Prevalence and Correlates of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Quebec: Prévalence et corrélats des troubles du spectre de l'autisme au Québec.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence, comorbidities, and service use of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) based on data from Quebec Integrated Chronic Diseases Surveillance System (QICDSS). METHODS: We included all residents up to age 24 eligible for health plan coverage who were in Quebec for at least 1 day from January 1, 1996, to March 31, 2015. To be considered as having an ASD, an individual had to have had at least 1 physician claim or hospital discharge abstract from 2000 to 2015 indicating one of the following ASD diagnosis codes: ICD-9 codes 299.0 to 299.9 or their ICD-10 equivalents. RESULTS: The QICDSS shows that the prevalence of ASD has risen steadily over the past decade to approximately 1.2% ( n = 16,940) of children and youths aged 1 to 17 years in 2014 to 2015. The same prevalence was obtained using Ministry of Education data. Common medical comorbidities included congenital abnormalities of the nervous system, particularly in the first year of life. Psychiatric comorbidity was much more highly prevalent, especially common mental disorders like anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Children and youths with ASDs made on average 2.3 medical visits per year compared with 0.2 in the general population. Between 18 and 24 years old, the mental health needs of individuals with ASDs were met less by medical specialists and more by general practitioners. CONCLUSION: Information derived from this database could support and monitor development of better medical services coordination and shared care to meet the continuous and changing needs of patients and families over time.

Biopsychosocial determinants of pregnancy length and fetal growth.

The causes and mechanisms related to preterm delivery and intrauterine growth restriction are poorly understood. Our objective was to assess the direct and indirect effects of psychosocial and biomedical factors on the duration of pregnancy and fetal growth. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women attending prenatal ultrasound clinics in nine hospitals in the Montérégie region in the province of Quebec, Canada, from November 1997 to May 1998. Prenatal questionnaires were linked with birth certificates. Theoretical models explaining pregnancy length and fetal growth were developed and tested, using path analysis. In order to reduce the number of variables from the questionnaire, a principal component analysis was performed, and the three most important new dimensions were retained as explanatory variables in the final models. Data were available for 1602 singleton pregnancies. The biophysical score, covering both maternal age and the pre-pregnancy body mass index, was the only variable statistically associated with pregnancy length. Smoking, obstetric history, maternal health and biophysical indices were direct predictors of fetal growth. Perceived stress, social support and self-esteem were not directly related to pregnancy outcomes, but were determinants of smoking and the above-mentioned biomedical variables. More studies are needed to identify the mechanisms by which adverse psychosocial factors are translated into adverse biological effects.

[Estimating the Prevalence and Incidence Rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Interprovincial Comparisons]. / Estimation de la prévalence et du taux d'incidence du trouble du spectre de l'autisme (TSA). Comparaison interprovinciale.

Objective The prevalence of diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has risen steadily over time. There is therefore a need for the monitoring of treated ASD for timely policy making. The objective of this study is to report and compare over a 10-year period the prevalence and incidence rate of diagnosed ASD in four Canadian provinces. Methods This study utilized data from the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia with access to linked administrative database sources used in the Canadian Chronic Diseases Surveillance Systems to assess the prevalence and incidence rate of a physician diagnosis of ASD. Estimates were produced using health datasets for outpatient and inpatient care (Med-Echo in Quebec, the Canadian Institute of Health Information Discharge Abstract Database in the three other provinces, plus the Ontario Mental Health Reporting System). Dates of service, diagnosis, and physician specialty were extracted. The target population consisted of all residents aged 24 and under eligible for healthcare coverage under provincial law between 1999 and 2012. To be considered as having ASD, an individual had to have at least one physician claim or hospital discharge abstract indicating one of the following: ICD-9 codes 299.0 to 299.9 or their ICD-10 equivalents, F84.0 to F84.9. The estimates were presented in yearly brackets between 1999-2000 and 2011-2012 by sex and age groups. The main analyses focused on those aged 17 years or less, with the 18 to 24 years group added to show the subsequent progression of the disorder. Results Our findings show that the annual prevalence of ASD rose steadily between 1999 and 2012 in all provinces and for all age groups although this increase varied across Canadian provinces. There were higher annual prevalence estimates in Ontario (4.8 per 1,000) and Nova Scotia (4.2 per 1,000) compared to Quebec (3.0 per 1,000) and Manitoba (2.5 per 1,000), among persons aged 17 years and younger in 2011. As compared to 1999, Quebec and Ontario reported a fivefold and fourfold increase in 2010-2012, the highest among provinces. The prevalence was four times higher in boys than in girls. By age group, the highest prevalence was observed in those aged between 1 to 4 and 5 to 9 years depending on the province. ASD was generally diagnosed before age 10. Incident cases were more frequently diagnosed by pediatricians followed by either psychiatrists or general practitioners depending on the province. Conclusion Our research confirms that ASD has risen steadily in terms of prevalence and incidence rate and that it varies considerably across provinces. It also demonstrates that health administrative databases can be used as registers for ASD. Information derived from these databases could support and monitor development of improved coordination and shared care to meet the continuous and changing needs of patients and families over time. Implication for future research include exploring the etiology of ASD in more recent cohorts as well as investigating the association between variations in health service availability and the prevalence of ASD.

Pregnancy planning and folic acid supplement use: results from a survey in Quebec.

BACKGROUND: To decrease the risk of neural tube defects, all women planning pregnancy or capable of becoming pregnant should take folic acid supplements. The aim of the study was to describe the association between pregnancy planning and vitamin supplement use. METHODS: A total of 1,858 pregnant women registered for a prenatal ultrasound examination in the Montérégie region, Province of Quebec, Canada, completed a questionnaire between November 1997 and May 1998. Pregnancy planning was described by six ordinal variables, which were included in a nonlinear principal component analysis. The main dimension representing the intensity of pregnancy planning was used as the dependent variable in a multivariate linear regression model, and as a basis for assessing vitamin use according to four levels of planning. RESULTS: A majority of women scored high for intensity of pregnancy planning. Planning intensity score increased with age and was higher among women who attended university, had a family income greater than CAD $30,000, and were married. Vitamin use in the period prior to conception occurred with a frequency of 27.5%, increasing moderately with planning intensity scores. Overall, only 13.5% of fetuses were exposed to adequate doses of folic acid. CONCLUSION: A promotion campaign selectively targeting women likely to plan a pregnancy could have a significant impact in reducing neural tube defect incidence.