Many Canadians are concerned their quality of health care will decline from the strain posed by aging baby boomers, suggests a new poll by the Canadian Medical Association.
Nearly three quarters of Canadians surveyed agreed urgent changes to the health-care system are needed to provide today's level of care to the baby boom generation.
"This year our report card shows young adult Canadians are bracing for increased health-care costs in the future," said CMA president Dr. Anne Doig.
"We know that as people age, they require more health-care services and right now, there is a very real worry that unless it is significantly transformed, our health-care system will not be able to meet the needs of future generations," she said in a release.
Are you worried about the increasing costs of health care? Have you done anything to prepare for the future, such as buying long-term health insurance?
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)
People who walk or cycle for transportation tend to be slimmer than those who rely on a car to get around, according to a new study of 15 countries.
The study looked at the relationship between "active travel" -- bicycling or walking instead of driving -- and physical activity, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
More than half of the differences in obesity rates among countries were linked to walking and cycling rates, Prof. David Bassett Jr. of the department of kinesiology, recreation and sport studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his colleagues report in the American Journal of Public Health.
In Europe, about half of the trips people made -- for whatever purpose -- were on foot or bike, compared with eight per cent in Canada and 10 per cent in the U.S., the researchers found. "Not surprisingly, the European countries had obesity rates that were half [those] in North America," Bassett said.
A Canadian doctors' group wants the government to stop subsidizing movie productions that depict smoking in films aimed at children and teens.
Over the past five years, provinces and the federal government granted a quarter of a billion dollars to fund Hollywood productions intended for young audiences that featured smoking, according to a study released Thursday by Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.
"Studies worldwide show smoking in movies is one of the most powerful recruiters of young people into lifelong tobacco addiction," said Neil Collishaw, the group's research director.
Every dollar in film subsidies may in the end cost Canada $1.70 in societal tobacco losses, the group said. Read more.
Should movies and television shows intended for young audiences not depict smoking? Take our poll.
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)
Consumers need to be protected from home genetic tests that are sold online and make unrealistic claims, doctors say.
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are marketed and sold to people who want to access their genomic data, in some cases without the involvement of a doctor or insurance company. Medical professionals "must ensure that rapidly evolving and multiplying genomic technologies are responsibly harnessed and that their promise is not oversold to the public," Dr. James Evans of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and co-authors write in a commentary in Wednesday's New England Journal of Medicine.
In May, Walgreen Co., the largest drugstore chain in the U.S., said it will hold off selling what was to be the first over-the-counter genetic test after the FDA said the kit's effectiveness hasn't been proven.
The kit uses a saliva swab to look for signs of inheritable diseases like Alzheimer's.
Canada's relatively low rate of organ donation doesn't seem to be due to a lack of public support for the idea, a poll suggests.
Canadians are strong supporters of both organ and tissue donation, with 95 per cent of respondents approving, according to a poll released Friday by Canadian Blood Services. But in 2005, Canada's rate of organ donation for deceased donors was 12.8 per million, behind that of other countries such as Spain (35.1 per million) and the U.S. (21.5 per million).
Half of Canadians polled said they have decided to donate their organs at the time of death, 42 per cent are undecided and seven per cent have decided not to.
A new study is calling on provincial governments to pass laws that force cyclists to wear helmets.
The study, published in the August edition of the journal Injury Prevention and conducted by researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Ottawa, suggests cyclists are much more likely to wear helmets and avoid injuries if they live in a province with a mandatory helmet law.
There is little consistency across Canada in terms of helmet use legislation. British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick all have mandatory helmet legislation for people of all ages.
Would you like to see mandatory helmet laws in your province? If you cycle, do you wear a helmet?
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)
Nearly four of 10 urban women living in Ontario aren't getting regular Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, a study has found.
Researchers found 61.1 per cent of women aged 25 to 69 living in metropolitan areas of the province had a Pap test during the calendar years 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Despite universal health insurance coverage, appropriate cervical cancer screening was significantly lower among women who were 50 years or older, living in low-income areas or recent immigrants, after adjusting for contact with doctors and pregnancy rates, Dr. Aisha Lofters and her colleagues reported in the July issue of the journal Medical Care.
More rats than ever are scurrying around the Halifax Regional Municipality this summer, scientists and exterminators say.
Andrew Hebda, a zoologist at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, said there has been a lot of demolition and construction in peninsular Halifax, which can disrupt the rodents. "If you think about your average block, you've got about 75 rats per city block in here right now," he said Wednesday.
Ottawa saw a rise in its rat population this spring, with local pest controllers fielding several calls a day from worried homeowners. Torontonians are still wary of the rodent after last summer's garbage strike caused a spike in sightings.
Not all Canadian provinces are as affected by the pest, Alberta claims to be rat-free, maintaining that there are no rat populations within its borders. Do you have a pest problem in your city? What have you seen in your community?
A common bedbug is engorged with blood after feeding on a human. (University of Florida/Associated Press)
By CBC News
An international survey of pest control companies suggests the world is on the verge of a "bedbug pandemic," says the U.S. National Pest Management Association.
The survey of nearly 1,000 companies, conducted by the University of Kentucky and released last week, found they have experienced an 81 per cent increase in bedbug calls since 2000.
Several factors are combining to allow the spread of bedbugs. People are travelling more, and the insects tend to hitch a ride on clothing and in suitcases, creating a worldwide distribution network. In addition, many of the pesticides previously used to control them are no longer effective.
Medicare needs to be transformed to affordably meet the future needs of Canadians, a physicians' group says. The Canadian Medical Association is calling for new incentives and for feedback from Canadians.
The CMA released its report, Health Care Transformation in Canada: Change that Works, Care that Lasts, on Tuesday to spark discussion on funding, staffing and accountability among health care professionals, politicians and the public.
The association is seeking advice on how to achieve timely access to high-quality care for patients.
By CBC NewsMany Canadians are concerned their quality of health care will decline from the strain posed by aging baby boomers, suggests a new poll by the Canadian Medical Association.Nearly three quarters of Canadians surveyed agreed urgent changes to the... Continue reading this post
People who walk or cycle for transportation tend to be slimmer than those who rely on a car to get around, according to a new study of 15 countries.The study looked at the relationship between "active travel" -- bicycling or... Continue reading this post
By CBC NewsA Canadian doctors' group wants the government to stop subsidizing movie productions that depict smoking in films aimed at children and teens.Over the past five years, provinces and the federal government granted a quarter of a billion dollars... Continue reading this post
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