COVID-19 in correctional facilities in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective epidemiological analysis from 15 January 2020 to 31 December 2022.

PURPOSE: The physical environment of correctional facilities promote infectious disease transmission and outbreaks. The purpose of this study is to compare the COVID-19 burden between the correctional facility (incarcerated individuals and staff members) and non-correctional facility population in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: All individuals in Ontario with a laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022 and entered into the provincial COVID-19 data were included. Cases were classified as a correctional facility case (living or working in a correctional facility) or a non-correctional facility case. COVID-19 vaccination status was obtained from the provincial COVID-19 vaccine registry. Statistics Canada census data were used to calculate COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates for incarcerated cases and the non-correctional facility population. FINDINGS: Between 15 January 2020 and 31 December 2022, there were 1,550,045 COVID-19 cases in Ontario of which 8,292 (0.53%) cases were reported in correctional (63.8% amongst incarcerated individuals, 18.6% amongst staff and 17.7% amongst an unknown classification) and 1,541,753 (99.47%) were non-correctional facility cases. Most cases in correctional facilities were men (83.8%) and aged 20-59 years (93.1%). COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates were generally higher among incarcerated individuals compared to the non-correctional facility population throughout the study period. COVID-19 incidence peaked in January 2022 for both the correctional facility population (21,543.8 per 100,000 population) and the non-correctional facility population (1915.1 per 100,000 population). The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked for the correctional facility population aged 20-59 in March 2021 (70.7 per 100,000 population) and in April 2021 for the non-correctional facility population aged 20-59 (19.8 per 100,000 population). A greater percentage of incarcerated individuals (73.0%) were unvaccinated at time of their COVID-19 diagnosis compared to the non-correctional facility population (49.3%). Deaths amongst correctional facility cases were rare (0.1%, 6 / 8,292) compared to 1.0% of non-correctional facility cases (n = 15,787 / 1,541,753). ORIGINALITY/VALUE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals incarcerated in correctional facilities in Ontario had higher COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates compared to the non-correctional facility population. These results support prioritizing incarcerated individuals for public health interventions to mitigate COVID-19 impacts in correctional facilities.

Incidence of outbreak-associated COVID-19 cases by industry in Ontario, Canada, 1 April 2020-31 March 2021.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to estimate the rate of workplace outbreak-associated cases of COVID-19 by industry in labour market participants aged 15-69 years who reported working the majority of hours outside the home in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of COVID-19 workplace outbreaks and associated cases reported in Ontario between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021. All outbreaks were manually classified into two-digit North American Industry Classification System codes. We obtained monthly denominator estimates from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey to estimate the incidence of outbreak-associated cases per 100 000 000 hours among individuals who reported the majority of hours were worked outside the home. We performed this analysis across industries and in three distinct time periods. RESULTS: Overall, 12% of cases were attributed to workplace outbreaks among working-age adults across our study period. While incidence varied across the time periods, the five industries with the highest incidence rates across our study period were agriculture, healthcare and social assistance, food manufacturing, educational services, and transportation and warehousing. CONCLUSIONS: Certain industries have consistently increased the incidence of COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic. These results may assist in ongoing efforts to reduce transmission of COVID-19 by prioritising resources, as well as industry-specific guidance, vaccination and public health messaging.

The integrated role of multiple healthy weight behaviours on overweight and obesity among adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study contributes to the limited number of studies that have explored the impact of not meeting the recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, screen time, fruit and vegetable consumption and sleep on overweight and obesity among adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of data from the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), a provincially representative survey of students in publically funded schools in Ontario, Canada, was conducted. This study included self-reported data from students aged 11-17 years (n = 9866). The main outcome variable was overweight or obesity, classified using WHO BMI cut-points. Four independent variables for healthy weight behaviours were examined: (1) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (≥ 60 mins vs. < 60 mins everyday over the last seven days); (2) screen time (< 2 h daily vs. ≥ 2 h daily); (3) fruit and vegetable consumption (≥ 5 times/day vs. < 5 times/day); (4) sleep (adequate based on guidelines vs. inadequate). Covariates included sex, age, Subjective Social Status (SSS), parental education and ethnicity. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to determine whether not meeting the recommendations for healthy weight behaviours was associated with overweight or obesity status. RESULTS: Only 2% of students in Ontario met the recommendations for all four healthy weight behaviours and 33% of students did not meet any of the four recommendations. In both the binomial and multinomial models, not meeting the recommendations for MVPA was the only significant healthy weight behaviour associated with both overweight and obesity (AOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03-1.62), and solely obesity (AOR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.05-1.99). Males, students with lower SSS ratings, and students with parents with an education of 'High School' or less were also at significantly greater odds of being obese. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study show that inadequate levels of MVPA is a critical behavioural predictor of obesity status in adolescents between the ages of 11-17 years, after controlling for differences in screen time, fruit and vegetable consumption, sleep, and demographics. Findings from this study could have implications toward policies and programs targeted at reducing obesity, and increasing the physical activity rates of adolescents.