Cohorts and consortia conference: a summary report (Banff, Canada, June 17–19, 2009)
This discussed how various cohort studies can build a strong network of research.
The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project: building a pan-Canadian research platform for disease prevention
This article outlines the challenges a pan-Canadian cohort to look at cancer and chronic disease. The hope of this cohort will be that it could be a major research platform for the study of disease causation nationally, and internationally. They outlined how they got their participants, which provinces are involved, and how this specific cohort is unique.
Quality, quantity and harmony: the DataSHaPER approach to integrating data across bioclinical studies
The DataSHaPER is being used with CPTP to integrate their data in a way that it can easily be harmonized and pooled together.
The Epidemiology of Weight Perception: Perceived Versus Self-reported Actual Weight Status among Albertan Adults
They analyzed data from the Tomorrow Project from 7436 people in Alberta between the ages of 35-69 which looked at weight perception accuracy. It seemed that women were more accurate about determining whether they were overweight or not, whereas the men were not always aware.
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.