Publications

These publications are examples of research made possible with data from CanPath and its regional cohorts.

2022

Lifestyle factors and lung cancer risk among never smokers in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath)

Authors: Rachel Murphy, Maryam Darvishian, Jia Qi, Yixian Chen, Quincy Chu, Jennifer Vena, Trevor J B Dummer, Nhu Le, Ellen Sweeney, Vanessa DeClercq, Scott A Grandy, Melanie R Keats, Yunsong Cui, Philip Awadalla, Darren R Brenner, Parveen Bhatti

Data from 950 CanPath participants were analyzed to understand why 15-25% of lung cancers occur in never smokers. Researchers found a link between lung cancer risk, sleep, and fruit and vegetable intake amongst never smokers.

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2022

Evaluation of Adiposity and Cognitive Function in Adults

Authors: Sonia S. Anand, Matthias G. Friedrich, Douglas S. Lee, Phillip Awadalla, J. P. Després, Dipika Desai, Russell J. de Souza, Trevor Dummer, Grace Parraga, Eric Larose, Scott A. Lear, Koon K. Teo, Paul Poirier, Karleen M. Schulze, Dorota Szczesniak, Jean-Claude Tardif, Jennifer Vena, Katarzyna Zatonska, Salim Yusuf, Eric E. Smith, the Canadian Alliance of Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM), the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) Study Investigators

Researchers sought to undercover the association between adipose tissue (amount and distribution) and cognitive scores. Using data from 9,189 participants, they found that higher visceral adipose tissue and body fat percentage correlated with increased vascular brain injuries and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as lower cognitive scores.

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2021

Predictors of CRC Stage at Diagnosis among Male and Female Adults Participating in a Prospective Cohort Study: Findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Monica Ghebrial, Michelle L. Aktary, Qinggang Wang, John J. Spinelli, Lorraine Shack, Paula J. Robson, Karen A. Kopciuk

This study aimed to uncover factors associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) at diagnosis in 267 Alberta Tomorrow Project participants. Researchers found that social support, having children, and caffeine intake were strong CRC stage predictors at diagnosis for males. In contrast, CRC family history, pregnancy, hysterectomy, menopausal hormone therapy, Pap test lifetime number, and household physical activity were strong CRC predictors at diagnosis for females.

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2021

A large Canadian cohort provides insights into the genetic architecture of human hair colour

Authors: Frida Lona-Durazo, Marla Mendes, Rohit Thakur, Karen Funderburk, Tongwu Zhang, Michael A. Kovacs, Jiyeon Choi, Kevin M. Brown, Esteban J. Parra 

Researchers performed genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses to garner insight on regulatory mechanisms of hair colour variation and pigmentation biology. 12,996 genotyped CanPath participants were included in this study, along with their self-reported natural hair colour. The researchers fine-mapped significant loci throughout the genome, identifying multiple novel causal variants for hair colour.

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2021

Chronic Disease Surveillance in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project using Administrative Health Data

Authors: Ming Ye, Jennifer Vena, Jeffrey Johnson, Grace Shen-Tu, Dean Eurich

This study linked data from 52,770 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants with Alberta Health data to describe the prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases. Researchers found an increase in chronic diseases among the cohort, especially for cardiovascular diseases and multimorbidity.

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2021

Effect of Cognitive Reserve on the Association of Vascular Brain Injury with Cognition: Analysis of the PURE and CAHHM Studies

Authors: Romella Durrani, Matthias G. Friedrich, Karleen M. Schulze, Philip Awadalla, Kumar Balasubramanian, Sandra Black, Philippe Broet, David Busseuil, Dipika Desai, Trevor Dummer, Alexander Dick, Jason Hicks, Thomas Iype, David Kelton, Anish Kirpalani, Scott A. Lear, Jonathon Leipsic, Wei Li, Cheryl R. McCreary, Alan R. Moody, Michael D. Noseworthy, Grace Parraga, Paul Poirier, Sumathy Rangarajan, Dorota Szczesniak, Andrzej Szuba, Jean-Claude Tardif, Koon Teo, MBBCH, Jennifer E. Vena, Katarzyna Zatonska, Anna Zimny, Douglas S. Lee, Salim Yusuf, Sonia S. Anand, Eric E. Smith

This study sought to determine whether cognitive reserve lessens the correlation between brain injury and cognition. The researchers analyzed data from two population-based studies, including the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Healthy Minds (CAHHM), comprising CanPath national and regional data. They found that brain injury and cognitive reserve are related to cognition, but higher cognitive reserve does not mitigate the harmful effects of brain injury.

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2021

Two approaches for estimating propensity score weights for examining neighbourhood built environment and walking changes

Authors: Chelsea Christie, Jennifer Vena, Christine Friedenreich, Gavin McCormack

Christie et al. created a walkability index using pre- and post-relocation neighbourhood built environment and walking data from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants to examine how walking duration changed with residential relocation. While changes in walkability were not associated with changes in walking, the researchers suggest further research regarding neighbourhood environment changes and other physical activity behaviours.

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2021

Examining the etiology of early-onset breast cancer in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath)

Authors: Joy Pader, Robert Basmadjian, Dylan O'Sullivan, Nicole Mealey, Yibing Ruan, Christine Friedenreich, Rachel Murphy, Edwin Wang, May Lynn Quan, Darren Brenner

The objective of this study was to investigate relationships between modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and early-onset breast cancer among the BC Generations Project, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project and Ontario Health Study. In this study, measures of adiposity, pregnancy history, and familial history of breast cancer are important risk factors for early-onset breast cancer.

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2021

Dietary patterns with combined and site-specific cancer incidence in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project cohort

Authors: Romy Willemsen, Jessica McNeil, Emily Heer, Steven Johnson, Christine Fredenreich, Darren Brenner

This study used data from the Alberta’s Tomorrow Project to examine the association between dietary patterns derived with two methods, and combined and site-specific cancer incidence in Canada.

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2021

Associations between neighbourhood built characteristics and sedentary behaviours among Canadian men and women: findings from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project

Authors: Vikram Nichani, Liam Turley, Jennifer E. Vena, Gavin R. McCormack

This study examined associations between the objective neighbourhood built environment and self-reported sedentary behaviour. Researchers sourced data from 14,785 Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants. 3-way intersections, high population counts, and high walkability resulted in more sitting time, and low connectivity and low walkability resulted in more sitting time in motor vehicles.

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