Channel - BCCDC 2023 RESEARCH WEEK
11/2/2023 5:16:14 PM
Channel Videos
Kimberly Thomson & Oralia Gómez-Ramírez - Lessons from Evaluating the Impact of Upstream Health Promotion Initiatives
Public health interventions that aim to reduce adverse health outcomes and promote population health and well-being are more likely to be effective when they address the conditions in which people are born, live, and age – known as the social determinants of health. Increasingly more public health initiatives in BC are striving to make changes at this “upstream” level that includes social policies, systems, and structures. Yet evaluating the impacts of such initiatives poses methodological challenges, including how to make causal attributions. This presentation describes the challenges and opportunities of evaluating upstream health promotion initiatives using two case studies of evaluation plans being developed in Population and Public Health at the BCCDC and Fraser Health.
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10/12/2023 6:50:00 PM
Angel Yao - Evaluation of Microscopy and Sequencing Methods for Dermacentor Tick Species Identification in B.C.
Dermacentor ticks represent one of the most commonly identified tick genus in British Columbia. Accurate tick identification provides key insight into the distribution of species, and the potential for transmission and human infection. Routine laboratory identification currently consists of microscopy followed by polymerase chain reaction testing for all species except D. andersoni as it is not a recognized vector of Lyme disease. Molecular testing may provide added value for ticks of challenging morphology, and those with evolving epidemiology including species that may resemble D. andersoni, including D. variabilis and D. similis. This study aimed to validate species-level identification on a subset of microscopically identified Dermacentor ticks through whole genome sequencing and COI gene barcoding, with goals to expand to other major tick species in the future.
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10/12/2023 5:05:00 PM
Annelies Becu & Devon Haag - DEI, Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Workplace Survey (on behalf of the BCCDC Anti-Racism Working Group)
Data is needed to understand if staff feel included and can thrive at work. Baseline survey data provides the information to identify steps forward and measure progress. This presentation will outline the survey process and findings, recommendations for future action and lessons learned.
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10/12/2023 6:10:00 PM
BCCDC Research Week 2023 - DAY 1 - OCT 10
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10/10/2023 5:00:00 PM
BCCDC Research Week 2023 - DAY 2 - OCT 12
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10/12/2023 5:00:00 PM
Belal Hossain - Performance of high-dimensional disease risk scores in risk prediction modelling
Developing clinical risk prediction models with investigator-specified risk factors using health administrative databases often provides poor predictions since admin databases generally contain no data on smoking, alcohol, height, weight, physical activity, and diet. We developed a cohort of immigrants in BC. Adding routinely collected healthcare variables from the linked databases with the investigator-specified covariates, we developed high-dimensional disease risk scores that improve the predictive performance without overfitting. Our model will guide researchers in improving the performance of risk prediction models even if some important risk factors are unavailable.
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10/10/2023 8:05:00 PM
Carl Zou - The ecological analysis to explore the association between antibiotic use during infancy and asthma incidence among children 1 to 4 years of age
A growing number of evidence showed an association between antibiotic use and asthma incidence in childhood and breastfeeding found to be protective toward childhood asthma. We conducted an ecological analysis to explore the association between antibiotic use during infancy and asthma incidence among children 1 to 4 years of age. Our Negative Binomial Model showed a significant association between the quintiles of antibiotic prescription and asthma incidence during 2000 to 2014, but the association appeared to weaken during 2015 to 2019. Using the population attributable risk method, we predicted the expected asthma incidence. The predicted incidence closely matched the actual observed incidence, suggesting that changes in factors like breastfeeding rates may play a role in the incidence of asthma.
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10/10/2023 6:50:00 PM
David McVea Welcome
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10/12/2023 5:00:00 PM
David Patrick -Day's Recap and Closing Remarks
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10/12/2023 8:50:00 PM
David Patrick Welcome & Introduction to Research Week
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10/10/2023 5:00:00 PM
Fang Fang Li - Detection of enterovirus D antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neurological symptoms
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory disorder characterized by immune-mediated damage of the peripheral nerves leading to paralysis. While the exact cause is unknown, cases of GBS can be preceded by acute infection, such as with enterovirus D (EV-D), and diagnosis is thus often supported by molecular testing. However, viral detection by PCR in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is often negative, creating a need for antibody testing to support pathogen identification. We demonstrated the usage of a phage-based serological assay to detect antibodies against EV-D peptides in CSF to aid in the etiologic diagnosis of GBS in a pediatric case with evidence of recent EV-D infection.
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10/12/2023 6:20:00 PM
Hallah Kassem Traditional Activities and General and Mental Health of Adult Indigenous Peoples Living Off-Reserve in Canada
To address questions from Fort Albany First Nation community members, we examined associations between traditional activities and self-perceived general and mental health in adult Indigenous persons living off-reserve in Canada using the 2012 and 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Surveys. We found strong evidence of associations between practicing traditional activities and self-perceived health. In both surveys hunting had a protective relationship with mental and general health; conversely, clothes-making and artmaking were negatively associated with general and mental health. These findings can inform programs, plans, and policies and warrant further research.
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10/10/2023 8:35:00 PM
Hannah Caird - An evaluation of the impact of Vibrio parahaemolyticus control measures in British Columbia
In response to the rising incidence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp in British Columbia throughout the 2010s, control measures were put in place by public health and private industry that have directly resulted in a decreased incidence of Vp in BC.
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10/12/2023 7:20:00 PM
Heather Palis - Examining chronic disease diagnoses and health service utilization among people who died of illicit stimulant and/or opioid toxicity
In British Columbia (BC), illicit drug toxicity (IDT) is the leading cause of death for people aged 10-59. While IDT deaths are driven by potent opioids such as fentanyl, stimulants are increasingly detected in illicit drug toxicity deaths in BC.
We analyzed all concluded investigations of IDT death (2015-19) in BC where opioids and/or stimulants were deemed relevant to the death to identify differences in chronic disease diagnoses and health service utilization prior to death, by IDT death type.
Findings may inform health system interventions that can build on existing health service contacts to increase coordination between chronic disease care and harm reduction and substance use services.
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10/10/2023 7:20:00 PM
Ihoghosa Iyamu - Design and implementation factors related to missed opportunities for sexually transmitted infections testing on GetCheckedOnline: 2022 client survey findings
Promoting equitable uptake of digital health interventions for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) testing requires advocacy for equitable digital access and literacy. Yet, optimizing the design and implementation of these interventions is a crucial and feasible strategy to ensure equitable access for users who can create accounts. In this study, we reviewed data from the 2022 GetCheckedOnline client survey, exploring web-design (including user-interface and experience) and implementation factors (i.e., organization of services necessary for testing online) associated with missed opportunities for testing among clients who signed up for testing and needed a test at the time of account creation. We also assessed if these factors differed by users’ sociodemographic characteristics.
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10/10/2023 8:20:00 PM
Jeanette Foreman - Identifying priority areas for public health action to reduce youth suicide and self-harm in British Columbia
This presentation outlines the steps taken by the BC Injury Prevention Committee Youth Suicide and Self-Harm working group to identify priority areas for public health action and to reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm among children and youth. Following data analyses, a literature synthesis and extensive environmental scan, a modified Delphi approach was implemented to rank twelve potential focus areas, based on a pre-determined set of criteria (effectiveness, acceptability, feasibility, evaluability and equity). The presentation will highlight the systematic approach taken, some of the key challenges faced in the process, and the final areas of focus selected for action.
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10/10/2023 6:20:00 PM
Justin Sorge - Estimation of the Population Size of Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Canada, 2020
Globally, and locally in Canada, gay-, bisexual- (GB) identifying, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are overrepresented among people living with HIV. GBMSM account for approximately half of new HIV infections in Canada, despite representing only 2-4% of adult males. A nuanced understanding of the HIV epidemic among GBMSM has been limited by the challenges estimating this population size. We aim to calculate population size estimates based on GB identity (regardless of sexual experience) plus MSM that do not identify as GB but reported anal sex with a man in the past 1-5 years; and in addition, an estimate of GBMSM reporting past 6-12 month anal sex with a man.
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10/10/2023 7:05:00 PM
Kamila Romanowski - Post-tuberculosis healthcare utilization: a controlled interrupted time series analysis of linked administrative data from British Columbia, Canada
Despite evidence of elevated morbidity and mortality among tuberculosis (TB) survivors, the impact of respiratory TB on healthcare use after TB remains unclear. Thus, using linked administrative data from British Columbia, Canada, and a controlled time series analysis we examined the relationship between treated respiratory TB and post-TB healthcare use. We found that, compared to pre-TB healthcare use, TB survivors had 12 extra outpatient visits and 0.4 more hospitalizations in the five years after successful treatment. These findings suggest that respiratory TB has lasting effects on healthcare use, highlighting the importance of screening, assessment, and treatment for post-TB issues to improve health and reduce resource use.
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10/12/2023 7:35:00 PM
Keynote: Inna Sakirov - What are we searching for in research?
This talk will examine different research settings, their overlap with clinical/public health work, translation to practice avenues and challenges that may be encountered.
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10/12/2023 8:05:00 PM
Keynote: Dr. Margo Greenwood - Research with Indigenous People
BC CDC Presenters
10/10/2023 5:05:00 PM
Khushi Dabla EMED Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating Buprenorphine/Naloxone Microdosing in Emergency Departments
Buprenorphine/naloxone (commonly known as Suboxone) is a life-saving medication for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Our trial identifies high-risk patients with OUD in emergency departments (EDs) who may be candidates for initiating preventative intervention. The trial addresses an urgent need to expand access to life-saving opioid agonist therapy by reducing barriers to starting buprenorphine/naloxone in EDs.
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10/10/2023 6:35:00 PM
Liam Byrne - Improved Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Wastewater
Despite the ever-increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare worldwide, the true prevalence of antimicrobial resistant organisms is largely unknown. Classically, surveillance relies on clinical testing which has limited epidemiological utility due to biased sampling. Wastewater based surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes has been proposed as a supplemental surveillance tool to sample the broader populace but current methodology suffers from low sensitivity. We developed and compared new wastewater testing methods which aimed to improve the detection of antimicrobial resistance genes.
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10/12/2023 5:50:00 PM
M. Oakey & T. Copley Critical elements of public acceptance and support for speed enforcement in B.C.: findings from round two of a province-wide survey
Determining and monitoring public acceptance is essential for developing sustainable public policy. The purpose of this study was to identify British Columbians' attitudes, norms, and behaviours regarding driving speed, and the degree of acceptance of automated speed enforcement (ASE)and 30 km/hr default speed limit in residential areas. The online survey was conducted by a public opinion research firm, with a random sample of 2100 British Columbians, weighted by age, sex, and health authority. Findings will be used to identify which programmatic elements and implementation approaches of ASE and 30km/hr speed limits engender public support with B.C. residents.
BC CDC Presenters
10/10/2023 5:50:00 PM
Mark Gilbert Day’s Recap
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10/10/2023 8:55:00 PM
Mike Irvine - Estimating the total amount of Take-Home Naloxone utilization from kit shipping data: A Bayesian modeling approach
Estimation of the usage of take-home naloxone (THN) kits has been challenging due to their under-reporting in British Columbia (BC) by the distribution sites. To reduce the burden of reporting from THN sites and data entry workload from BCCDC, we proposed a new sampling strategy to sample sites randomly at two time-points each year. To estimate total THN use under this new scheme, we developed and implemented a novel Bayesian model. The model accounts for uncertainty in the rate of kit use, missing data, and has been developed as an R package. We then used the model to assess the potential bias and variance of the naloxone use estimate under this new sample scheme.
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10/10/2023 7:35:00 PM
Mini Teng - Examining Self-Harm Trends Among Older Adults in B.C. Using Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) Data
The risk of suicide increases after the age of 80 despite descreasing in late middle-age. The increasing number of older adults and this heightened vulnerability to suicide emphasize the need to examine self-harm behaviors among this demographic. Self-poisoning is a common method of self-harm among older adults. We are completing a review of cases of self-harm in older adults managed by Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) to characterize the substances used, treatments, and outcomes, to explore the characteristics and trends of self-poisoning in older adults over the age of 60 in British Columbia using DPIC Data.
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10/12/2023 5:20:00 PM
Rebeca Cardim Falcao - Can wastewater viral load predict Covid and other respiratory infections hospitalizations?
Wastewater data is a promising tool for the surveillance and monitoring infectious diseases. However, a complete understanding of the relationship between the viral load measured in the wastewater treatment plants and the infections and their severity in the population is lacking. Because of their noisy nature, there is a need to identify and standardize proper methodologies for utilizing wastewater data as an auxiliary tool to assess disease spread in the population. We developed predictive models of hospitalizations for COVID-19, RSV and FLU-A using wastewater viral load adjusting for humidity, temperature, and precipitation. We further quantified the additional predictive ability of wastewater in addition to past data on hospitalizations. We show that including wastewater viral load improves the prediction of hospitalizations. Moreover, we present the model results for catchment areas of different wastewater treatment plants.
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10/10/2023 7:50:00 PM
Richard Morrow - delivered by Sofia Bartlett - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hepatitis C Treatment Initiation in British Columbia, Canada: An Interrupted Time Series Study
We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on hepatitis C (HCV) treatment initiation from 2020 to 2022 in BC, including by sex, birth cohort, and injection drug use status, using generalized additive models. We found the pandemic was associated with a short-term disruption in HCV treatment initiation, which was greater for people born during 1965 to 1974 and people who inject drugs. These findings can be used to inform continuing efforts to meet HCV elimination targets in BC.
BC CDC Presenters
10/12/2023 7:05:00 PM
Rodrigo Alejandro Sierra-Rosales - Health equity analysis of awareness and use of GetCheckedOnline in communities outside Vancouver, BC
Several digital interventions to access testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) have been developed in many countries. After an initial optimistic view of digital interventions improving access, scientists have raised concerns about their potential to replicate or generate new inequities. GetCheckedOnline (GCO) is the digital intervention to provide STBBI testing access in British Columbia. We completed a survey in communities where GCO has expanded outside Vancouver and evaluated awareness and use of the service using a health-equity lens. These results have informed the discussions on service promotion and accessibility to improve equity indicators.
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10/12/2023 6:35:00 PM
Senator Greenwood
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10/2/2023 4:00:00 PM
Shabnam Fani - Trends in syphilis testing in B.C. from 2005-2022
In 2019, the Provincial Health Officer declared an expansion of the ongoing outbreak of syphilis in BC to include perinatal populations due to increasing syphilis cases in females and the first congenital syphilis cases since 2013. The syphilis outbreak in BC has since grown even larger, with the majority of cases now reported among people only reporting sexual partners of the opposite sex. New testing strategies have been recommended in BC in response to this. To identify if testing strategies are reaching the intended populations, we have investigated syphilis testing rates in BC from 2005 to 2022. Testing rates stratified by subpopulation (e.g., age, gender, geography) were reviewed, and generalized linear models (GLMs) used to quantify changes in syphilis testing rates for subpopulations over time.
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10/10/2023 6:05:00 PM
Sofia Bartlett - Partnering with people in prison on research and co-creation of COVID-19 & harm reduction knowledge products
COVID-19 vaccine uptake has remained consistently 4-6 times lower among people in custody in BC provincial correctional centres, compared to people in the overall population in BC. To address this, we conducted a community-based, participatory study with people incarcerated in the 10 BC provincial correctional centres. In this study, we co-designed educational resources to address concerns identified by people who are incarcerated related to COVID-19 vaccines, COVID-19 testing, and impacts of the pandemic on the unregulated drug toxicity crisis. We will present an overview of the methodology employed, including learner analysis, the findings from the study, and knowledge products created.
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10/12/2023 5:35:00 PM
Suzana Montoya - Whole genome investigation of reassortant A(H3N2) viruses contributing to the 2022/23 season
In addition to evolution and immune evasion through mutation of their hemagglutinin, influenza viruses change through reassortment of their surface and internal protein gene segments. During the 2022-23 season, the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network (SPSN) undertook for the first time whole genome sequencing (WGS) of H3N2 viruses contributing to vaccine effectiveness analysis. Multiple reassortment constellations were identified, involving inter-clade exchange of neuraminidase and other gene segments. The role of WGS to inform the extent of seasonal influenza virus reassortment and impacts on clinical, epidemiological and public health outcomes requires further evaluation.
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10/12/2023 7:50:00 PM
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