Sociodemographic, health and lifestyle characteristics reported by discrete groups of adult dietary supplement users in Alberta, Canada: findings from The Tomorrow Project
The rationale behind this study was to see the differences in sociodemographic, lifestyle, or dietary characteristics exist between the different tpyes of dietary supplements and supplement non-users. They looked at 5067 men and 7439 women and found supplement use was at 69.8%. By dividing participants as supplement users or non-users, it would mask further differences in sociodemographic dietary and lifestyle chracteristics in the various types of supplements.
Factors related to use of prostate cancer screening: the Alberta Tomorrow Project
They wanted to determine the factors with PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in asymptomatic men >50. The study looked at 11000 participants and found 50% of the study group received one or more tests in their lifetime. 58% of those were asymptomatic at the time they took their last test. The study concluded that more men are getting the PSA test which showed that there are other factors other than symptoms that influence people to get tested.
Adaptation and evaluation of the National Cancer Institute’s Diet History Questionnaire and nutrient database for Canadian populations
Alberta particpants completed 13181 Diet History Questionnares to estimate nutrient intakes. 25% of 2411 foods deemed mostly to differ in nutrient profile were subsequently modified for folate, 11% for viatmin D, 10% for calcium/riboflavin, and 7-10% of remaining nutrients of interest.
Reliability and Validity of the Past Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire
The study team assessed how reliable/valid the Past Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire (PYTPAQ) is. They looked at 154 healthy Canadians to assess it’s reliability. Participants wore an accelerometer for 7 days and completed activity logs. They determined that there was a good validity and reliability to this test and it can be compared to similiar questions.
Pharmacogenomic data sample collection and storage: ethical issues and policy approaches
This journal highlighted that CARTaGENE’s data would become more important over time in pharmocogenomic research to find out the association between genetic variations and drug-related effects. The ability of database creators to meet ethical issues will determine how pharmocogenomics can be integrated into mainstream clinical practice.
Population-based cohort development in Alberta, Canada: A feasibility study
This study reached out to 226252 people, where 11865 enrolled . 84% of those people were from Alberta. 97% of the group studied agreed to be linked with healthcare data and 91% agreed they would provide blood samples. This study showed that Alberta could have a very diverse cohort to be studied and examine health outcomes.
Predictors of colorectal cancer screening: a comparison of men and women.
The study found screening for colorectal cancer in average-risk adults was infrequent in this sample and lagged behind screening for other cancers. They suggested that educational programs might afford more success for people to get screened.
Strategies for consulting with the community: The cases of four large-scale genetic databases
This journal outlined how CARTaGENE is taking a partnership approach so that they could get more participation in their studies and better develop their databases.