Education, and by extension, school-based sexual health education for youth, falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction in Canada, creating a tapestry of educational experiences across the country. Previous research has found general support for provid ing sexual health education in schools as reported by teachers, parents, and college/university students. The current study further explores this topic through an examination of the perspectives and opinions of high-school aged youth. The purpose of this study was to develop knowledge to better understand sexual health education experiences in Canada and help determine the extent to which youth feel informed and well supported to develop and maintain their sexual health and participate in healthy sexual and/ or romantic relationships. Twelve focus groups were conducted with youth (ages 12-19) across Canada and the transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 10 themes were identified related to what and how youth would like to learn, including four themes about the context and delivery of sexual health education and six themes about the content of sexual health education. Study findings highlight the need for youth perspectives when developing, implementing and evaluating sexual health education and provide insight to help inform recommendations for where educational improvements are warranted.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

IntroductionA common barrier identified by individuals trying to quit smoking is the cost of cessation pharmacotherapies. The purpose of this evaluation was to: (1) Assess the feasibility of offering nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) ‘gift cards’ to hospitalised smokers for use posthospitalisation; and, (2) Estimate the effect of providing NRT gift cards on 6-month smoking abstinence.MethodsA prospective, quasi-experimental, before-and-after controlled cohort design with random sampling was used to compare patients who had received the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC) intervention (‘control’) with patients who received the OMSC plus a $C300 Quit Card (‘QCI’), which they could use to purchase any brand or form of NRT from any Canadian pharmacy.Results750 Quit Cards were distributed to the three participating hospitals of which 707 (94.3%) were distributed to patients. Of the cards received by patients, 532 (75.2%) were used to purchase NRT. A total of 272 participants completed evaluation surveys (148 control; 124 QCI).Point prevalence abstinence rates adjusted for misreporting among survey responders were 15.3% higher in the QCI group, compared with controls (44.4% vs 29.1%; OR 1.95, 1.18–3.21; p=0.009). Satisfaction was high among participants in both groups, and among staff delivering the QCI. QCI participants rated the intervention as high in terms of motivation, ease of use and helpfulness.ConclusionsThe NRT gift card appears to be a feasible and effective smoking cessation tool that removes a primary barrier to the use of evidence-based smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, while motivating both patients and health providers.