Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
More than three years after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, a new study is looking at how the international health crisis has changed the lifestyle habits of Canadians.
The research, conducted by McGill University in Montreal, found that 60 per cent of the roughly 1,600 Canadians surveyed say their lifestyle habits either improved or remained the same during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the study also found that 40 per cent of respondents reported less healthy lifestyle habits formed during the health crisis.
Researchers assessed data from across the country during the first wave of COVID-19 infections. They measured healthy habits as more physical activity, better sleep and stress management practices. Less healthy habits included less physical activity, worse sleep and less healthy eating.
“The good news is that the majority of participants maintained or even improved their lifestyle habits” explained Stéphanie Chevalier, associate professor of McGill’s School of Human Nutrition, in a news release.
Lead author of the study Anne-Julie Tessier, a research fellow at Harvard University, added that people who reported dissatisfaction from their body image, along with those who experienced depression, stress or identified as a gender minority, were more likely to adopt less healthy habits.
In a phone interview with CTVNews.ca, Chevalier noted that body image dissatisfaction was “independent of other factors,” such as stress and depression, although all three are likely correlated.
“Our hypothesis is that people not satisfied with their body image are usually reflective of mental health status that is more fragile,” she said. “And that could also be associated with other factors such as stress and more depression.”
She also explained that it’s difficult to pinpoint whether these factors existed prior to the pandemic or were the actual result of the health crisis.
“Sometimes we can not say what comes first,” she said, explaining that some of the survey questions referred to states of lifestyle prior to COVID-19 while others -- such as questions about body image dissatisfaction -- did not.
Another variable Chevalier recognized is the importance of socialization when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle -- something that quarantine restrictions limited.
Although their questionnaire did not specifically ask about habits of socializing -- whether online or during physical-distancing walks, data was collected about the living arrangements of respondents, including whether they lived alone, with roommates, or family. Despite this, no evident changes were apparent in their cohort of participants.
“Our research may help in identifying people with higher health risks during a crisis such as a pandemic,” Tessier said in the news release. “And in developing strategies to support people facing mental health challenges to prevent potential health deterioration in the future.”
Chevalier says this study also shines light on the importance for mental health and wellbeing support to come from various fields of expertise.
“We need more support from psychologists, kinesiologists, dieticians working together to address all of those factors together. Not just mental health. Not just nutrition. But all of it together.”
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.