A pilot-testing study of multicultural lifestyle change questionnaire in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.A Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire that included English, French and Chinese versions which was developed by Ning Tang was pilot-tested in 98 English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in two adjacent cities (Ottawa and Gatineau) of Canada. The participants were recruited by a purposive sampling and answered the questions in the questionnaire with self-reporting. The pilot-testing results exhibited that the questionnaire had higher validity (face validity, content validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity) and reliability (test-retest reliability). After being revised appropriately, the questionnaire could be used in multicultural lifestyle changes surveys in full population and more wide use

Health Status Change of English, French and Chinese Immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

All articles published by HRPUB are distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY). So anyone is allowed to copy, distribute, and transmit the article on condition that the original article and source is correctly cited.Background: Health status change of the immigrants is of particular interest to health researchers and policy-makers, because it can impact population health outcomes; English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants are main immigrant sub-groups in Canada. Objectives: The multicultural study aims at examining general Health Status Change of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, and identifying demographic factors that correlate with the change and impact the change. Methods: In total, 810 English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada were recruited by purposive-sampling. Using self-reports, respondents answered questions regarding general Health Status and Demography in a Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire of English, French or Chinese version. Data in Health Status Change were analyzed statistically in percentage, significance of difference, correlation and regression. Results: Immigrants of different gender, language and category sub-groups exhibited different Health Status Change Rates, Health Status Improving Rates and Health Status Declining Rates, but no statistical difference between the rates. Immigrant general Health Status Change was correlated positively with Age and Primary Occupation, and negatively with Income. Mother Tongue, Primary Occupation and Income significantly impacted Health Status Change. Conclusion: Immigrants of different sub-groups in Canada experienced different health status change. The results supported “healthy immigrant effect”. The “decline in immigrant health status” over time existed in some of immigrant sub-groups. Data of immigrant health status change can provide evidence for health policy-making and policy-revising in Canada

Mood Change of English, French and Chinese Speaking Immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public.This multicultural study aimed at examining moodchange of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, and identifying demographic factors that impact the change. 810 immigrants of English, French and Chinese speaking sub-groupswere recruited by purposive-sampling. Using self-reports, respondents answered questions regarding moodchange (moodstatus change and mood belief change) and demography in Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire of English, French or Chinese version. Data were analyzed statistically for the different immigrant sub-groups. Immigrants of different gender, language and category sub-groups exhibited different Mood Change Rates, Mood Improving Rates, Mood Declining Rates and MoodBelief Change Rates. There was no statistical difference between the ratesof immigrant subgroups. Mood Change (MoodStatus Change + MoodBelief Change) was correlated positively with Mother Tongue and negatively with Speaking Languages. MoodStatusChange was negatively correlated with Marital Status and Highest Level of Education. Mother Tongue, Speaking Languages and Highest Level of Education significantly impacted MoodChange (MoodStatus Change + MoodBelief Change).Marital Status and Highest Level of Education significantly influenced MoodStatus Change. Immigrants of different sub-groups in Canada experience ddifferent mood changes. Marital Status and Highest Level of Educationweremain factors impactingMoodStatus Change. Mother Tongue and Speaking Languages wereprincipal factors influencing Mood Belief Change. Culture was an important factor contributingMoodChange. Acculturation could impact MoodStatus Change andMood Belief Change. Data of immigrant mood change can provide evidence for health policy-making and policy-revising in Canada

Alcohol Consumption Change of English, French and Chinese Speaking Immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

This is the author accepted manuscript (post-print) made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10389-015-0666-7Aim: The multicultural study aimed at examining alcohol consumption change or drinking change of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, and identifying demographic factors that impact the change. Subjects and methods: In all, 810 immigrants of three language sub-groups were recruited by purposive-sampling. Using self-reports, respondents answered questions regarding drinking change and demography in the Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire in either the English, French or Chinese versions. Data on drinking were analyzed statistically. Results: The immigrants of different gender, language and category sub-groups exhibited different drinking rates, drinking rates before immigration, drinking rates after immigration, drinking change rates and drinking belief change rates. Drinking change (drinking behavior change + drinking belief change) was correlated positively with mother tongue and negatively with gender. Drinking behavior change was negatively correlated with gender and category of immigration. Mother tongue and gender significantly impacted drinking change. Gender significantly impacted drinking behavior change. Conclusion: The immigrants of different sub-groups in Canada experienced different drinking change. Mother tongue and gender were main impacting factors. Culture and acculturation were important contributing factors. Data of immigrant drinking change may provide evidence for drinking policy-making and policy-revising in Canada

Physical Activity Change of English, French and Chinese Speaking Immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

SAP is an open access publisherOBJECTIVES: The multicultural study aims at examining Physical Activity Change of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, and identifying demographic factors that correlate with the change and impact the change. METHODS: 810 immigrants of three language sub-groups were recruited by purposive-sampling. Using self-reports, respondents answered questions regarding Physical Activity Change and Demography in Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire of English, French or Chinese version. Data were analyzed statistically in percentage, correlation, regression and factor analysis. RESULTS: Immigrants of different gender, language and category sub-groups exhibited different rates in Physical Activity Change, and different language sub-groups displayed different Physical Exercise Items rates after immigration, but no statistical difference between the rates. Physical Activity Change (Physical Activity Behavior Change + Physical Activity Belief Change) was negatively correlated with Gender, Category of Immigration, Employment Status and Primary Occupation. Physical Activity Behavior Change was negatively correlated with Age, Gender, Category of Immigration, Employment Status and Primary Occupation. Age, Gender, Category of Immigration and Employment Status significantly impacted Physical Activity Change. Mother Tongue, Age, Gender, Category of Immigration and Employment Status significantly impacted Physical Activity Behavior Change. Two factors (factor one: physical activity behavior change factor and factor two: physical activity belief change factor) influenced significantly Physical Activity Change. Factor one exposed more significant effect than factor two. CONCLUSIONS: Different immigrant sub-groups experienced different Physical Activity Change and three language sub-groups presented different physical activity patterns after immigration. Age, Gender, Category of Immigration, Employment Status and Primary Occupation were main factors impacting significantly Physical Activity Change. Mother Tongue was an important factor influencing significantly Physical Activity Behavior Change. Culture and acculturation were relating contributing factors. Data may provide evidence and implication for physical exercising policy-making and policy-revising in Canada

Sleep Change of English, French and Chinese speaking Immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada

The International Journal of Health Sciences & Research is a multidisciplinary indexed open access double-blind peer-reviewed international journalObjectives: This multicultural study aimed at examining sleep change of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, and identifying demographic factors that impact the change. Materials and Methods: 810 immigrants of the three language sub-groups were recruited by purposive-sampling. Using self-reports, respondents answered questions of sleep change (sleep behavior change and sleep belief change) and demography in Multicultural Lifestyle Change Questionnaire of English, French or Chinese version. Data were analyzed statistically. Results: Immigrants of different gender, language and category sub-groups exhibited different Sleep Time Change Rates, Sleep Time Increasing Rates, Sleep Time Decreasing Rates, Sleep Quality Change Rates, Sleep Quality Improving Rates, Sleep Quality Declining Rate and Sleep Belief Change Rates, but no statistical difference between the rates. Sleep Change (Sleep Behavior Change + Sleep Belief Change) and Sleep Behavior Change were correlated negatively with Mother Tongue, and positively with Age and Primary Occupation. Age and Primary Occupation significantly impacted Sleep Change. Gender significantly impacted Sleep Behavior Change. Mother Tongue significantly impacted Sleep Belief Change. Conclusion: Immigrants of different sub-groups in Canada experienced different sleep changes. Age and Primary Occupation were main impacting factors. Gender was a sleep behavior influencing factor. Mother Tongue was an important sleep belief affecting factor. Culture was a significant contributing factor. Acculturation was a relating impacting factor. Data may provide evidence and implication for immigrant health policy-making and policy-revising in Canada

Australian children's accounts of the closure of a car factory: global restructuring and local impacts

This paper presents children’s accounts from Adelaide, South Australia, about parental job losses from automotive manufacturing: an industry that is being restructured globally. The research is informed by the “new sociology of childhood” and nests within a longitudinal, mixed-method study of 372 displaced workers. We interviewed 35 boys and girls aged 4 to 19 from 16 families. Findings support calls for children’s voices to be heard. Many children did not see the job loss as a major problem, some felt they now had a better life, and many valued not moving for new work. While some reported social, health and financial impacts, others were shielded by parents. Parents consented to their children’s involvement in 23% of in-scope families and those who had moved interstate were not included. Nevertheless, the children’s accounts contribute a better understanding of adult domains, including the value of family-friendly work patterns; they also highlight the benefits of including children’s perspectives on social and economic change. Economic and policy contexts that may have limited the job loss impact include the welfare state, trade unions, a low unemployment rate and government intervention to manage job loss

“Never mind the logic, give me the numbers”: Former Australian health ministers’ perspectives on the social determinants of health

The articulation of strong evidence and moral arguments about the importance of social determinants of health (SDH) and health equity has not led to commensurate action to address them. Policy windows open when, simultaneously, an issue is recognised as a problem, policy formulation and refinement happens and the political will for action is present. We report on qualitative interviews with 20 former Australian Federal, State or Territory health ministers conducted between September 2011 and January 2012 concerning their views about how and why the windows of policy opportunity on the SDH did or did not open during their tenure. Almost all ex-health ministers were aware of the existence of health inequalities and SDH but their complexity meant that this awareness rarely crystalised into a clear problem other than as a focus on high needs groups, especially Aboriginal people. Formulation of policies about SDH was assisted by cross-portfolio structures, policy entrepreneurs, and evidence from reviews and reports. It was hindered by the complexity of SDH policy, the dominance of medical power and paradigms and the weakness of the policy community advocating for SDH. The political stream was enabling when the general ideological climate was supportive of redistributive policies, the health care sector was not perceived to be in crisis, there was support for action from the head of government and cabinet colleagues, and no opposition from powerful lobby groups. There have been instances of Australian health policy which addressed the SDH over the past twenty five years but they are rare and the windows of opportunity that made them possible did not stay open for long

Neighbourhood Life, Social Capital and Perceptions of Safety in the Western Suburbs of Adelaide

In this paper we report on a South Australian study of perceptions of safety and aspects of neighbourhood life including social capital which involved the analysis of 2400 self-completed questionnaires. A path analysis found that perceptions of safety were directly associated with gender, age, perceptions of neighbourhood pollution and neighbourhood trust, and indirectly associated with age, neighbourhood pollution and neighbourhood connections. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for public policy

To what extent do Australian child and youth health policies address the social determinants of health and health equity?: a document analysis study

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background There is a significant body of evidence that highlights the importance of addressing the social determinants of child and youth health. In order to tackle health inequities Australian governments are being called upon to take action in this area at a policy level. Recent research suggests that the health and well-being of children and youth in Australia is ‘middle of the road’ when compared to other OECD countries. To date, there have been no systematic analyses of Australian child/youth health policies with a social determinants and health equity focus and this study aimed to contribute to addressing this gap. Methods Document analysis of seventeen strategic level child/youth health policies across Australia used an a priori coding framework specifically developed to assess the extent to which health departments address the social determinants of child/youth health and health equity. Policies were selected from a review of all federal and state/territory strategic health department policies dated between 2008 and 2013. They were included if the title of the policy addressed children, youth, paediatric health or families directly. We also included whole of government policies that addressed child/youth health issues and linked to the health department, and health promotion policies with a chapter or extensive section dedicated to children. Results Australian child/youth health policies address health inequities to some extent, with the best examples in Aboriginal or child protection policies, and whole of government policies. However, action on the social determinants of child/youth health was limited. Whilst all policies acknowledge the SDH, strategies were predominantly about improving health services delivery or access to health services. With some exceptions, the policies that appeared to address important SDH, such as early childhood development and healthy settings, often took a narrow view of the evidence and drifted back to focus on the individual. Conclusions This research highlights that policy action on the social determinants of child/youth health in Australia is limited and that a more balanced approach to reducing health inequities is needed, moving away from a dominant medical or behavioural approach, to address the structural determinants of child/youth health