Diet quality and risk factors for cardiovascular disease among South Asians in Alberta.
A retrospective analysis of data collected from 140 South Asian adults participating in the Alberta’s Tomorrow Project was conducted. Dietary intake was assessed using a questionnaire and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was used an indicator of overall diet quality and adherence to dietary recommendations made by Health Canada. Central obesity (70%), hypercholesterolemia (27%), and hypertension (14%) were predominant health conditions observed in the study participants.
Central body fatness is a stronger predictor of cancer risk than overall body size
They wanted to see the relationship between body size and weight distribution for cancer risk. They had a sample size of 26607 and determined that men have a 33% increased risk of cancer, while women have 22% increased risk. Essentially central adiposity appears to be a strong predictor of all-cancer risk than actual body size.
Systemic use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes in adults: A nested case‐control study of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
The study looked at the relationship between use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes. For this study they did a case control assessment and used logistical regression to determine the relationship between diabetes and antibitoics. They looked at 1676 cases and 13401 controls. They found 17.9% received more than 5 courses of antibiotics compared to 13.8% of controls. They found after adjusting for clinical and difficult-to-capture lifestyle data we found no association between systemic use of antibiotics and risk of diabetes.
Patterns and predictors of adherence to colorectal cancer screening recommendations in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants stratified by risk
The research team wanted to determine how colorectal cancer screening was relevant to modifiable behavior for cancer control. They looked at 9641 particpants and were grouped based on their age, family history, and etiology. Screening status was compared between enrollment and follow up to determine a screening pattern over time. It was determined that 77% of participants fell into an average-risk level, based on their age. However 90+% of people were at a higher risk based on their family history status. Many people did not do their CRC screening (less than 50%). They would have to take a closer look at the risk strata to determine how bad the risk is.
Diet quality is associated with reduced incidence of cancer and self-reported chronic disease: Observations from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
This study looked at food quality and how it is associated with risk of cancer and chronic disease. There were 25169 participants enrolled and it was found that the better the diet quality, the lower the risk of cancer.
Changes in body mass index and incidence of diabetes: A longitudinal study of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project Cohort
The study objective was to figure out the association between BMI changes over a given period of time, and the number of new diabetes cases. When there was a BMI increase, there was a higher risk of developing diabetes and with the BMI reduction, there was lower risk of diabetes. This was the case for the those who were overweight, there was no association with underweight or normal BMI populations.
Self-Report Dietary Assessment Tools Used in Canadian Research: A Scoping Review
This study did a scoping review of the literature using several search engines. They looked at different food frequencies and 24 recalls. Dietary was a big measurement of this study and they said that ways to improve the application of current evidence on best practices in dietary assessment have the potential to support a stronger literature for diet and health.
Lessons from Studies to Evaluate an Online 24-Hour Recall for Use with Children and Adults in Canada
This team looked at the Automated Self-Administered 24-h assessment tool and looked at 5 studies that looked at feasibility and accessibility There was a high acceptance of ADA24 in diverse samples but it was not always intuitive for everyone (kids and older adults).
Alberta’s Tomorrow Project: adherence to cancer prevention recommendations pertaining to diet, physical activity and body size
This article explored a cross sectional adherence to preventing cancer. They were scored on a scale of 0-7, 0 being the least and 7 being the most. 14% of the people had scores of 5 or more, and 60% had scores of 3 or less. This means that adherence to cancer prevention is quite low in this study.
Alcohol consumption and low-risk drinking guidelines among adults: a cross-sectional analysis from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project
This article sought to determine how alcohol consumption affects the health of Alberta cohort participants and how it would be related to cancer prevention. They collected data from 26842 participants who self-reported. About 14% of men and 12% of women were over the recommened alcohol intake.Volume of consumption was positvely associated with current tobacco use in men and women. Many people drink despite the health risks, and lower drinking may reduce risks .