Public Health Short Snappers: Women and equity, Public Health primer, HPV vaccine for men, Healthy Eating, Tough on Crime

A few gems that have been piling up in the in-box.

The previous posting on primary care models was in part led by ICES and St. Michaels.  St. Mikes also was one of the first to comment on the Drummond report implications for Ontario.   Kudos to this active unit in trying to address health issues in Toronto and more broadly. 

The group is also involved in the Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER) which recently published an accounting of gender inequity and inequalities amongst women.  The POWER study  is part of a larger document on social determinants of health in populations at risk.

The Associations of Faculties of Medicine of Canada have developed a short primer in public health for medical students.   Not a bad “short text” as an introduction to public health, and an on-line asset.  http://phprimer.afmc.ca/index

HPV vaccine for males will be an interesting debate. It also unmasks one of the challenges of the Canadian approval mechanism.   HPV vaccine was introduced as protection from cervical cancer (predominately serotypes 16 and 18).  additional benefit is protection from genital warts(serotypes 6 and 11).   Now the approved vaccine has been demonstrated to be efficacious and safe for males, and increasingly will be “recommended”.   While there is rationale in preventing infection with serotypes 16 and 18, the male vaccination recommendation is based solely in efficacy for genital wart protection and safety of the already approved vaccine.   A sneaky back door way to expanding the indications of the vaccine.   CMAJ news item on HPV vaccine

Two stories on what not to eat, both from the Health professions cohort study and some reference to the Nurses Health Study.  Both studies from the good food folks at Harvard who are asking many of the right questions   Harvard School of Public Health eating guidelines.   Sugary drinks linked with a 20% increase in male heart disease  Harvard study on sugary drinks ,   and the evils of red meat with a 13-20% increase in mortality red meat increases mortality risk.  Happy Nutrition month in Canada and thanks to all the great public health nutritionists that are pointing us in the right direction. 

Finally, this site has commented several times on the ineffectiveness of the tough on crime legislation.  DrPhealth War on Drugs  It is with regret that we must announce that it passed in the House on the evening of March 12 Crime bill passes.  Quebec has been the province with any fortitude to stand up and recognize the implications for provincial costs, both financial and social.    Quebec speaks against c-10