Arthritis is associated with health challenges. Lifestyle traits are believed to influence arthritis development and progression; however, data to support personalized treatment regimens based on holistic lifestyle factors are missing. This study aims to provide a comprehensive list of associations between lifestyle traits and the health status of individuals with arthritis in the Canadian population, using binary logistic regression analysis on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, which includes 104,359 respondents. Firstly, we explored the association between arthritis and various aspects of health status including self-reported lifestyle factors. Secondly, we examined the associations between self-reported dietary intake and smoking status with general, mental, and oral health, and sleep disturbance among individuals both with and without arthritis. Our analysis revealed that individuals with arthritis reported considerably poorer general, mental, and oral health, and poorer sleep quality compared to those without arthritis. Associations were also found between self-reported dietary intake and various measures of health status in individuals with arthritis. Smoking and exposure to passive smoking were associated not only with arthritis but also with compromised sleep quality and poorer general, mental, and oral health in people with and without arthritis. This study highlights the need for personalized and holistic approaches that may include a combination of dietary interventions, oral health improvements, sleep therapies, and smoking cessation for improved arthritis prevention and care.

Melatonin is a key hormone that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and plays an important role in maintaining circadian rhythm and sleep onset. The daily rise in melatonin secretion is associated with an increased tendency to sleep, occurring approximately 2 h before bedtime. This correlation between melatonin levels and sleep onset makes it a reliable biomarker for circadian rhythm sleep–wake disorders. An accurate assessment of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) is vital for understanding circadian timing and diagnosing sleep–wake cycle disruptions. However, the traditional methods for detecting melatonin in saliva are either complex or lack the sensitivity required for the accurate assessment of DLMO, especially at low concentrations. Here, we present a novel competitive enzyme-linked aptamer-based assay developed to detect melatonin in saliva. Unlike conventional assays, this technique utilizes chemically synthesized single-stranded DNA or RNA aptamers, which bind to melatonin with high specificity and sensitivity. The assay measures melatonin, attaining a linear dynamic range from 8.62 × 10^‒6 M to 3.9 × 10^‒11 M, with a detection limit of 2.5 × 10^‒12 M (~ 0.57 pg/mL). Additionally, the aptamer showed small binding to its counter targets and acceptable recovery of melatonin when spiked in four times diluted saliva in assay buffer. Overall, the assay portrayed the potential of aptamers to detect low melatonin levels in saliva that could be beneficial in accurately determining DLMO, particularly in individuals with very low melatonin levels, such as the elderly or those with neurodegenerative conditions. Determining precise measurement of DLMO will facilitate the accurate diagnosis of circadian rhythm disruption, enabling healthcare providers to optimize the timing and selection of therapeutic and behavioural interventions tailored to an individual’s unique circadian rhythm.