Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and affects approximately one-quarter of the world’s population. Immigrant populations in Canada are disproportionately affected by TB. Canada’s immigration medical examinations include screening for active TB but not latent TB infection (LTBI). In LTBI, the bacterium remains dormant within the host but can reactivate and cause disease. Once active, TB can be transmitted to close contacts sharing confined spaces leading to the possibility of outbreaks in the broader community. This study aimed to 1) assess the current TB knowledge, perceived risk, and risk behaviors of immigrants in Atlantic Canada as well as 2) identify barriers and facilitators to testing and treatment of TB among this population. Three focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 14 non-Canadian born residents of New Brunswick aged 19 years and older. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Four themes were identified from the data relating to barriers to testing and treatment of LTBI: 1) Need for education, 2) stigma, 3) fear of testing, treatment, and healthcare system, and 4) complacency. Results included reasons individuals would not receive TB testing, treatment, or seek help, as well as facilitators to testing and treatment. These findings may inform the implemention of an LTBI screening program in Atlantic Canada and more broadly across the country.

Globally, young people are experiencing unprecedented levels of socio-emotional loneliness, stress, and uncertainty. Formulating insight into their own and others’ experiences and behaviors is especially important during unsettling times and can be facilitated with socioemotional learning (SEL) curriculums. When implementing SEL programs, their success heavily depends upon teachers’ levels of commitment and comfort with the curriculum, as well as their perceived support from the administration; this is important and rarely studied. The current phenomenological qualitative study examined teachers’ experience during the early implementation of a new SEL, the Human Dignity Curriculum, (HDC) with middle school students in two small schools in Canada and the United States of America. Semi-structured interviews, using a four-question protocol developed for this study, were conducted with teachers who had completed teaching a 10-week module, as well as both school administrators. Written informed consent was obtained from each volunteer interviewee. Participants were asked, (1) Tell me about your experience while teaching HDC; (2) what was your commitment level to teaching HDC? (3) What was your comfort level with teaching HDC? (4) Did you feel supported by your administration when preparing and teaching HDC? Inductive thematic analysis identified five themes indicating HDC was a (1) user-friendly, (2) high value curriculum; (3) teachers felt supported teaching it; and a (4) shared language, (5) and shared teacher-student experience evolved when teaching HDC. Future research to replicate this initial evaluation of teachers’ experience and exploration of HDC’s potential impacts on youths’ well-being and related behavioral outcomes appears warranted.

In 2011, the New Brunswick government released the New Brunswick Mental Health Action Plan 2011–2018 (Action Plan). Following the release of the Action Plan in 2011, two progress reports were released in 2013 and 2015, highlighting the implementation status of the Action Plan. While vague in their language, these reports indicated considerable progress in implementing the Action Plan, as various initiatives were undertaken to raise awareness and provide additional resources to facilitate early prevention and intervention in children and youth. However, whether these initiatives have yielded measurable improvements in population-level mental health outcomes in children and youth remains unclear. The current study explored the impact of the Action Plan by visualizing the trend in psychosocial outcomes and service utilization of vulnerable populations in New Brunswick before and after the implementation of the Action Plan using multiple datasets from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Survey-weighted ordinary least square regression analyses were performed to investigate measurable improvements in available mental health outcomes. The result revealed a declining trend in the mental wellness of vulnerable youth despite them consistently reporting higher frequencies of mental health service use. This study highlights the need for a concerted effort in providing effective mental health services to New Brunswick youth and, more broadly, Canadian youth, as well as ensuring rigorous routine outcome monitoring and evaluation plans are consistently implemented for future mental health strategies at the time of their initiation.

Introduction: Despite the key role of healthcare workers (HCWs) in tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control, there is a lack of regional data on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding the disease in Atlantic Canada. Objectives: To assess the KAPs of HCWs and identify targets for educational interventions to enhance TB care and control. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in Atlantic Canada aged $\ge$19 years from October 2023 to February 2024. Participants were recruited via multiple channels such as social media, collegiate email lists, and snowball sampling. Survey data were collected using an online platform and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics v29. KAPs were assessed using Likert-type scales and internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: A total of 157 HCWs participated in this study (age range: 19 to 69 years); most were women (n = 145, 92%), born in Canada (n = 134, 85.4%), with nearly three-quarters (n = 115, 73.2%) who had never lived outside of Canada. Study participants demonstrated moderately high knowledge (M = 29.32, SD = 3.25) and positive attitudes (M = 3.87, SD = 0.37) towards TB and strong practices (M = 4.24, SD = 0.69) in TB care; however, gaps were identified in HCW abilities to recognize less common TB symptoms (e.g., rash and nausea), as well as inconsistent practices in ventilation and pre-treatment initiation. Internal consistency analysis indicated suboptimal reliability across all three KAP domains, with Cronbach’s alpha values falling below 0.7, thwarting further planned analyses. Conclusions: This study found overall moderate-to-strong TB-related KAPs among HCWs in Atlantic Canada; however, critical gaps in knowledge and practice were noted. This new information can now guide future educational initiatives and targeted training to enhance TB preparedness and ensure equitable care for patients in the region.

With youth well-being at historic lows and recent marked increases in teacher burnout this perspective paper examines the evidence that suggests by “making room” in classrooms and curriculums for artmaking activities coupled with socioemotional learning there may be improvements in teacher and student wellbeing. This paper reviews the literature on artmaking activities and human dignity education in school settings and proposes a novel framework for an inclusive school-based mental health prevention and intervention program for teachers and students. The framework recognizes that youth with subclinical mental health concerns may benefit from lower-intensity programming compared to students experiencing clinical mental health symptoms. Anticipated impacts for teachers and students include improved communication, a greater sense of connection and belonging, meaning making, self-expression, emotional regulation, and improved overall wellbeing. The paper concludes with implementation strategies for piloting this novel mental health prevention/intervention program in varied school settings with innovative collaborations among therapists, homeroom teachers, and artists. Keywords: socio-emotional learning, artmaking, dignity, teacher, student, wellness