care and depression were included. A total of 306 children were identified. Children in the most deprived quintiles had higher mean HbA1c compared to those in the least deprived quintiles (p<0.01). HbA1c in the most deprived quintiles was 0.5% higher compared to the least deprived quintiles (95% confidence interval, 0.14 to 0.86). Effect modification by insulin pump, processes of care and depression was not significant. Consistent with previous findings, lower SES was associated with higher HbA1c. Our results are important for further research to understand contributing factors to these disparities.

Introduction

UNICEF estimates that there are as many as 100 million street-involved youth (SIY) globally. Marginalized conditions put SIY at higher risk of HIV and adverse outcomes once HIV-positive. The objective of this analysis was to describe barriers and facilitators of accessing HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services as Phase I of an implementation study evaluating the use of peer navigators to increase access to HIV services.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and theatre testing were conducted with individuals who identify as SIY, health care providers, and community stakeholders living in Canada (Toronto, Montreal, London) and Kenya (Eldoret, Huruma, Kitale). Data were analyzed using a directed content approach, guided by the socio-ecological model (SEM).

Results

Across the six sites were 195 participants: 64 SIY, 42 healthcare providers, and 97 community-based stakeholders. Barriers were identified at the societal (e.g. intersectional stigma and discrimination), public policy (e.g., inadequate access to basic needs, legal documentation, lack of health insurance, and limited community-based funding), institutional (e.g. lack of inclusive education and training, inadequate HIV educational outreach, and restrictive service provision), interpersonal (e.g., ineffective communication from healthcare providers), and intrapersonal levels (e.g. lack of trust and associated fear, low perception for healthcare, and lack of self-esteem). These contributed to limited HIV services utilization among SIY. Conversely, numerous facilitators were also identified at the public policy (e.g. affordable HIV services and treatment), institutional (e.g. available and accessible HIV prevention tools, HIV education and awareness programs, and holistic models of care), interpersonal level (e.g., systems navigation support, peer support, and personal relationships), and intrapersonal levels (e.g. self-efficacy) as positively supporting SIY access to HIV services.

Conclusion

Intersectional stigma was a critical barrier in all sites, and policies and programs that foster welcoming environments for youth from diverse backgrounds and living circumstances may be better able to respond to the HIV service needs of this high risk population. Social support and navigation services were reported to facilitate access to HIV services in all sites.

Background: Chronic malnutrition in children is a growth disorder resulting from a prolonged lack of nutrient intake. It is a widespread health issue in West and Central Africa where it affects one third (1/3) of children under five (05). This paper highlights the mitigation of child’s gender-based chronic malnutrition risk through maternal education.

Methods: This paper uses data from the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey in Burkina Faso. Univariate and bivariate descriptive analysis techniques, multilevel logistic regression and interaction analyses were used. Analyses were conducted separately for children aged 0-5 months, 6-23 months and 24-59 months.

Results: The results showed that boys are at greater risk of suffering from chronic malnutrition than girls, even after considering control factors. This gender-based effect was observed in children in the 6-23 month and 24–59-month age subgroups. Furthermore, the interaction analysis showed that this gender effect is more pronounced in and even specific to children of uneducated mothers because of the latter’s inappropriate hygiene and sanitation practices.

Conclusion: These results suggest that intensifying policies to encourage girls’ schooling and strengthening hygiene and sanitation measures among children would reduce or even eliminate gender-based inequalities in chronic malnutrition among children in Burkina Faso. 

Inadequate pregnancy monitoring for pregnant migrant women without medical insurance (PMWMI) exposes them to severe complications during childbirth and consequences for the health of their child (e.g. preterm delivery, low birth weight, etc.). This scoping review aims to identify existing interventions globally to improve access to perinatal care for PMWMI. It will also highlight the strengths, weaknesses as well as the costs of these interventions.

Cette étude documente l’utilisation des services sociaux et de santé québécois par les hommes immigrants. Plus précisément, elle dresse dans un premier temps un portrait de l’état de santé physique et de l’état de bien-être psychologique de ces hommes. Elle examine ensuite leurs trajectoires d’utilisation (ou de non-utilisation) des services et explore à la fois les obstacles qu’ils rencontrent lorsqu’ils cherchent à accéder à des services et les éléments qui, en contrepartie, leur en facilitent l’utilisation. Finalement, elle se penche sur les attentes et les perceptions des hommes immigrants vis-à-vis de ces services. De manière transversale, une attention particulière est portée à l’impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 et des mesures de confinement sur ces différents sous-thèmes, l’entièreté de la collecte de données ayant été effectuée en contexte pandémique

A cross-jurisdictional pan-Canadian environmental scan was conducted to identify provincial, territorial, and federal financial supports available to families with children living with neurodisabilities. In partnership with the organization Childhood Disability LINK, flowchart-styled pathway documents were developed for each financial support identified, mapping out the processes required to access each support. A critical analysis was completed as it relates to structural barriers, accessibility of program information and geographic discrepancies. The results revealed that, despite almost universal availability of programs to support families of children living with neurodisabilities, significant barriers and inequity remain. This included considerable variation in access to financial support based on geographic and jurisdictional discrepancies, absence of adequate and accurate information about programs, and minimal support provided to families in the application process. We argue that the barriers and discrepancies identified were an inherent result of the Canadian federalist fragmentation of the delivery of social care and financial support programs for children living with neurodisabilities. A more unified response by Canadian provincial, territorial, and federal governments is clearly needed to take positive steps to address the consequences of federalist fragmentation and respond to the structural barriers and geographic discrepancies identified by this study. 

Objectives

High mortality rates, anxiety and distress associated with Ebola virus disease (EVD) are risk factors for mood disorders in affected communities. This study aims to document the prevalence and risk factors associated with depressive symptoms among a representative sample of individuals affected by EVD.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

The current study was conducted 7 months (March 11, 2019 to April 23, 2019) after the end of the ninth outbreak of EVD in the province of Equateur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Participants

A large population-based sample of 1614 adults (50% women, Mage=34.05; SD=12.55) in health zones affected by the ninth outbreak in DRC.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Participants completed questionnaires assessing EVD exposure level, stigmatisation related to EVD and depressive symptoms. The ORs associated with sociodemographic data, EVD exposure level and stigmatisation were analysed through logistic regressions.

Results

Overall, 62.03% (95% CI 59.66% to 64.40%) of individuals living in areas affected by EVD were categorised as having severe depressive symptoms. The multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that adults in the two higher score categories of exposure to EVD were at two times higher risk of developing severe depressive symptoms (respectively, OR 1.94 (95% CI 1.22 to 3.09); OR 2.34 (95% CI 1.26 to 4.34)). Individuals in the two higher categories of stigmatisation were two to four times more at risk (respectively, OR 2.42 (95% CI 1.53 to 3.83); OR 4.73 (95% CI 2.34 to 9.56)). Living in rural areas (OR 0.19 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.38)) and being unemployed (OR 0.68 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.93)) increased the likelihood of having severe depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Results indicate that depressive symptoms in EVD affected populations is a major public health problem that must be addressed through culturally adapted mental health programs.

Ambivalence toward pregnancy is an important predictor of early pregnancy as documented in diverse Western societies. Inuit women from Nunavik, a northern region of Quebec, Canada, experience a high rate of early pregnancy, yet no study has explored their attitudes toward pregnancy. Grounded in a participatory approach, this study aimed to explore ambivalence toward pregnancy, among other pregnancy-related attitudes, and identify themes underlying ambivalence among young Inuit women from Nunavik. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 women aged 16 to 20 years, who became pregnant during the year preceding the interview. We used an inductive approach to analyse the data. Eleven participants were identified as ambivalent toward pregnancy while three were characterised as having a favourable attitude, and one as unfavourable. Four themes related to ambivalence were identified: the value of childbearing/motherhood; the use of contraceptives; the likelihood of becoming pregnant; and the ideal age to become pregnant. A better understanding of young women’s attitudes toward pregnancy could contribute to the development of culturally relevant programmes to more effectively support adolescents, pregnant adolescents and young mothers, and to lead to better care.

Background: Migrants commonly maintain transnational ties as they relocate and settle in a new country. There is a growing body of research examining transnationalism and health. We sought to identify how transnationalism has been defined and operationalized in migrant health research in high income countries and to document which populations and health and well-being outcomes have been studied in relation to this concept.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). We searched nine electronic databases; no time restrictions were applied. Studies published in English or French in peer-reviewed journals were considered. Studies were eligible if they included a measure of transnationalism (or one of its dimensions; social, cultural, economic, political and identity ties and/or healthcare use) and examined health or well-being.

Results: Forty-seven studies, mainly cross-sectional designs (81%), were included; almost half were conducted in the United States. The majority studied immigrants, broadly defined; 23% included refugees and/or asylum-seekers while 36% included undocumented migrants. Definitions of transnationalism varied according to the focus of the study and just over half provided explicit definitions. Most often, transnationalism was defined in terms of social connections to the home country. Studies and measures mainly focused on contacts and visits with family and remittance sending, and only about one third of studies examined and measured more than two dimensions of transnationalism. The operationalization of transnationalism was not consistent and reliability and validity data, and details on language translation, were limited. Almost half of the studies examined mental health outcomes, such as emotional well-being, or symptoms of depression. Other commonly studied outcomes included self-rated health, life satisfaction and perceived discrimination.

Conclusion: To enhance comparability in this field, researchers should provide a clear, explicit definition of transnationalism based on the scope of their study, and for its measurement, they should draw from validated items/questions and be consistent in its operationalization across studies. To enhance the quality of findings, more complex approaches for operationalizing transnationalism (e.g., latent variable modelling) and longitudinal designs should be used. Further research examining a range of transnationalism dimensions and health and well-being outcomes, and with a diversity of migrant populations, is also warranted.

Highlights
Poor Ebola virus disease (EVD) knowledge is associated to risky rumors, misconceptions, and inappropriate practices.

A large proportion of participants did not have sufficient knowledge on EVD transmission, prevention and treatment methods.

More than half of participants had misconceptions about EVD and were not aware of appropriate practices.

Results will facilitate the development of education programs that should equip them to prevent the spread of the EVD.

In the past decade there has been an increase in focus on the concept of deservingness and how it plays out in debates around health care for migrant populations with precarious legal status. This study uses latent class analysis to identify subtypes of attitudes regarding asylum seeker access to health care and endorsement of support for asylum seeker access to care among 4066 employees of health care institutions in Montreal and Toronto, Canada. Authors identified four classes of attitudes towards asylum seeker access to care named ‘Favorable,’ ‘Opposed,’ ‘Ambivalent/Reactive,’ and ‘Unconcerned/Status quo’. The odds of endorsing access to health care depended on the individual’s class membership of asylum seeker attitude. Although there are segments of the population that overwhelmingly endorse, or reject, asylum seeker access to care, there are important variants in opinions and beliefs. Interventions are needed to engage professionals more ambivalent or opposed to asylum seeker access to care.

Vaccination is a common painful procedure for children. Parents’ concern regarding vaccination pain is a significant driver of vaccine hesitancy. Despite the wealth of evidence-based practices available for managing vaccination pain, parents lack knowledge of, and access to, these strategies. Knowledge translation (KT) tools can communicate evidence-based information to parents, however little is known about what factors influence parents’ use of these tools. A two-page, electronic KT tool on psychological, physical, and pharmacological vaccination pain management strategies for children, was shared with parents as part of a larger mixed methods study, using explanatory sequential design, exploring factors related to uptake of this KT tool. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand what influenced parents’ perceptions of the relevance of the KT tool, as well as their decision as to whether to use the tool.

C’est avec une petite larme au coin de l’oeil que METISS (Migration et Ethnicité dans les Interventions en Santé et en Services sociaux) vous fait ses adieux. Eh oui! Après 28 ans de recherche et de partenariat, l’équipe ferme boutique.

Pour clore cette époque en beauté, nous vous présentons avec beaucoup de fierté une toute dernière publication, les toutes dernières « Entre-vues », qui retracent trois décennies de recherche, d’innovation et de collaboration autour de la thématique de la diversité dans les services sociaux et de santé. Des fondements sur lesquels on peut s’appuyer pour nous propulser vers l’avenir, mais un document à consulter avec un brin de nostalgie tout de même.

Le Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal (CCOMTL) salue l’initiative du Secrétariat aux aînés (SA) du ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) de réitérer l’importance de la lutte contre la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées et est fier de contribuer à cette consultation dans le cadre des travaux d’élaboration du prochain plan d’action 2022- 2027. Le Centre de santé et de services sociaux Cavendish – Centre affilié universitaire, maintenant intégré au CCOMTL depuis 2015, a contribué à l’élaboration et à la mise en œuvre de plusieurs mesures phares des plans d’action précédents. Ces initiatives témoignent de l’engagement continu du gouvernement du Québec, du ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (MSSS) et de son Secrétariat aux ainés à répondre aux préoccupations de la population en continuant à lutter contre la maltraitance et à favoriser la bientraitance envers les personnes aînées dans tous les milieux.
Dans cette continuité, et en vertu de la mission universitaire du CCOMTL en gérontologie sociale, nous avons à cœur d’unir l’expertise et les savoirs issus de la recherche à ceux de la pratique afin d’alimenter la réflexion sur les futures actions du gouvernement. Le modèle unique de collaboration entre nos équipes cliniques, nos centres de recherche et d’expertise et nos partenaires communautaires nous permet d’être à l’affut des besoins des personnes aînées, de développer des connaissances et des pratiques fondées sur les données scientifiques et les meilleures pratiques afin de répondre à ces besoins. Le présent mémoire réunit ainsi la perspective de chercheurs et praticiens-chercheurs du Centre de recherche et d’expertise en gérontologie sociale (CREGÉS) et d’intervenants de la Ligne Aide Abus Aînés (LAAA). Nous avons aussi invité des chercheurs de notre Institut universitaire au regard des communautés ethnoculturelles (IU-SHERPA) à contribuer en vertu de leur expertise en lien avec les personnes aînées issues de l’immigration. Pour la rédaction de ce mémoire, nous avons adopté une conceptualisation large de la maltraitance permettant de faire ressortir les diverses réalités sociales qui sont couramment négligées ou tout simplement ignorées dans le discours public et qui reflète bien les perspectives complémentaires des instances participantes que nous présentons brièvement ci-dessous.

The question of how workers’ compensation systems should account for language barriers is of increasing importance given Canada’s growing linguistic diversity. This study is the first to empirically examine, based on interviews with injured workers and key informants, return-to-work policies and practices through the lens of language barriers. By comparing two jurisdictions, Quebec and Ontario, the study highlights similarities and differences in language accommodation and return-to-work policies and practices that shape the experiences of injured workers with language needs. It argues that gaps in this regard, which are more pronounced in Quebec, contribute to poor return-to-work outcomes for these workers in both provinces.

This paper addresses the well-being of children in Switzerland, Canada and Estonia, as they experienced the lockdown imposed by governments after the state of international public health emergency, declared by the World Health Organization on 30 January 2020. Suspension of school or starting with distance learning, cessation of extracurricular activities, closure of playgrounds, parks, shopping centres and loss of daily contacts with friends completely transformed children’s lives. The surveys conducted by the authors in individual ways, were all inspired by their membership to the Children’s Understandings of Well-Being network and involved the participation of 403 children aged 7–17 years old (229 girls and 174 boys). They present the emerging trends from the children’s narratives focusing on their experience of the lockdown in relation to family life, school life, contacts with friends, and in relation to space, time and self. During the lockdown leisure activities and hobbies, followed by life with friends and school life challenged relational well-being the most, while family life opened up new perspectives and generational solidarity. Staying at home and decreased physical activity impacted on the physical health of children, missing direct contacts with friends and teachers put social relations to test, fear of the virus decreased feeling safe and secure, and the lockdown restricted participation in society. The findings underline the relational nature of their well-being. More in-depth studies are needed to highlight the widening of inequalities and the balance between protection and participation of children.

La modernisation du régime de santé et sécurité du travail représente un besoin vital dans un contexte d’expansion du travail atypique, de l’accentuation des conditions de travail précaires et de l’émergence de l’économie de plateforme. Une modernisation inclusive et exhaustive de
la réglementation entourant les conditions du travail et le régime de sécurité et santé du travail est nécessaire. Cela permettra d’éviter la prolifération de zones grises du travail et l’accroissement d’un vide juridique, et par conséquent, d’empêcher la réduction de la protection des travailleurs et travailleuses les plus vulnérables, dont les immigrants, les réfugiés et les personnes sans statut représentent une partie significative. Personne ne doit être exclu d’une telle démarche. La pandémie nous démontre que le travail précaire des travailleurs et travailleuses (im)migrants les expose à des risques potentiellement fatals de santé et sécurité au travail (Côté, Dubé & Frozzini, 2020, 2021; Tremblay, 2020). Dans cet avis sur les changements proposés par le Projet de loi 59, nous abordons deux grandes catégories de lacunes dans le Projet de loi:

(1) La protection de travailleurs et travailleuses atypique (secteurs du travail
domestique, des agences de placement, de l’économie à la demande et du
télétravail); et

(2) L’accessibilité des mesures de prévention et d’indemnisation en matière de santé et sécurité du travail pour les travailleurs et travailleuses (im)migrants.

The perception of epidemic risk has been associated with the production of narratives in which figures such as villains and heroes emerge. This article critically analyzes social media users’ construction of heroic figures during the 2013–2016 Ebola epidemic. We used international Twitter and Facebook comments as our raw material, collected by key word extraction. A thematic analysis resulted in a descriptive typology of three heroic figures: the martyr, the warrior, and the saviour. Our analysis showed that heroic status (highly associated with willingness to take high risks on behalf of others) was mostly conferred on common individuals and ‘insiders’ living in the Ebola-afflicted communities – often deemed ‘unsung’ – rather than the foreigners frequently heroised in previous crises. We deconstruct this heroisation dynamic, showing that it is a socially strategic move because it is embedded in a potential instrumentalization of heroes. First, this production of ‘everyday heroes’ may encourage the involvement of lay people in the epidemic response, by conveying that anyone can become a health hero. Second, we show that this heroisation process maintains the status quo by encouraging adherence to biomedical discourses, and by individualising the narrative and neglecting the structural changes needed to address the epidemic. Finally, we caution against discourses that seem socially ‘progressive’ but may be used as a smokescreen to hide discriminatory dynamics, and we recommend changes in communication strategies.

The ‘Developmental Origins of Health and Disease’ hypothesis suggests that a healthy trajectory of growth and development in pregnancy and early childhood is necessary for optimal health, development and lifetime well-being. The purpose of this paper is to present the protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating a preconception-early childhood telephone-based intervention with tailored e-health resources for women and their partners to optimise growth and development among children in Canada: a Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (HeLTI Canada). The primary objective of HeLTI Canada is to determine whether a 4-phase ‘preconception to early childhood’ lifecourse intervention can reduce the rate of child overweight and obesity. Secondary objectives include improved child: (1) growth trajectories; (2) cardiometabolic risk factors; (3) health behaviours, including nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep; and (4) development and school readiness at age 5 years.

La télésanté connait un essor fulgurant en ce contexte de pandémie. Or, en cette période d’insécurité mondiale, la santé préventive reprend ses droits. En période de déconfinement, la discipline et la cohésion sociale peuvent se relâcher. Cette enquête sociale vise à décrire un programme d’intervention à distance, réalisé en partenariat avec des locataires de logement communautaire, des infirmières et des étudiantes pour soutenir la littératie en santé au temps de la COVID-19. Le Programme de déconfinement en toute sécurité vise à renforcer les mesures préventives et de soutien avec des groupes en contexte de vulnérabilités économiques et sociales à l’aide de la télésanté. Les infirmières ont développé des pratiques cliniques et psychosociales et renforcé la littératie en santé, soutenant les mesures de santé publique post-COVID-19, surveillant l’éclosion de nouveaux foyers et apaisant les souffrances issues du confinement. À l’aide de cibles de performance des systèmes de santé et d’une perspective de justice sociale, nous avons documenté les défis, les leviers et les menaces à l’usage des pratiques à distance en prévention. Vecteur d’une approche intégrée, la télésanté préventive peut cibler simultanément, la lutte contre les maladies non transmissibles et transmissibles et les inégalités. La pandémie de COVID-19 renvoie à un nouvel équilibre des enjeux qui exige un accompagnement et des pratiques de santé communautaire engagées et critiques.

This brief report explored trends of cigarette smoking among Syrian newcomers in the first two years of resettlement in Canada. 1794 adult Syrian refugees were surveyed about their physical and mental health, and smoking behaviours. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and logistic regressions. Almost 27% of the sample reported cigarette smoking (50% light smokers and 50% moderate/heavy smokers). Light smokers increased and moderate/heavy smokers decreased in the number of cigarettes smoked from year 1 to year 2. Moderate/heavy smokers were more likely to be male and reported higher post-traumatic stress scores, while light smokers reported higher depression scores. Only 14.3% of smokers recalled receiving advice from health care providers in Canada regarding their smoking habits. Healthcare providers should provide tailored advice to everyone who is an active smoker with a specific emphasis on those who have concurrent health issues.

The combined forces of economic globalization and international migration have resulted in specific challenges to palliative care systems. The COVID-19 pandemic has and is still greatly affecting elder populations as well as those across the age continuum living with long-standing chronic conditions or with pre-existing diverse unmet needs. While health promotion and palliative care may appear to be conceptually opposing fields, we argue that palliative care can and should fit under the umbrella of the health promotion continuum. This commentary seeks to discuss the importance of linguistic literacy and communication imperatives in the context of access to palliative care, given the broad, diversified and sensitive scope of care. While the pandemic has demonstrated that the public health responses of migrant host societies are deeply intertwined with policies as well as local rules and constraints, the promotion and provision of safe, timely and appropriate palliative care can be achieved through a sensitive assessment of differential contexts of diversity. The pandemic has painfully illustrated the need for a strong, respectful and equitable working partnership within the professions as well as with the civic society in order for the palliative needs of those exposed to a sustained risk not to be forgotten.

There has been much talk about decolonizing global health lately. The movement, which has arisen in various communities around the world, suggests an interesting critique of the Western dominant model of representations. Building upon the ‘decolonial thinking’ movement from the perspective of Francophone African philosophers, we comment on its potential for inspiring the field of global healthinterventions. Using existing literature and personal reflections, we reflect on two widely known illustrations of global health interventions implemented in sub-Saharan Africa – distribution of contraceptives and dissemination of Ebola virus prevention and treatment devices – featuring different temporal backdrops. We show how these solutions have most often targeted the superficial dimensions of global health problems, sidestepping the structures and mental models that shape the actions and reactions of African populations. Lastly, we question the ways through which the decolonial approach might indeed offer a credible positioning for rethinking global health interventions.

In January 2010, Haiti was hit by a terrible earthquake that pushed thousands of people to migrate. Many of them chose to settle in Quebec, Canada. Years after the earthquake, many Haitians continue to migrate to the Quebec province. Several studies however have shown that this population’s socioeconomic status is lower than the provincial average. Given the potential multiple stressors that affect Haitian migrants in Quebec, there are concerns about their health status.

Located at the intersection of international migration studies and global health, this paper offers an in-depth qualitative investigation of Haitian migrants’ representations of both their situation and self-perceived health in Montreal, Quebec. Our perspective on migrant health was inspired by the World Health Organisation’s framework on the social determinants of health and recent studies in the field of migrant health. We collected and analysed qualitative data from 23 key informants (i.e., 12 women and 11 men, aged 21-76 years old) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The analysis of the data from these people’s narratives revealed the importance of structural determinants such as social position, and intermediate determinants such as living and working conditions. Our analysis also highlighted several interrelations between those determinants. Specifically, participants reported coping with issues related to migrant status, income, occupation, language, and racism, and challenging living and working conditions, and stress. This study underscored the importance of social support brought by relatives, friends, as well as community-based organisations and religious practices.

Our findings were coherent with available literature looking at the determinants of health of racialized and migrant minorities in other high-income regions of the world. Our conclusive remarks featured reflections on three cross-cutting issues and their practical implications for policy and practices.

Access to quality drinking water is a fundamental right. Despite Canada’s wealth of fresh water, many First nations, including the Anishinaabeg, regularly face inequitable access to quality drinking water, a situation that has health, spiritual and cultural consequences. These injustices are a direct result of colonization and the unequal relationship between the Canadian government and First Nations, which has greatly contributed to restricting the traditional role of Anishinaabeg women as water protectors, despite their spiritual and identity connection to water. Nevertheless, these women have shown resilience, which is reflected in a number of initiatives to raise awareness, mobilize and advocate for water protection. In this article, we seek to show that an ecological and sanitary issue, such as the availability of quality drinking water for Indigenous peoples in Canada, is part of a power struggle, past and present, with the federal government and the provinces. Our article aims more specifically at : 1) showing the importance of the lack of availability of drinking water for Indigenous nations ; 2) describing the traditional role of Anishinaabeg women as water protectors ; 3) situating the water issue in its colonial context ; and 4) exploring the various mobilizations led by Indigenous women in response to this historical and political problem.

This commentary aims to provide a glimpse into some of the early and continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our global and public health projects: research in low-resourced settings; research with vulnerable populations, such as asylum seekers, Indigenous communities, children, and mental health service users; and research with healthcare professionals, frontline workers, and health planners. In the early context of restrictions caused by COVID-19, this commentary highlights our research setbacks and challenges, and the ways in which we are adapting research methodologies, while considering ethical implications related to the pandemic and their impacts on conducting global and public health research. As we learn to become increasingly aware of some of our limitations in the face of the pandemic, some positives are also worth highlighting: we are mobilizing our training and research skills to participate in COVID-19 projects and to disseminate knowledge on COVID-19, including through papers such as this one. However, we do acknowledge that these opportunities have not been equitable. Each thematic section of this commentary concludes with key recommendations related to research in the early and continuing context of the COVID-19 pandemic that we believe to be applicable to early- and not-so-early-career researchers working in the global and public health fields.

The pandemic has highlighted the complexity of public health measures and their side effects, the intricacy of the underlying health, social and political phenomena at play as well as their specificity for marginalized minority communities. Based on this experience, this commentary suggests that it would be relevant in the future to develop consultation mechanisms that take into account the entire population, including marginalized minority groups, in order to better inform decision-making processes in times of pandemic. In a context of fluid crisis, any consultation process must take into account the limits of what is possible and mourn the comprehensiveness in favour of repeated iterations of dialogue, mediation and decision-making. This means creating conditions favourable to the consideration of the most vulnerable people and groups’ voices by public authorities. In order to prepare for the next crises, it is necessary to develop strong links between public institutions and communities, both of majorities and minorities, in order to define the mechanisms favouring the emergence of truly inclusive public health, taking into account the physical, mental and social health of the population.

Objectives: We describe the knowledge translation strategies in two projects and share lessons learned about knowledge sharing and uptake.

Methods: To generate findings for dissemination: (1) the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (RCI) project relied on a multiple case study design to document barriers and facilitators to implementing a community-led prevention strategy targeting Ebola virus disease; and (2) the Tunisia project used several designs to assess a mental health training’s effectiveness, and a case study design to explore contextual factors that may influence anticipated outcomes.

Results: To share findings with participants, the RCI project relied on workshops and a pamphlet, and the Tunisia project relied on a structured half-day dissemination workshop and research summary. Facilitators that may have encouraged sharing and using findings include involving champions in dissemination activities, ongoing collaboration, and developing/implementing context-specific knowledge sharing strategies. Barriers include omitting to assess strategies, limited consideration of a wider audience, and the exclusion of a knowledge translation training component.

Conclusions: Our experiences might be useful to contexts involved in global and public health research that wish to address the “know-do gap.”

To help primary care teams improve patient-centered care, we elicited health and life goals of immigrants with a chronic disease. We conducted an exploratory study of the (1) acceptability of home visits by volunteers to collect health information and (2) content of health and life goals within a primary care program for immigrants with chronic disease. Pairs of trained community volunteers visited 23 patients in their homes and asked them to identify three life goals and three health goals. We conducted content analyses of written notes. Health goals were related to disease prevention and symptom control, family well-being, own quality of life, own or family members’ work and/or financial situation. Life goals concerned family well-being, their own quality of life, work/financial situation and health. Given the limited time health professionals have with their patients, trained community volunteers could be important members of primary care teams caring for immigrants.

What factors influence the impact of the crisis associated with COVID-19 on Montreal cultural communities?

Our study indicates that certain groups in cultural communities are made vulnerable by the intersection of multiple economic and social factors, in particular:

• Precarious financial situation;
• Employment in a position at high risk of exposure to COVID ;
• Precarious migration status or lack of status;
• Lack of medical insurance;
• Being allophone;
• Low literacy;
• Being targeted by racism.

These factors may contribute to high levels of infection and psychosocial distress in certain multiethnic, low-income neighbourhoods in Montreal.
Public health policies must take into account the combined impact of these economic, linguistic, sociocultural and migratory factors.