Community In Southern Ontario Research Articles

Student Veterinarian Perceptions of Community-Based Primary Care Veterinary Clinics in Indigenous Communities in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Community-based primary care veterinary clinics represent an opportunity to benefit multiple populations. Student veterinarians are afforded the opportunity to build technical and non-technical professional skills, while underserved communities are provided with access to companion animal care. The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), as with many other veterinary colleges across Canada and the United States, has hosted community-based primary care veterinary clinics, including in local Indigenous communities. As these clinics continue and grow, it is critical to evaluate their operation to ensure that they align with community goals and values, adequately support student learning, and do not perpetuate racism and implicit bias. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of student veterinarians who had volunteered at community-based primary care veterinary clinics in First Nations communities in southern Ontario, Canada. We used an online survey that consisted of multiple choice and short answer questions focused on motivating factors for involvement, supports available before and during the clinics, exposure to Indigenous cultures, and the challenges and rewards associated with volunteering. Forty-one student veterinarians from OVC completed the survey in January 2020. Most students were motivated to volunteer to make a positive difference in the lives of people and animals and improve their clinical skills. In general, respondents felt adequately prepared for and supported during their experiences but did recommend additional pre-departure instructions on roles and responsibilities. Participants were ambivalent as to whether they had learned about Indigenous culture, with several strongly recommending more cultural sensitivity training. Most students found their experiences rewarding because of the gratitude expressed by clients and the feeling that they had made a difference. We reflect on the potential benefits and challenges of community-based primary care veterinary clinics in light of student responses.

Navigating Paths to Wellness: A Strengths-Based Photovoice Study Conducted with One First Nation in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Research on substance use challenges in First Nations communities is often deficit-focused and can reinforce paternalistic stereotypes that lead to further discrimination. In this article, we report on findings of a strengths-based Photovoice project done in collaboration with a First Nations’ community in southern Ontario, Canada to better understand experiences with substance use challenges in the community. We analyzed interview data collected with seventeen individuals who have lived experience or are supporting a loved one with lived experience with a substance use challenge. Participants described sources of strength that characterized their path to wellness, including strong family and social connections, cultural practices, identity, spirituality, day-to-day activities, and helpful supports and services. Furthermore, participants made several suggestions for improving services, including the need for integrated and flexible systems of care and trustful client-provider relationships. At its core, nurturing wellness involved a transformative process involving social and/or cultural connections. The stories shared by participants demonstrate the unique and varied strengths drawn from by individuals dealing with a substance use challenge.

Be Healthy in Pregnancy (BHIP): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Nutrition and Exercise Intervention from Early Pregnancy to Achieve Recommended Gestational Weight Gain.

A randomized two-arm prospective superiority trial tested the efficacy of a novel structured and monitored nutrition (bi-weekly counselling for individualized energy and high dairy protein diet) and exercise program (walking goal of 10,000 steps/day) (intervention) compared to usual care (control) in pregnant women to achieve gestational weight gain (GWG) within current recommendations. Women recruited in communities in southern Ontario, Canada were randomized at 12–17 weeks gestation with stratification by site and pre-pregnancy BMI to intervention (n = 119) or control (n = 122). The primary outcome was the proportion of women who achieved GWG within the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the intervention compared to control group was more likely to achieve GWG within recommendations (OR = 1.51; 95% CI (0.81, 2.80)) and total GWG was lower by 1.45 kg (95% CI: (−11.9, 8.88)) neither reached statistical significance. The intervention group achieved significantly higher protein intake at 26–28 week (mean difference (MD); 15.0 g/day; 95% CI (8.1, 21.9)) and 36–38 week gestation (MD = 15.2 g/day; 95% CI (9.4, 21.1)) and higher healthy diet scores (22.5 ± 6.9 vs. 18.7 ± 8.5, p < 0.005) but step counts were similar averaging 6335 steps/day. Pregnancy and infant birth outcomes were similar between groups. While the structured and monitored nutrition with counselling improved diet quality and protein intake and may have benefited GWG, the exercise goal of 10,000 steps/day was unachievable. The results can inform future recommendations for diet and physical activity in pregnancy.

Emotional Self-Management Experiences of Practical Nursing Students

This paper is part of a doctoral dissertation based on a 2017 phenomenological study that explored practical nursing (PN) students’ lived experiences with emotional self-management in clinical settings using van Manen’s orientation to hermeneutic phenomenology. A review of PN program curricula in Ontario, Canada, suggested that they do not specifically include emotional intelligence (EI) and the core concept of emotional self-management. Mayer’s and Salovey’s original four-branch ability model of EI was used as the theoretical framework. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive convenience sample of 10 PN students at a southern Ontario community college. Findings suggested that the participants perceived themselves to have basic EI knowledge. Participants expressed that their first knowing, in the phenomenological sense, of EI provided them with more confidence and awareness. An increased understanding of emotional self-management could enhance teaching and learning approaches, particularly with PN students who are exposed to high-stress clinical environments.

Homogeneous Earthworm Communities in Southern Ontario

Homogeneous Earthworm Communities in Southern Ontario

Estimating ancient Huron-Wendat diet in southern Ontario using stable isotopes from dogs

This study explores the use of dog bone as a substitute for human bone when investigating past diet using 13C/12C and 15N/14N in collagen and 13C/12C in apatite, for ancestral Huron-Wendat communities in southern Ontario (1300–1650 CE). Canid bones from five Huron-Wendat sites in southern Ontario were analyzed and compared to faunal isotope values from these and other geographically proximate sites, and previously published human stable isotope values associated with four of the Huron-Wendat village sites. Evidence from bone collagen and bone apatite suggest that maize, a staple of ancestral Huron-Wendat diet, is clearly present in the diet of these ancient dogs. Carbon isotope compositions (i.e., δ13C) for dogs and humans correspond well through time, suggesting that dogs can serve as proxies for contemporary human maize consumption. Dog nitrogen isotope compositions are consistently lower than human values (on average <2‰ lower), and show greater overall variability, so δ15N values need to be established for each archaeological context independently. This evidence is framed with knowledge from ethnographic sources and oral tradition on Huron-Wendat dog ecology that demonstrates a mutualistic symbiosis based on companionship, shelter, and food.

Learning from Each Other: a Communities of Practice Approach to Decorative Traditions of Northern Iroquoian Communities in the Late Woodland

In this paper, we employ a communities of practice approach to investigate precontact childhood social learning and pottery production in the Lower Great Lakes. Until recently, there has been an implicit assumption that childhood learning involved primarily parent-child interactions. Building on current research that has begun to improve understanding of Indigenous socialization strategies, we apply a multi-scalar decorative analysis to investigate traditions of learning among potting communities in Southern Ontario and upstate New York, from ca. 900–1650 CE. Through a series of statistical analyses, we demonstrate a remarkable continuity in motif practices by child potters that is not evident among skilled potters, who were more impacted by social, demographic, and economic changes in their communities. The multi-generational tradition spanning at least 750 years leads us to suggest that child potters learned primarily in child groups through peer-to-peer learning. Although peer-to-peer learning has been observed ethnographically, this practice has often been overlooked in archaeology and warrants further inquiry.

Improving First Nations water security through governance

AbstractMany First Nations communities lack access to safe drinking water. In this article, we examine an under‐appreciated tool for improving First Nations water security – governance – and develop a framework for guiding the design and analysis of First Nations water governance models. In particular, we argue that three key ideas from the public administration literature – financial resources, regulation, and formalization – should be integrated with Indigenous insights and philosophies that are specific to each First Nations community. We illustrate how this might work by focusing on the insights, traditions, and philosophies of an Anishinaabek community in southern Ontario.

LO19: AED on the fly: A drone delivery feasibility study for rural and remote out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Introduction: Time-to-treatment plays a pivotal role in survival from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Every minute delay in defibrillation results in a 7-10% reduction in survival. This is particularly problematic in rural and remote regions, where bystander and EMS response is often prolonged and automated external defibrillators (AED) are often not available. Our objective was to examine the feasibility of a novel AED drone delivery method for rural and remote SCA. A secondary objective was to compare times between AED drone delivery and ambulance response to various mock SCA resuscitations. Methods: We conducted 6 simulations in two different rural communities in southern Ontario. During phase 1 (4 simulations) a “mock” call was placed to 911 and a single AED drone and an ambulance were simultaneously dispatched from the same location to a pre-determined destination. Once on scene, trained first responders retrieved the AED from the drone and initiated resuscitative efforts on a manikin. The second phase (2 scenarios) were done in a similar manner save for the drone being dispatched from a regionally optimized location for drone response. Results: Phase 1: The distance from dispatch location to scene varied from 6.6 km to 8.8 km. Mean (SD) response time from 911 call to scene arrival was 11.2 (+/- 1.0) minutes for EMS compared to 8.1 (+/- 0.1) for AED drone delivery. In all four simulations, the AED drone arrived before EMS, ranging from 2.1 to 4.4 minutes faster. The mean time for trained responders to retrieve the AED and apply it to the manikin was 35 (+/- 5) sec. No difficulties were encountered in drone activation by dispatch, drone lift off, landing or removal of the AED from the drone by responders. Phase 2: The ambulance response distance was 20km compared to 9km for the drone. Drones were faster to arrival at the scene by 7 minutes and 8 minutes with AED application 6 and 7 minutes prior to ambulance respectively. Conclusion: This implementation study suggests AED drone delivery is feasible with improvements in response time during a simulated SCA scenario. These results suggest the potential for AED drone delivery to decrease time to first defibrillation in rural and remote communities. Further research is required to determine the appropriate distance for drone delivery of an AED in an integrated EMS system as well as optimal strategies to simplify bystander application of a drone delivered AED.

Exploring the Perceptions of and Experiences with Traditional Foods among First Nations Female Youth: A Participatory Photovoice Study.

Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples within Canada have expressed a desire to consume more traditional foods; however, there are a number of barriers to doing so. Southern and urban communities face unique challenges associated with traditional food consumption. To address these concerns and build on community interests in a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario, a participatory research project was initiated. This community-based study utilized Photovoice methodology to explore the perceptions of and experiences with traditional foods among local youth. Participants ranging in age from 15–22 (n = 5) took photos of their local food environments, including locations where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared during two seasons of the year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ stories behind 8–10 self-selected images. A thematic analysis was subsequently utilized to identify patterns and themes illustrated by the photos and interview content. The youth conveyed contextual understandings of traditional foods and a preference for these items, despite their limited consumption, preparation or harvesting of these foods. The youth also identified the important influence of families and communities on their individual perceptions and experiences with traditional foods. Recommendations to reduce barriers to traditional food choices among youth are made.

Interspecific competition in bats and diet shifts in response to white‐nose syndrome

AbstractSince the introduction of white‐nose syndrome (WNS) in North America, numerous species of bat have dwindled in numbers. These declines observed are often species‐specific and thus provides opportunity for a natural experiment to test for shifts in diet through relaxed resource partitioning in bat communities post‐introduction of WNS. Acoustic monitoring at locations in Southern Ontario pre‐ (2009–2011) and post‐WNS (2012–2014) introduction showed an increase in activity of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) corresponding to a decline in the activity of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). Next‐generation sequencing of bat stomachs and guano in Southern Ontario before and after WNS allowed for the characterization of diet changes of these species. Post‐WNS, E. fuscus consumed a wider breadth of prey and many of the insect species once consumed by M. lucifugus, including several pest insects. These results suggest that the introduction of WNS has resulted in relaxed interspecific competition within these bat communities in Southern Ontario.

Probabilistic depth–damage curves for assessment of flood-induced building losses

The most common and internationally accepted method of assessing building damage due to flooding is through the application of a depth–damage curve (DDC). A DDC relates the percent damage or estimated economic loss to a buildings’ structural integrity and/or contents directly to a given water level (depth). The DDC generally represents an average structure within a given building category, e.g. one-storey single-family residence. Given the great variability across any given structural category, the variation in building materials, construction quality across communities and the singular focus on depth for estimation of losses, it is important to communicate the uncertainty and potential variability of the expected losses in any assessment. In this paper, probabilistic depth–damage curves (PDDCs) are developed based on synthetically derived DDCs from communities in southern Ontario. The generated PDDCs are based on assumed loss thresholds for minor and major loss levels, as spent in Canadian dollars. The economic loss estimates obtained in this way and their likelihood of being exceeded at any given flood depth express more transparently the potential building losses. An applied example of this method is included for both aggregate and building-by-building loss estimation.

The rationale for developing a programme of services by and for Indigenous men in a First Nations community

While mental well-being is recognized as a significant public health priority in numerous Indigenous communities, little work has focused on the mental health needs of Indigenous men. In this article, we describe results from the mixed-methods research used to inform the development of mental wellness programming for boys and men. Quantitative and qualitative data from two studies conducted in Kettle &amp; Stony Point First Nation, an Indigenous community in southern Ontario, Canada, were used to (a) understand factors that contributed to issues of mental health, substance use and violence for men, (b) understand men’s experiences accessing and seeking supports and services, and (c) identify ways to address mental health, substance use and violence among boys and men in the community. We show how results from two studies ignited a group of men to develop a culturally strong and strengths-based programme of services as well as a wellness strategy for boys and men in the community.

Impact of land composition and configuration on the functional trait assembly of forest communities in southern Ontario

AbstractThe conversion of natural lands to agricultural and urban areas is the leading cause of biodiversity loss worldwide, and an understanding of functional trait assembly pattern can help to mitigate the ecological implications of this loss. We use plant functional traits—characteristics of the plant that determine how they react to and interact with the surrounding ecosystem—to assess the impacts of landscape composition and configuration on plant community assembly patterns in the multiple‐use Credit River watershed, Southern Ontario. We examine functional patterns in metacommunities to uncover how eight landscape variables (including both agricultural and urban uses) affect community assembly patterns and which traits explain these assembly patterns. We find that landscape variables result in significant trait‐divergence assembly patterns at two spatial scales (1 and 10 km), which means that these forest communities are more functionally diverse than would be expected by chance. Additionally, the optimal functional traits that maximize divergence in the community are dependent on landscape variables. We discuss three mechanisms—limiting similarity, niche availability, disturbance—that might be responsible for the trait divergence observed. First, we propose that limiting similarity could lead to trait divergence through niche differentiation and thus coexistence of more traits. Second, we argue that mosaic landscapes provide multiple and diverse habitats in which more species, likely with differing functional traits, can occur. Finally, we discuss how disturbances could prevent dominant species from competitively excluding others, thus favoring coexistence of functional traits.

The Role of Spirituality in the Decision-Making Process Related to Native Plant Restoration in a Southern Ontarian Aboriginal Community

This is a participatory research project with an Aboriginal community in Southern Ontario. My goal is to identify which species-at-risk are relevant to a community and to develop a strategy to restore biodiversity in a selected location with importance to that community. This research collaboration also includes the Gosling Research Institute of Plant Preservation (GRIPP), which has a mandate to reintroduce plants via tissue culture techniques. This study can help identify the role that spiritual connection to plants can have in the decision-making process regarding restoration of plants. The role of spirituality in environmental management is an understudied theme and my findings can enlighten future initiatives. One of the questions at this early stage of my research, is to determine the perceptions that a community has about the use of plant technology in general and cloning in particular, as means to restore land and maintain the spiritual connection to medicinal plants.

Maintaining Traditions: a Study of Southern Ontario Late Woodland Ceramics Through a Communities-of-Practice Approach

A communities-of-practices approach has been employed in this paper to investigate potting traditions of Late Woodland potters. The author has integrated Wenger’s (1998, Organization 7(2):225–246, 2000) constellation of practice and boundary objects with Smith’s (1997, 2005a) attribute combination system to study decorative practices of Middle Iroquoian potting communities in southern Ontario. The results of the study indicate similar distribution trends relating to the practice of decorative motifs. The author argues potters maintained potting traditions through time and space. This study demonstrates how the integration of more recent conceptual frameworks provides further opportunities to investigate the relation between pottery production and broader practices and beliefs.

Experiences and Perceptions of Adults Accessing Publicly Available Nutrition Behavior-Change Mobile Apps for Weight Management

BackgroundNutrition mobile apps have become accessible and popular weight-management tools available to the general public. To date, much of the research has focused on quantitative outcomes with these tools (eg, weight loss); little is known about user experiences and perceptions of these tools when used outside of a research trial environment. ObjectiveOur aim was to understand the experiences and perceptions of adult volunteers who have used publicly available mobile apps to support nutrition behavior change for weight management. DesignWe conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with individuals who reported using nutrition mobile apps for weight management outside of a research setting. Participants/settingTwenty-four healthy adults (n=19 females, n=5 males) who had used publicly available nutrition mobile apps for weight management for ≥1 week within the past 3 to 4 months were recruited from the community in southern Ontario and Edmonton, Canada, using different methods (eg, social media, posters, and word of mouth). Qualitative data analysisInterviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and transcripts were verified against recordings. Data were coded inductively and organized into categories using NVivo, version 10 (QSR International). ResultsParticipants used nutrition apps for various amounts of time (mean=approximately 14 months). Varied nutrition apps were used; however, MyFitnessPal was the most common. In the interviews, the following four categories of experiences with nutrition apps became apparent: food data entry (database, data entry methods, portion size, and complex foods); accountability, feedback, and progress (goal setting, accountability, monitoring, and feedback); technical and app-related factors; and personal factors (self-motivation, privacy, knowledge, and obsession). Most participants used apps without professional or dietitian support. ConclusionsThis work reveals that numerous factors affect use and ongoing adherence to use of nutrition mobile apps. These data are relevant to professionals looking to better assist individuals using these tools, as well as developers looking to develop new and improved apps.

The Development ofAnd Stuffin Canadian English: A Longitudinal Study of Apparent Grammaticalization

This paper examines the development of and stuff, a general extender (GE), in Canadian English in longitudinal perspective. Previous research (Cheshire 2007; Tagliamonte &amp; Denis 2010; Pichler &amp; Levey 2011) finds suggestive evidence that and stuff and other GEs have undergone grammaticalization over their development. However, when viewed in apparent time, there is little evidence of ongoing grammaticalization; rather only vestiges of apparent previous grammaticalization remain. This paper takes up Pichler and Levey’s (2011) call for an appropriate real-time benchmark of comparison to enable a more thorough understanding of the historical development of these features. A collection of oral histories recorded in the 1970s and 1980s with elderly residents of three communities in southern Ontario, Canada, is used as a proxy for comparison to Tagliamonte and Denis’s (2010) analysis of the Toronto English Archive. By tracking the development of and stuff over more than a century of apparent time, this paper finds three changes in progress: (1) a lexical replacement such that and stuff becomes the majority variant in the variable system; (2) a morphological clipping process such that longer GEs such as and stuff like that lose the comparative element like that; and (3) the semantic bleaching of the set-marking meaning of and stuff. While this last change is a necessary part of grammaticalization, in the absence of phonetic reduction, decategorialization, and pragmatic shift, it is not sufficient evidence according to grammaticalization theory (e.g., Heine 2003; Traugott 2003; Diewald 2010).

Elder women's perceptions around optimal perinatal health: a constructivist grounded-theory study with an Indigenous community in southern Ontario.

Women play important roles in translating health knowledge, particularly around pregnancy and birth, in Indigenous societies. We investigated elder Indigenous women's perceptions around optimal perinatal health. Using a methodological framework that integrated a constructivist grounded-theory approach with an Indigenous epistemology, we conducted and analyzed in-depth interviews and focus groups with women from the Six Nations community in southern Ontario who self-identified as grandmothers. Our purposive sampling strategy was guided by a Six Nations advisory group and included researcher participation in a variety of local gatherings as well as personalized invitations to specific women, either face-to-face or via telephone. Three focus groups and 7 individual interviews were conducted with 18 grandmothers. The participants' experiences converged on 3 primary beliefs: pregnancy is a natural phase, pregnancy is a sacred period for the woman and the unborn child, and the requirements of immunity, security (trust), comfort, social development and parental responsibility are necessary for optimal postnatal health. Participants also identified 6 communal responsibilities necessary for families to raise healthy children: access to healthy and safe food, assurance of strong social support networks for mothers, access to resources for postnatal support, increased opportunities for children to participate in physical activity, more teachings around the impact of maternal behaviours during pregnancy and more teachings around spirituality/positive thinking. We also worked with the Six Nations community on several integrated knowledge-translation elements, including collaboration with an Indigenous artist to develop a digital story (short film). Elder women are a trusted and knowledgeable group who are able to understand and incorporate multiple sources of knowledge and deliver it in culturally meaningful ways. Thus, tailoring public health programming to include elder women's voices may improve the impact and uptake of perinatal health information for Indigenous women.

Imperfect/I’m perfect: bodies/embodiment in post-secondary and elementary settings

ABSTRACTUsing researched perspectives of bodies and embodiment, alongside dramatic structures, where bodies are foregrounded, this article looks closely at bodies and embodiment inside of school settings. Specifically, it investigates a community in Southern Ontario and the perceived, affective, relational, and critical ways that study participants story their identities about their bodies. Findings suggest that body image itself (i.e. how youth perceive their bodies) and embodiment (i.e. how youth use their bodies for communication and learning) are vital but sometimes invisible topics in today’s school settings, where bodies are continually interpreted, admired, shamed, moved, rejected, and positioned. Though drama and other subjects like the arts focus on embodied ways of knowing and offer unique opportunities for learning, they can also hold unique challenges in school settings.