Rates of out-of-home care among children in Canada: an analysis of national administrative child welfare data. / Taux de placement des enfants hors de leur foyer familial : analyse des données administratives nationales du système de protection de l'enfance au Canada.

INTRODUCTION: As a part of the public health approach to child welfare, data about children placed in out-of-home care are needed to assess population trends, understand drivers of social and health inequities, and examine outcomes for children and families. We analyzed administrative data from Canada to describe the population of children in out-of-home care, and estimate and compare rates of out-of-home care by province/territory, year, sex/gender, age group and placement type. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of point-in-time data from all provinces and territories for the period 2013/2014 to 2021/2022. We used frequencies and percentages to describe the population of children (and youth up to age 21 years) in out-of-home care and estimated overall and stratified rates and rate ratios. RESULTS: An estimated 61 104 children in Canada were in out-of-home care on 31 March 2022. The national rate of out-of-home care was 8.24 children per 1000 population. Rate variations by province/territory were substantial and changed over time. Rates were highest among males and children aged 1 to 3 and 16 to 17 years. Foster homes were the most common type of placement, although kinship homes accounted for an increasing share. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrated that administrative data can be used to generate national indicators about children involved in the child welfare system. These data can be used for tracking progress towards health and social equity for children and youth in Canada.

A cross-sectional study of community-level physician retention and hospitalization in rural Ontario, Canada.

PURPOSE: Many rural communities experience poor family physician retention. We examined the association between community-level physician retention and hospitalization for all causes and ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in 2017 among residents of rural communities in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study by linking administrative data from the public health insurance program in Ontario. To create the physician retention measure for each rural community, we divided the number of family physicians who worked in the community in both 2016 and 2017 by the total number of unique family physicians in the community in either year. We grouped retention level by tertile and added a fourth category, "no physician" to include communities that did not have any residing physicians in either 2016 or 2017. Outcomes were all-cause hospitalization and ACSC hospitalization between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018. FINDINGS: Among 1,436,794 rural residents, there were 93,752 all-cause hospitalizations and 8,691 ACSC hospitalizations in 2017. After controlling for other predictors, compared to residents in low-retention communities, residents of medium- and high-retention communities were 0.888 (95% CI: 0.868-0.909) and 0.937 (95% CI: 0.915-0.960) times as likely to have all-cause hospitalization, and residents of high-retention communities were 0.918 (95% CI: 0.858-0.981) times as likely to have ACSC hospitalization in 2017. CONCLUSIONS: Community-level physician retention is significantly associated with all cause and ACSC hospitalization in rural communities in Ontario, and may serve as an alternate measure to assess the impact of disrupted continuity of care.

Impact of Ontario's Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System on emergency department visits for heat-related illness in Ontario, Canada: a population-based time series analysis.

INTERVENTION: Ontario's Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System (HWIS) brings harmonized, regional heat warnings and standard heat-health messaging to provincial public health units prior to periods of extreme heat. RESEARCH QUESTION: Was implementation of the harmonized HWIS in May 2016 associated with a reduction in emergency department (ED) visits for heat-related illness in urban locations across Ontario, Canada? METHODS: We conducted a population-based interrupted time series analysis from April 30 to September 30, 2012-2018, using administrative health and outdoor temperature data. We used autoregressive integrated moving average models to examine whether ED rates changed following implementation of the harmonized HWIS, adjusted for maximum daily temperature. We also examined whether effects differed in heat-vulnerable groups (≥65 years or <18 years, those with comorbidities, those with a recent history of homelessness), and by heat warning region. RESULTS: Over the study period, heat alerts became more frequent in urban areas (6 events triggered between 2013 and 2015 and 14 events between 2016 and 2018 in Toronto, for example). The mean rate of ED visits was 47.5 per 100,000 Ontarians (range 39.7-60.1) per 2-week study interval, with peaks from June to July each year. ED rates were particularly high in those with a recent history of homelessness (mean rate 337.0 per 100,000). Although rates appeared to decline following implementation of HWIS in some subpopulations, the change was not statistically significant at a population level (rate 0.04, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.1, p=0.278). CONCLUSION: In urban areas across Ontario, ED encounters for heat-related illness may have declined in some subpopulations following HWIS, but the change was not statistically significant. Efforts to continually improve HWIS processes are important given our changing Canadian climate.

RéSUMé: INTERVENTION: Le système d'avertissement et d'information de chaleur harmonisé pour l'Ontario (SAIC) transmet des alertes régionales harmonisées sur la chaleur et des messages normalisés sur la chaleur et la santé aux unités de santé publique provinciales, avant les périodes de chaleur extrême. QUESTION DE RECHERCHE: La mise en œuvre du SAIC harmonisé en mai 2016 a-t-elle été associée à une réduction des visites aux urgences pour des maladies liées à la chaleur dans les zones urbaines de l'Ontario, au Canada? MéTHODES: Nous avons effectué une analyse de séries chronologiques interrompues basée sur la population du 30 avril au 30 septembre, 2012­2018, en utilisant des données administratives sur la santé et la température extérieure. Nous avons utilisé des modèles autorégressifs à moyenne mobile intégrée pour examiner si le taux de visites des urgences avait changé après la mise en œuvre du SAIC harmonisé, ajusté pour tenir compte de la température maximale quotidienne. Nous avons également examiné si les effets différaient pour les groupes vulnérables à la chaleur (≥65 ans ou <18 ans, les personnes ayant des comorbidités et les personnes avec un passé récent de sans-abri), et selon la région d'alerte de chaleur. RéSULTATS: Au cours de la période d'étude, les alertes de chaleur sont devenues plus fréquentes dans les zones urbaines (6 événements déclenchés entre 2013 et 2015 et 14 événements déclenchés entre 2016 et 2018 à Toronto, par exemple). Le taux moyen de visites aux urgences était de 47,5 pour 100 000 Ontariens (de 39,7 à 60,1) par intervalle de deux semaines, avec des pointes chaque année en juin et juillet. Le taux de visites aux urgences était particulièrement élevé chez les personnes avec un passé récent de sans-abri (taux moyen de 337,0 pour 100 000). Malgré une baisse du taux après la mise en œuvre du SAIC dans certaines sous-populations, le changement n'était pas statistiquement significatif au niveau de la population (taux 0,04, IC 95 % : -0,03 à 0,1, p=0,278). CONCLUSION: Dans les zones urbaines de l'Ontario, le nombre de consultations aux urgences pour des maladies liées à la chaleur a diminué dans certaines sous-populations après la mise en place du SAIC, mais le changement n'était pas statistiquement significatif. Les efforts visant à améliorer continuellement les processus du SAIC sont importants compte tenu de l'évolution du climat canadien.

Trends in basal insulin prescribing in older adults with chronic kidney disease in Ontario, Canada: A population-based analysis from 2010 to 2020.

AIM: To examine trends in basal insulin prescribing in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based study of adults aged 66 years or older with treated diabetes from 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2020 in Ontario, Canada. We examined prevalent and incident prescriptions for human NPH, Levemir, glargine-100, Basaglar, glargine-300, and degludec insulin over 43 study intervals. We present trends in those with CKD, and in a subgroup, by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). To provide context for prescribing, we provide demographics, co-morbidities, and the healthcare utilization of included patients. RESULTS: In CKD, use of basal insulin was about 2-fold higher than in the general treated diabetes cohort. Prescriptions for NPH declined over time, while prescriptions for Levemir and glargine-100 increased until 2018 then decreased. Following drug formulary approval (September 2018), prescriptions for glargine-300 and degludec increased substantially. Incident prescriptions for basal insulin in CKD declined over time; however, in those with an eGFR of less than 30 ml/min/1.73m2 , rates remained stable. In recent years, rates of degludec and glargine-300 have rivalled glargine-100. CONCLUSIONS: In an era of new oral and injectable diabetes medications, the use of basal insulin has declined in older adults with CKD. However, in those with more advanced CKD, basal insulin, particularly newer analogues, remain a mainstay treatment.

Providing diabetes education to patients with chronic kidney disease: A survey of diabetes educators in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have complex diabetes care needs. Diabetes educators can play an important role in their clinical care. AIM: To understand diabetes educators' experience providing diabetes support to patients with CKD and elicit their view on the additional care needs of this population. METHODS: We conducted a quantitative online survey of diabetes educators between May 2019 and May 2020. We surveyed English-speaking educators actively practicing in Ontario, Canada for at least 1 year. We recruited them through provincial Diabetes Education Programs and Diabetes Education Section Chairs of Diabetes Canada. RESULTS: We made email contact with 219/233 (94%) Diabetes Education Programs and 11/12 (92%) provincial Diabetes Canada Section Chairs. 122 unique diabetes educators submitted complete surveys (survey participation rate ∼79%). Most worked in community education programs (91%). Almost half were registered nurses (48%), and 39% had practiced for more than 15 years. Respondents noted difficulty helping patients balance complex medical conditions (19%), faced socioeconomic barriers (17%), and struggled to provide dietary advice (16%). One-third were uncertain of how to support those receiving dialysis. Eighty-five percent felt they needed more training and education to care for this high-risk group. When asked about the care needs of patients with CKD, almost all (90%) felt that patients needed more diabetes support in general. Improvement in care coordination was most commonly suggested (38%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study of the diabetes educators' experience treating patients with diabetes and CKD, respondents noted numerous challenges. There may be opportunities to better support both diabetes care professionals, and patients who live with multiple medical comorbidities.

The association between endocrine therapy use and osteoporotic fracture among post-menopausal women treated for early-stage breast cancer in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The use of endocrine therapy for early-stage breast cancer, particularly aromatase inhibitor therapy has been associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture in clinical trials. We sought to validate this observation in real-world practice. METHODS: We used health administrative data collected from post-menopausal women (aged ≥66 years) who were diagnosed with breast cancer and started on adjuvant endocrine therapy from 2005 to 2012. Patients were classified by use of either an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen and followed until 2017 for a new diagnosis of an osteoporotic fracture. A multivariable analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model was adjusting for age, medical co-morbidities, medication use and duration of endocrine therapy. RESULTS: We identified 12,077 patients of whom 73% were treated with an aromatase inhibitor as compared to 27% with tamoxifen. Our multivariable analysis did not demonstrate any significant difference in the rate of osteoporotic fracture between patients treated with an aromatase inhibitor when compared with tamoxifen [Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.96-1.23, p-value = 0.18]. The 5-year rate of osteoporotic fracture for patients treated with either an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen was 7.5% and 6.9%, respectively. A completed sensitivity analysis did observe a decreased risk of fracture associated with tamoxifen usage over time. CONCLUSION: We could not detect a significant difference in the rate of osteoporotic fracture among patients treated with an aromatase inhibitor versus tamoxifen. Nonetheless, the risk with tamoxifen was numerically lower and significantly decreased when accounting for total duration of endocrine therapy.

Incidence, predictors and patterns of care of patients with very severe hypertriglyceridemia in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of severe (S-HTG) and very severe hypertriglyceridemia (VS-HTG) among Canadians is unknown. This study aimed to determine the incidence, characteristics, predictors and care patterns for individuals with VS-HTG. METHODS: Using linked administrative healthcare databases, a population-based cohort study of Ontario adults was conducted to determine incidence of new onset S-HTG (serum triglycerides (TG) > 10-20 mmol/L) and VS-HTG (TG > 20 mmol/L) between 2010 and 2015. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of those with VS-HTG were compared to those who had no measured TG value > 3 mmol/L. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine predictors for VS-HTG. Healthcare patterns were evaluated for 2 years following first incidence of TG > 20 mmol/L. RESULTS: Incidence of S-HTG and VS-HTG in Ontario was 0.16 and 0.027% among 10,766,770 adults ≥18 years and 0.25 and 0.041% among 7,040,865 adults with at least one measured TG, respectively. Predictors of VS-HTG included younger age [odds ratios (OR) 0.64/decade, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.62-0.66], male sex (OR 3.83; 95% CI 3.5-4.1), diabetes (OR 5.38; 95% CI 4.93-5.88), hypertension (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.54-1.86), chronic liver disease (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.48-1.97), alcohol abuse (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.90-3.19), obesity (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.13-1.98), and chronic kidney disease (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.19-1.63). CONCLUSION: The 5-year incidence of S-HTG and VS-HTG in Canadian adults was 1 in 400 and 1 in 2500, respectively. Males, those with diabetes, obese individuals and those with alcohol abuse are at highest risk for VS-HTG and may benefit from increased surveillance.

Childhood food insecurity and incident asthma: A population-based cohort study of children in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Childhood food insecurity has been associated with prevalent asthma in cross-sectional studies. Little is known about the relationship between food insecurity and incident asthma. METHODS: We used administrative databases linked with the Canadian Community Health Survey, to conduct a retrospective cohort study of children <18 years in Ontario, Canada. Children without a previous diagnosis of asthma who had a household response to the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) were followed until March 31, 2018 for new asthma diagnoses using a validated administrative coding algorithm. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to examine the association between food insecurity and incident asthma, and adjusted models sequentially for clinical and clinical/socioeconomic risk factors. As additional analyses, we examined associations by HFSSM respondent type, severity of food insecurity, and age of asthma diagnosis. Moreover, we assessed for interaction between food security and child's sex, household smoking status, and maternal asthma on the risk of incident asthma. RESULTS: Among the 27,746 included children, 5.1% lived in food insecure households. Over a median of 8.34 years, the incidence of asthma was 7.33/1000 person-years (PY) among food insecure children and 5.91/1000 PY among food secure children (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.24, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.54, p = 0.051). In adjusted analyses associations were similar (HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.47, p = 0.24 adjusted for clinical risk factors, HR 1.24, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.60, p = 0.09 adjusted for clinical/socioeconomic factors). Associations did not qualitatively change by HFSSM respondent type, severity of food insecurity, and age of asthma diagnosis. There was no evidence of interaction in our models. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecure children have numerous medical and social challenges. However, in this large population-based study, we did not observe that childhood food insecurity was associated with an increased risk of incident asthma when adjusted for important clinical and socioeconomic confounders.

Evaluating the association between extreme heat and mortality in urban Southwestern Ontario using different temperature data sources.

Urban areas have complex thermal distribution. We examined the association between extreme temperature and mortality in urban Ontario, using two temperature data sources: high-resolution and weather station data. We used distributed lag non-linear Poisson models to examine census division-specific temperature-mortality associations between May and September 2005-2012. We used random-effect multivariate meta-analysis to pool results, adjusted for air pollution and temporal trends, and presented risks at the 99th percentile compared to minimum mortality temperature. As additional analyses, we varied knots, examined associations using different temperature metrics (humidex and minimum temperature), and explored relationships using different referent values (most frequent temperature, 75th percentile of temperature distribution). Weather stations yielded lower temperatures across study months. U-shaped associations between temperature and mortality were observed using both high-resolution and weather station data. Temperature-mortality relationships were not statistically significant; however, weather stations yielded estimates with wider confidence intervals. Similar findings were noted in additional analyses. In urban environmental health studies, high-resolution temperature data is ideal where station observations do not fully capture population exposure or where the magnitude of exposure at a local level is important. If focused upon temperature-mortality associations using time series, either source produces similar temperature-mortality relationships.

Opportunities To Improve Diabetes Care in the Hemodialysis Unit: A Cohort Study in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Patients with diabetes receiving chronic, in-center hemodialysis face healthcare challenges. We examined the prevalence of gaps in their diabetes care, explored regional differences, and determined predictors of care gaps. Methods: We conducted a population-based, retrospective study between January 1, 2016 and January 1, 2018 in Ontario, Canada. We included adults with prevalent diabetes mellitus receiving in-center hemodialysis as of January 1, 2018 and examined the proportion with (1) insufficient or excessive glycemic monitoring, (2) suboptimal screening for diabetes-related complications (retinopathy and cardiovascular screening), (3) hospital encounters for hypo- or hyperglycemia, and (4) hospital encounters for hypertension in the 2 years prior (January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2018). We then identified patient, provider, and health-system factors associated with more than one care gap and used multivariable logistic regression to determine predictors. Further, we used geographic information systems to explore spatial variation in gaps. Results: There were 4173 patients with diabetes receiving in-center hemodialysis; the mean age was 67 years, 39% were women, and the majority were of lower socioeconomic status. Approximately 42% of patients had more than one diabetes care gap, the most common being suboptimal retinopathy screening (53%). Significant predictors of more than one gap included younger age, female sex, shorter duration of diabetes, dementia, fewer specialist visits, and not seeing a physician for diabetes. There was evidence of spatial variation in care gaps across our region. Conclusions: There are opportunities to improve diabetes care in patients receiving in-center hemodialysis, particularly screening for retinopathy. Focused efforts to bring diabetes support to high-risk individuals might improve their care and outcomes.

Is Prosocial Behavior Associated With Increased Registration for Deceased Organ Donation? A Cross-sectional Study of Ontario, Canada.

A community that promotes prosocial behaviors such as organ donor registration or charitable giving could reinforce those behaviors among its residents. Understanding the nature of the relationship between prosocial behaviors at the community level and an individual's decision to engage in prosocial behavior can help in the targeting of communities with lower rates of prosocial activities. The objective of this study was to assess if the likelihood that an individual is a registered deceased organ donor in Ontario, Canada, is associated with community-level charitable giving. METHODS: This cross-sectional population-based study involved individual- and community-level data from multiple administrative data sources from ICES and Statistics Canada. To assess the unadjusted and adjusted effects of community-level charitable giving on organ donor registration, we ran 4 sequential multilevel random intercept logistic regression models and used a number of individual- and community-level confounding factors. RESULTS: Statistically significant between-community variance (0.322, SE = 0.020) and interclass correlation coefficient (0.089) suggest that substantial variation in organ donor registration can be attributed to the between-community differences. Community-level charitable giving was correlated with organ donor registration (odds ratios, 1.351; 95% confidence intervals, 1.245-1.466) in the model containing only individual-level confounding factors. However, this relationship became statistically nonsignificant (odds ratios, 0.982; 95% confidence intervals, 907-1.063) when a series of community-level confounding factors were added to the model. Among these confounding factors, individuals' immigration status and community-level ethnic/immigrant concentration had the most pronounced association with organ donor registration. CONCLUSION: The identification of the characteristics of populations and communities with low organ donor registration rates may inform future initiatives in the area of organ donation awareness and promotion to make them more effective among those particular groups.

Bisphosphonate and denosumab initiation in older adults in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cohort study.

We provide an update on how commonly prescribed osteoporosis therapies are being initiated in older adults in Ontario. Patients newly prescribed denosumab are older, more often female, and have more comorbidities than those prescribed bisphosphonates. Their characteristics, monitoring, and persistence with prescribed therapy differ from clinical trial participants. Real-world studies on oral bisphosphonates and denosumab might be valuable. PURPOSE: To provide a contemporary view on oral bisphosphonate and denosumab prescribing to older adults in routine care. METHODS: Using linked healthcare databases, we conducted a population-based cohort study of adults ≥ 66 years newly prescribed oral bisphosphonates or denosumab between February 2013 and March 2017 in Ontario, Canada. We captured their clinical characteristics, monitoring, and continuous use of prescribed therapies. We illustrate how "real-world" new users of bisphosphonates and denosumab differ from randomized controlled trial (RCT) participants. RESULTS: There were 107,847 individuals newly prescribed oral bisphosphonates (n = 59,996) or denosumab (n = 47,851) over the study period. Compared with new users of oral bisphosphonates, denosumab users were older (mean age 79.1 vs. 75.7 years), more often female (97.2 vs. 71.8%), from non-rural areas (93.9 vs. 89.9%), and resided in long-term care (10.9 vs. 3.3%). They had more comorbidities including dementia, falls, and fractures. Following their new prescription, denosumab users had more frequent testing of serum calcium. Duration of continuous use of denosumab was longer than bisphosphonates, and more bisphosphonate users had evidence of treatment discontinuation (56.7 bisphosphonate vs. 33.8% denosumab users discontinued therapy at 365 days). Compared with RCT participants, a higher proportion of "real-world" bisphosphonate and denosumab users had comorbidities including advanced kidney disease. CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics and monitoring of new users of bisphosphonates and denosumab generally align with practice guidelines, product monographs, and drug reimbursement criteria. Given differences between real-world users and RCT participants, there may be a role for safety and effectiveness studies of bisphosphonates and denosumab in routine care.

Exploration of the spatial patterns and determinants of asthma prevalence and health services use in Ontario using a Bayesian approach.

The purpose of this study was to examine the spatial variability of asthma outcomes in Ontario, Canada and broad environmental factors that contribute to this variability. Age-/sex-standardized asthma prevalence and health services use rates (2003-2013) were obtained from a provincial cohort of asthma patients. Employing an ecological-level study design, descriptive and Bayesian spatial regression analyses were used to examine patterns of asthma outcomes and their relationship to physical environment, socioeconomic environment and healthcare factors. Significant spatial variation in asthma outcomes was found between southern urban/suburban areas and northern/rural areas. Rurality was found to have a substantial effect on all asthma outcomes, except hospitalizations. For example, the most rural areas were associated with lower asthma prevalence and physician visits [RR = 0.708, 95% credible interval (CI): 0.636-0.795 and RR = 0.630, 95% CI: 0.504-0.758, respectively], and with higher ED visits (RR = 1.818, 95% CI: 1.194-2.858), when compared to urban areas. Strong associations were also found between material deprivation and ED visits (RR = 1.559, 95% CI: 1.358-1.737) and hospitalizations (RR = 1.259, 95% CI: 1.143-1.374). Associations between asthma outcomes and environmental variables such as air pollution and temperature were also found. Findings can be expected to inform the development of improved public health strategies, which take into account local environmental, socioeconomic and healthcare characteristics.