Preparing for the Bomb: The Development of Civil Defence Policy in Canada, 1948–1963

During the period 1948 to 1963 civil defence in Canada developed in a number of stages that reflected changes in technology, weaponry and scientific discovery. The first stage of development, roughly between 1948 and 1952, witnessed only minor developments. Civil defence followed the Second World War practice, with a focus on air raid shelters and, if possible, evacuation. In the years 1952 to 1954 as the possibility of a nuclear attack became more real as a result of the Soviet development of intercontinental bombers, civil defence officials moved towards a policy of mass evacuation of target areas and the rescue of survivors. The detonation of a hydrogen bomb and the discovery of radioactive fallout in 1954 led to yet another change in civil defence plans. Civil defence officials became more convinced that mass evacuation of target areas was the answer, however, fallout shelters were also recommended for those areas outside the target area likely to be blanketed with radioactive debris. In the late 1950s and into the early 1960s civil defence again had to be redefined as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) were developed and evacuation was no longer possible as nuclear attack could occur virtually without warning

Reliability reconsidered: Cronbach's alpha and paediatric assessment in occupational therapy

Background / aim: Using reliable outcome measures is a necessity for the occupational therapy profession in enabling valid assessments of clients. Although Cronbach’s alpha is the most widely applied index of internal consistency reliability, there are misconceptions about its use and interpretation. This paper aims to guide assessment developers in paediatric occupational therapy, as well as practitioners who are evaluating outcome measures in using and interpreting the Cronbach’s alpha estimates appropriately. This will enable them to decide on the tools’ clinical value and incorporate them into their practice with children. Method: Previously published papers reporting on internal consistency issues of outcome measures in paediatric occupational therapy were searched through the Allied and Complementary Medicine database. These papers were used as a basis to discuss possible reasons for reporting of low internal consistency. Results: The analysis demonstrates that Cronbach’s alpha reports are not always interpreted in a sound way. The paper emphasises that one should be cautious about judging estimates of internal consistency. Low size of the coefficient alpha might not always indicate problems with the construction of the tool; whereas large sizes do not always suggest adequate reliability. Instead, these reports might be related to the data characteristics of the construct. Conclusion: In judging an outcome measure’s internal consistency , researchers and practitioners in occupational therapy should report and consider the nature of data, the scale’s length and width, the linearity and the normality of response distribution, the central response tendency, the sample response variability and the sample size

Cancer, Research, and Educational Film at Midcentury

In 1949 the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare (DNHW) commissioned a film, eventually called Challenge. Science Against Cancer, as part of a major effort to recruit young scientists into cancer research. Both organizations feared that poor recruitment would stifle the development of the field at a time when funding for research was growing dramatically. The fear was that there would not be enough new young scientists to meet the demand, and that the shortfall would undermine cancer research and the hopes invested in it. Challenge aimed to persuade young scientists to think of cancer research as a career. This book is the story of that forgotten film and what it tells us about mid-twentieth century American and Canadian cancer research, educational filmmaking, and health education campaigns. It explores why Canadian and American health agencies turned to film to address the problem of scientist recruitment; how filmmakers turned such recruitment concerns into something they thought would work as a film; and how information officers at the NCI and DNHW sought to shape the impact of Challenge by embedding it in a broader educational and propaganda program. It is, in short, an account of the important, but hitherto undocumented, roles of filmmakers and information officers in the promotion of post-Second World War cancer research

Antenatal risk factors for postnatal depression: a prospective study of chinese women at maternal and child health centres

Background: Risk factors for postnatal depression (PND) are under-explored in the Chinese populations. There is increasing recognition of the importance of identifying predictive factors during the antenatal period for PND. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors for postnatal depression in a community cohort of Chinese women with special focus on the antenatal risk factors.Methods: Eight hundred and five Chinese women were interviewed during their third trimester of pregnancy and at around 2 months postnatally. Putative risk factors for PND were collected and the diagnosis of PND was confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. The 2-month postnatal depression status was used as the dependent variable for univariate and multivariate analyses against putative risk factors.Results: Marital dissatisfaction (Relative Risk = 8.27), dissatisfied relationship with mother-in-law (Relative Risk = 3.93), antenatal depressive symptomatology (Relative Risk = 3.90), and anxiety-prone personality (Relative Risk = 2.14) predicted PND in Chinese women independently.Conclusions: Chinese women tend to keep their own feelings and emotions and it is important to monitor Chinese pregnant women with these predictive risk factors so that PND can be identified early. © 2012 Siu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

Infant Day Care and the Working Mother: A Proposal for Reducing Maternal Anxiety

My interest in the day care of children of working mothers was stimulated by my recent involvement in a study of the need for day care facilities in Kitchener-Waterloo. During this study it became apparent that most of the facilities and the interest in day care programs was related specifically to the care and education of children ages three to five. In reviewing the findings of a questionnaire used in the study however, it was readily determined that another problem existed. A total of 75 of 170 working mothers from industry stated that they placed a total of 84 infants with relatives and babysitters while they were at work. One-half of these infants were cared for outside of their homes. Approximately one-half of the mothers indicated that they had been forced to make two or more arrangements during the year and the majority stated that arrangements were hard to make. This paper deals with three main areas. Initially, it attempts to address the general issues surrounding the provision of infant day care services. Secondly, it presents a point of view regarding the type of facility needed in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Thirdly, it proposes the undertaking of an initial study devoted to examining the effects of a specific type of infant day care program in reducing anxiety in the low-income working mother from industry

Effect of Preventive Home Visits by a Nurse on the Outcomes of Frail Elderly People in the Community: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Timely recognition and prevention of health problems among elderly people have been shown to improve their health. In this randomized controlled trial the authors examined the impact of preventive home visits by a nurse compared with usual care on the outcomes of frail elderly people living in the community. Methods: A screening questionnaire identified eligible participants (those aged 70 years or more at risk of sudden deterioration in health). Those randomly assigned to the visiting nurse group were assessed and followed up in their homes for 14 months. The primary outcome measure was the combined rate of deaths and admissions to an institution, and the secondary outcome measure the rate of health services utilization, during the 14 months; these rates were determined through a medical chart audit by a research nurse who was blind to group allocation. Results: The questionnaire was mailed to 415 elderly people, of whom 369 (88.9%) responded. Of these, 198 (53.7%) were eligible, and 142 consented to participate and were randomly assigned to either the visiting nurse group (73) or the usual care group (69). The combined rate of deaths and admissions to an institution was 10.0% in the visiting nurse group and 5.8% in the usual care group (p = 0.52). The rate of health services utilization did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates were significantly higher in the visiting nurse group (90.1% and 81.9%) than in the usual care group (53.0% and 0%) (p \u3c 0.001). Interpretation: The trial failed to show any effect of a visiting nurse other than vastly improved vaccination coverage

Re National Harbours Board and Public Service Alliance of Canada

Employee Grievance alleging unjust discharge. AWARD: Employee grievance alleging breach of a collective agree­ment between the parties dated August 15, 1973, in that the grievor was discharged without just cause because the medical reasons for his discharge are not supported by the evidence. At the hearing it was also argued on behalf of the grievor, that his grievance should be allowed because he did not receive fair notice of the grounds upon which his employ­ment was terminated. The grievor requests that he be rein­stated in his position as constable with the National Harbour Police, with full pay and benefits retroactive to the date of his release. He further requests that all reference to this action be purged from the National Harbours Board\u27s and Government\u27s files