An Exploratory Approach to Analyzing Alcohol Control Policy Opinions Held by Ontario Adults

Telephone interview data from a representative sample of 1,216 Ontario adults were analyzed using latent class analysis to determine whether distinct and homogeneous classes of individuals could be identified based on their responding patterns to 11 alcohol policy items. Five latent classes were identified and labeled as: dedicated liberalizers, moderate liberalizers, moderate controllers, dedicated controllers, and an ambivalent class. Multinomial regression analysis indicated that demographic and alcohol factors differentiated the classes. Those most opposed to alcohol controls, dedicated liberalizers, were more likely to be male, younger and heavier drinkers. Given their young age it is possible that further erosion of public support for alcohol controls may be expected

Specialist or Nonspecialist Physical Education Teachers in Ontario Elementary Schools: Examining Differences in Opportunities for Physical Activity

Research supports the position that specialists are the preferred providers of physical education in elementary (primary) school settings. We examined whether specialists delivered more physical education lessons and provided greater opportunities for moderate and vigorous physical activity and whether barriers to curricular and extracurricular physical activity opportunities in Ontario elementary schools differed for specialist and nonspecialist teachers. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was mailed to key informants in 599 randomly selected elementary schools in Ontario, yielding an 85% response rate. Most physical education in Ontario elementary schools is delivered by nonspecialists (63%). No self-reported differences were found between specialists and generalist teachers in the number of physical education lessons delivered per week, the minutes per physical education class, or in the amount of reported moderate or vigorous physical activity in lessons. Compared with specialists, respondents in schools in which generalist teachers taught PE perceived lack of training as a greater barrier to delivering physical education. Given the importance of subject knowledge in teaching effectively, there is still need to advocate for specialist physical education teaching in elementary schools. However, concerns about teaching specialism may be secondary to broader and more complex factors surrounding the delivery of physical education in elementary schools.La recherche appuie le point de vue selon lequel les spécialistes sont les mieux placés pour enseigner l’éducation physique au primaire. Nous nous sommes penchés sur deux questions: (a) les spécialistes offrent-ils plus de cours d’éducation physique et d’occasions de pratiquer des activités physiques modérées ou vigoureuses ?, et (b) les obstacles à la participation aux activités physiques scolaires et extra-scolaires dans les écoles primaires de l’Ontario sont-ils les mêmes pour les enseignants spécialistes et les enseignants non-spécialistes ? Dans le contexte d’un modèle croisé, nous avons envoyé un questionnaire à des répondants clés dans 599 écoles primaires sélectionnées au hasard en Ontario. Notre taux de réponse a été de 85%. La majorité (63%) des cours d’éducation physique en Ontario sont offerts par des non spécialistes. Les résultats n’indiquent aucune différence entre les enseignants spécialistes et les enseignants non-spécialistes quant aux critères suivants: le nombre de cours d’éducation physique offerts par semaine, la durée des cours d’éducation physique et la mesure dans laquelle les cours impliquent de l’activité physique modérée ou vigoureuse. Par rapport aux répondants des écoles où les cours d’éducation physique se donnaient par des spécialistes, ceux des écoles où ces cours se donnaient par des généralistes ont indiqué que le manque de formation constituait un obstacle plus important à l’enseignement de l’éducation physique. Compte tenu du rôle important de la connaissance de la matière dans l’enseignement efficace, il faudrait continuer à promouvoir l’enseignement de l’éducation physique par des spécialistes dans les écoles primaires. Toutefois, les préoccupations portant sur l’enseignement par des spécialistes semblent secondaires face aux facteurs plus généraux et complexes en matière d’enseignement de l’éducation physique dans les écoles primaires

La prévalence de l’usage du cannabis chez les élèves canadiens

Le présent document dépeint la prévalence de l’usage du cannabis chez les adolescents canadiens aux études, d’après des enquêtes menées antérieurement auprès de cette population. Les résultats montrent que 24 à 39 % de tous les élèves ont fait usage de cette drogue au cours des dernières années. Chez les élèves de septième année, le pourcentage varie entre 5 et 14 %, alors que le taux maximal chez les étudiants à la fin du secondaire atteint 41 à 57 %. Malgré des variations régionales, les données sur les tendances en matière de consommation de cannabis montrent que les taux ont augmenté au cours des années 1990. De plus, certaines données révèlent qu’à la fin des années 1990, le nombre d’élèves ontariens ayant déclaré faire un usage plus fréquent de cannabis et celui ayant signalé la présence d’indicateurs de dépendance s’étaient accrus. Il faut se pencher avec plus d’attention non seulement sur le rapport existant entre non-usage et usage, mais également sur celui qui existe entre usage et méfaits.Based on existing surveys of Canadian adolescent students, this paper describes the prevalence of cannabis use. The results show that among all students, past year cannabis use varied from 24% to 39%. Use among 7th-graders varied from 5% to 14%, while peak use for students at the end of high-school varied from 41% to 57%. Despite regional variation in rates of cannabis use, available trend data showed increasing rates of use during the 1990s. In addition, available data showed that more Ontario students reported using cannabis more frequently and more reported dependence indicators during the late 1990s. More attention needs to be given, not only to the linkages from non-use to use, but to the linkages from use to harm

Patterns of drug use among adolescents: The past decade

In recent years investigators have examined patterns of drug use among various populations. None, however, have examined the changes in drug patterns over time. The present study analyzed changes in patterns of drug use among a population of drug-using adolescent students in Ontario (Canada). Three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1968, 1977 and 1985, which sampled students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 (ranging in age from 12 to 20 years), were employed.Using eight substance types as measures (cannabis, barbiturates, stimulants, tranquillizers, inhalants, LSD, heroin and others), four general patterns were constructed: single-drug psychotherapeutic users; exclusive cannabis users; and multiple-illicit. The findings indicated the following: (i) a significant decrease in the representation of both exclusive and multiple psychotherapeutic users between 1968 and 1977; (ii) a significant increase in exclusive cannabis users between 1968 and 1977, and following this a decline into 1985; and (iii) a significant increase in multiple illicit users between 1968 and 1977. In all a major shift from a psychotherapeutic-illicit dichotomy to an overwhelming illicit pattern has occured during the past decade.drug use polydrug use

A typological study of gambling and substance use among adolescent students

Abstract Cluster analysis was used to define subpopulations of youth involved in drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Data from a 2001 cross-sectional survey of Ontario grade 7 to 13 students (N = 2,243; mean age 15 years; 51% males) were examined. The analysis suggested four clusters: Mainstreamers (66.0%), Party Goers (26.2%), Drug Takers (5.9%), and Heavy Gamblers (1.9%). This cluster structure was validated across a number of additional external variables that were not used in the original cluster analysis. The findings indicated that Drug Takers and Heavy Gamblers formed two distinct clusters. Probable pathological gamblers were found in all four clusters, but they were most concentrated in the heavy gambling cluster. The results suggest that troubled youths are not a single entity, but display heterogeneity in their configuration of risk behaviours