Identification of behaviour patterns in waste collection and disposal during the first wave of COVID-19 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Richter A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8678524 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is the tendency to sleep at inappropriate times during the day. It can interfere with day-to-day activities and lead to several health issues. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between income, housing conditions, and incidence of EDS in adults living in two Cree First Nations communities. The data for this study involved 317 individuals aged 18 years and older who participated in baseline and follow-up evaluations (after four years) of the First Nations Lung Health Project, which was conducted in Saskatchewan in 2012-2013 and 2016. Both at baseline and follow-up survey after four years, an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score >10 was considered to be abnormal. Logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between abnormal ESS and covariates at baseline. In 2016, 7.6% (24/317) of the participants reported an ESS >10 with the mean being 12.8 ± 2.0. For the same group, the mean ESS at baseline was 6.9 ± 2.2. The incidence of subjective EDS based on the ESS >10 was estimated at 7.6% over four years. This study showed an association between incidence of subjective EDS and less money left over at end of the month, having a house in need of repairs, having water or dampness in the past 12 months, and damage caused by dampness.
| S-EPMC7509673 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The quantities of food waste (FW) are increasing yearly. Proper disposal of FW is essential for reusing value-added products, environmental protection, and human health. Based on the typical characteristics of high moisture content and high organic content of FW, hydrothermal treatment (HTT), as a novel thermochemical treatment technology, plays unique effects in the disposal and utilization of FW. The HTT of FW has attracted more and more attention in recent years, however, there are few conclusive reviews about the progress of the HTT of FW. HTT is an excellent approach to converting energy-rich materials into energy-dense fuels and valuable chemicals. This process can handle biomass with relatively high moisture content and allows efficient heat integration. This mini-review presents the current knowledge of recent advances in HTT of FW. The effects of HTT temperature and duration on organic nutritional compositions (including carbohydrates, starch, lipids, protein, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, etc.) and physicochemical properties (including pH, elemental composition, functional groups, fuel properties, etc.) and structural properties of FW are evaluated. The compositions of FW can degrade during HTT so that the physical and chemical properties of FW can be changed. The application and economic analyses of HTT in FW are summarized. Finally, the analyses of challenges and future perspectives on HTT of FW have shown that industrial reactors should be built effectively, and techno-economic analysis, overall energy balance, and life cycle assessment of the HTT process are necessary. The mini-review offers new approaches and perspectives for the efficient reuse of food waste.
| S-EPMC9512071 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFive hundred milliliter bags of water, referred to as 'sachet water,' are widely used in Liberia, as they are low cost, safe sources of clean drinking water for the population.ObjectivesThis study aims to determine sources of drinking water in the study area, the rate of sachet water use, empty sachet water disposal methods and environmental problems associated with sachet water waste disposal.MethodsUsing a simple random sampling technique, 257 respondents were interviewed between April and June 2018 using structured questionnaires. On a five-point Likert scale with a mean score of 3 as the cutoff point, data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe paper found that sachet water (mean (M)=4.37) is an essential source of drinking water in Liberia with a daily consumption rate of at least 6 bags of sachet water per individual. Affordability, availability, and safety were named by respondents as reasons for their consumption of sachet water. Improper disposal methods practiced by the residents of Liberia included ground littering (M=3.42) and burning (M=3.03).ConclusionsSachet water consumption has contributed to environmental issues such as drainage system clogs, littering of the environment, the death of terrestrial and aquatic animals due to plastic waste consumption, reduction of oxygen for aquatic life and soil infertility. We recommend the creation of policies and enforcement of sachet water production to include reuse and recycling of sachet water by-products as a requirement for licensing of producers, provision of adequate waste bins and the use of public education campaigns to educate residents on environmental best practices.Ethics approvalThis study was approved by the Institute for Population Studies, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia.Informed consentObtained.Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing financial interests.
| S-EPMC6285681 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper uses networks of action situations (NAS) together with actor network theory (ANT) to identify the decisions that were made in Saskatchewan regarding power production and explore what future choices are available in the context of climate change. A theoretical and methodological contribution to NAS literature is made with focus on interconnected human and non-human objects (carbon, hydro, and uranium) or 'actants' and the development of discourses supporting or opposing their development. Actants provide the nodes of focus, while discourses explain the development of actants and their links. Identification and explanation of the emergence and recession of actants on the Saskatchewan landscape are analyzed with diagnostics of telecoupled systems, polycentric governance, and flows of faction situations. Focus group and survey data are used to identify future pathways and imaginaries of power production and the actants of carbon, hydro and uranium. Actants of carbon (coal) and hydro are possibly kept alive with carbon capture and storage and import of hydro-electricity from the distant action situation in a neighboring province (if the necessary infrastructure is built). While actants of renewables are strongly emerging, uranium currently mined on the Saskatchewan landscape is receiving strong support by government due to the possibility of small modular reactors (SMRs). This expanded theoretical conception of NAS illustrates distant action situations impact on local narratives and decision-making and dynamics of polycentric governance that are neither top down nor collaborative.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-022-01214-y.
| S-EPMC9485019 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Enormous amount of protective masks was consumed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and they still burden the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to look for possibilities of their disposal in an ecologically acceptable way. This article focuses on particulate matter produced concerning the energy disposal of pandemic FFP2 masks. These masks were processed into small pieces, added to spruce and beech wood (in the weight proportion 5 % and 10 % of FFP2 masks) and formed into pellets. The concentration of particulate matter formed during their combustion was measured by the gravimetric method. The inorganic elements were detected from filters with captured particulate matter by an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and verified by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. It was found that higher concentrations of particulate matter were recorded predominantly with a higher mass airflow. In both airflows (40 % and 50 %), beech pellets had a higher mass concentration than spruce pellets probably caused by the presence of bark in beech wood. Based on the chemical composition, the following elements in small amounts (0-2 mg on a filter) were identified: K, S, Cl and Fe. High concentrations of harmful elements carried in particulate matter have not been detected. FFP2 masks added in a small percentage (up to 10 %) can be used in wood pellets for combustion purposes without significantly affecting the combustion process.
| S-EPMC10864897 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Water-related health challenges on First Nations reserves in Canada have been previously documented. Our objective was to describe factors associated with self-reported health effects from tap water in 8 First Nations reserve communities in Saskatchewan, Canada. Community-based participatory approaches were used in designing and implementing cross-sectional household surveys. Individual, household, community, and contextual effects were considered in multilevel analysis. Negative health effects from tap water were reported by 28% of households (n = 579). Concerns about environmental factors affecting water quality (odds ratio [OR] = 3.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8-6.7), rarely or never drinking tap water (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.3-6.6), insufficient tap water (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.4-6.3), paying for bottled water (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.2-8.7), and dissatisfaction with tap water were associated with self-reported health effects (n = 393); however, the effect of dissatisfaction was modified by respondent age (P = .03). Quality and availability were associated with perceptions of health effects from drinking water, providing additional information on how ongoing concerns about drinking water influence self-reported health in some First Nations.
| S-EPMC5392108 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Intermediate care units provide a high level of care to complex patients and are becoming increasingly popular in North America. Despite the growing popularity of Intermediate care units, very little is known about them. This study explored a typical Intermediate care unit, identifying patient characteristics including demographics, comorbidities, length of stay, as well as primary and secondary diagnosis and mortality. RESULTS:A total of 200 patients chart were reviewed, of which, 102 were male, and 89 patients were younger than 65 years old. Diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were common among patients with a prevalence of 33.5%, 56%, and 32.5%, respectively. Alcohol use disorder, asthma, liver disease and IV drug abuse were much more common in patients younger than 65 years. The average length of stay was 5.31 days regardless of age. Almost two-thirds of the patients in the Intermediate care unit were admitted directly from the emergency room. The mortality rate among the patients studied was 9.5%. The most common admitting diagnosis was respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or Pneumonia (38.0%), followed by cardiac disorders which were predominantly arrhythmias and congestive heart failure (27.0%).
| S-EPMC7035728 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Epidemiologic, serologic, and molecular phylogenetic methods were used to investigate an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on a broiler breeding farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Results, coupled with data from influenza A virus surveillance of migratory waterfowl in Canada, implicated wild birds as the most probable source of the low pathogenicity precursor virus.
| S-EPMC2819867 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPeritoneal dialysis (PD) is an underutilized, therapeutic option to in-center hemodialysis (HD), given its similar survival and clinical efficacy but provides lifestyle benefits and cost savings. Despite these advantages, PD prevalence rates remains below 20% in many Canadian jurisdictions.ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to identify and assess patient-perceived barriers to PD implementation in Saskatchewan. The secondary objectives were to examine variations in patient-perceived barriers to PD by dialysis units (main dialysis units vs satellite dialysis units) and specific challenges faced by First Nation patients residing on reserves.DesignA cross-sectional observational survey study.SettingTwo major centers (Regina and Saskatoon) and 5 associated satellite units attached to each center across the province of Saskatchewan.PatientsWe approached all prevalent in-center HD patients across Saskatchewan, 366 (49%) agreed to participate in the study.MeasurementsSelf-reported barriers to PD were assessed using a 26-question survey which was created after engagement of our multidisciplinary team.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 740 prevalent in-center HD patients within the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, from June 2018 to January 2019. Around 366 (49%) patients agreed to participate in the study. The questionnaire was designed to capture patients' perceived barriers to PD. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the patients' responses (main dialysis units vs satellite dialysis units, and First Nation reserves vs nonreserves).ResultsOf the 366 patients who completed the survey, 284 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. Patient-reported satisfaction with current in-center HD care was the most common barrier to PD uptake (92%), followed by proximity to their HD unit (61%). A lack of understanding of the benefits/risks of PD, fear of family burden (54% each), and unwillingness to dialyze daily and to learn a new technique (51% each) were additional factors. Patients residing on reserves compared to nonreserve residents felt PD had a higher risk of infection compared to HD (54% vs 34%, P = .005), and felt PD led to suboptimal care (47% vs 31%, P = .021).LimitationsWe used a nonstandardized locally derived questionnaire to quantify barriers, and this prevents inclusion of additional barriers than individual patients may consider important. Cross-sectional data can only be used as a snapshot. Only 366 patients agreed to participate, and the results cannot be generalized to 740 prevalent HD patients. We did not capture data on demographics (age, income, and literacy level), comorbidities, and dialysis vintage, which would have been helpful in interpretation of the results. We did not involve patients, carers, or patients of First Nations heritage, in the design of the survey and the study.ConclusionsThe results of our survey indicate that the major patient-reported barrier to PD uptake in our province is clinical inertia in patients defaulted to in-center HD at the onset of dialysis. Lack of patient awareness and knowledge of PD as a viable treatment modality also figured prominently, as did fears/concerns surrounding the safety, efficacy, and perceived family burden with PD compared with in-center HD.Trial registrationThe study was not registered on a publicly accessible registry because it did not involve any health care intervention on human participants.
| S-EPMC7747106 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCase detection underestimates the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the first COVID-19 wave, we estimated the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among blood donors across Canada.Study design and methodsThis serial cross-sectional study was conducted between May 9 and July 21, 2020 from blood donors donating at all Canadian Blood Services locations. We used the Abbott Architect assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies from retention plasma. Seroprevalence was standardized to population-level demographics and assay characteristics were adjusted using the Rogan-Gladen equation. Results were stratified by region, age, ethnicity, ABO groups, and quantiles of material and social deprivation indices. Temporal trends were evaluated at 2-week intervals. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression compared SARS-CoV-2 reactive to non-reactive donors by sociodemographic variables.ResultsOverall 552/74642 donors, had detectable antibodies, adjusted seroprevalence was 7.0/1000 donors (95% CI; 6.3, 7.6). Prevalence was differential by geography, Ontario had the highest rate, 8.8/1000 donors (7.8, 9.8), compared to the Atlantic region 4.5/1000 donors (2.6, 6.4); adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.2 (1.5, 3.3). Donors that self-identified as an ethnic minority were more likely than white donors to be sero-reactive aOR 1.5 (1.2, 1.9). No temporal trends were observed.DiscussionWorldwide, blood services have leveraged their operational capacity to inform public health. While >99% of Canadians did not show humoral evidence of past infection, we found regional variability and disparities by ethnicity. Seroprevalence studies will continue to play a pivotal role in evaluating public health policies by identifying trends and monitor disparities.
| S-EPMC8013879 | biostudies-literature