PRISM :: Browsing by Author "McLaren, Lindsay"

Browsing by Author "McLaren, Lindsay"

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Open Access
A Canadian Population-based Study of the Relationship between Fluoride Exposure and Indicators of Cognitive and Thyroid Functioning; Implications for Community Water Fluoridation
(2016) Barberio, Amanda; McLaren, Lindsay; Quiñonez, Carlos; Hosein, Shaun
Concerns exist regarding potential harms of community water fluoridation. The study objective was to examine the association between fluoride exposure and indicators of two health outcomes for which concerns have been expressed, cognitive and thyroid functioning, among a population-based sample of Canadians. Data were analyzed from Cycles 2 and 3 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression were used to examine associations between fluoride exposure (from urine and tap water) and indicators of cognitive and thyroid functioning, adjusting for covariates. There was no evidence of any relationship between fluoride exposure and thyroid functioning. Higher urinary fluoride was associated with having some cognitive problems (versus none), but this finding disappeared when the sample was constrained to those for whom we could discern fluoride exposure from drinking water. Future research should continue to utilize this high quality data source to explore other potential harms.
Open Access
A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019
(University of Calgary Press, 2024-10-20) McLaren, Lindsay; Juzwishin, Donald W. M.; Velez Mendoza, Rogelio
Public health is diffuse, divided, and poorly understood. As a policy and practice, public health promotes and protects people and communities. As a field of academic inquiry it provides deep insights into the ways individuals and collectives can work within societies to prevent disease and promote health and health equity. Public health is a broad, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary field of scholarship, activism, policy, and practice with the potential to create and support immense change. This is a story of one hundred years of public health in Alberta. Drawing on extensive research, including interviews with members of Alberta’s public health communities, A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019 considers institutions, sectors, populations, and activities that constitute the study and practice of public health. It offers a consolidated narrative from a contemporary perspective, paying particular attention to significant and entrenched social inequities of health and their determinants, the emergence of new public health concerns, and communities of public health, including activists, practitioners, scholars, and the public itself. A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919-2019 draws together the threads of public health policy, practice, and research, mapping its contours and presenting a holistic view of public health in the province over time. Prompted by the concern, and the experience, that public health is frequently deeply misunderstood, this book articulates a history of the field and practice essential to understanding how we may best mobilize to support well-being and health equity across populations.
Open Access
A History of the Social Determinants of Health in Canada through the Lens of the Canadian Public Health Association, 1910-2010: Implications for Present and Future Population Health in Canada
(2017) Lucyk, Kelsey; McLaren, Lindsay; Stahnisch, Frank W.
The 2008 final report of the WHO’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) marked a watershed in the history of the SDOH for bringing together decades of evidence and theory on the social causes of illness from the diverse health research landscape. Yet, a rich history predates this and other contributions (e.g., 1974 Lalonde Report) that are widely credited as the start of the SDOH approach. This history is revealed through casting the contemporary interpretive lens of the SDOH onto the past. I gained a nuanced understanding of the emergence and evolution of the SDOH in Canada by analyzing the archives of the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) from 1910 to 2010. I applied a social history and critical public health perspective while exploring this data using methods of thematic content analysis. To situate my findings with relevance to the contemporary landscape of population and public health (PPH), I complemented my analysis of archival sources with that of published and grey SDOH literature, print news articles, and oral history interviews with PPH leaders. My findings show that as a way of thinking, the SDOH approach is complex and diffuse. This, coupled with the inherently political nature of the SDOH, presents challenges in terms of communicating key messages of the SDOH to decision-makers and the public. Additionally, the history of the SDOH is non-linear and changes alongside social, economic, and political events. Economic recession and growth, for example, at times brought more and less urgency to act on the SDOH within the Canadian PPH community. However, despite that ebb and flow, the foundations of health equity and social justice have remained firm throughout the history of the SDOH. These foundations, combined with the growth and increasing disciplinary coherence of PPH, suggest that action on the SDOH will remain a core commitment of PPH.
Open Access
A mixed-methods study of peer influences and body-related attitudes and behaviours in young adolescents attending an overnight summer camp
(2011) Linder, Jordana; McLaren, Lindsay
This research is presented in a manuscript-based format, meaning that it has been divided into three separate, yet connected, manuscripts. Following a global introduction section and literature review, the three manuscripts are included as separate chapters, followed by a global conclusion chapter that completes the dissertation. Authorship and Publication Status of Manuscripts Standard authorship criteria (from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) were used to establish authorship on the three manuscripts included in my dissertation. According to these criteria, "Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contribution to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3" (http://www.icmje.org/ethical_lauthor.html). As there are co-authors on each of the manuscripts, I have outlined below the contributions of myself and all co-authors for each manuscript included in this dissertation. As the student, I took the lead role in all manuscripts. Specifically, I led the design and execution of the study, collected and conducted the analysis of the data, and led the writing, under the guidance of my supervisor and with contributions from supervisory committee members. Efforts have been made to publish this research and details of submissions are described below. Please note that the manuscripts are formatted in accordance with the guidelines of the University of Calgary, Graduate Studies. The citation for manuscript one (chapter 3) is: Linder, J, Adair CE., Russell-Mayhew, S., & McLaren, L. Body dissatisfaction and body change behaviours in early adolescent boys and girls at summer camp. For this paper, I conceptualized the study, gained access to the study site, obtained consent from parents and assent from participants, designed the questionnaire, completed the data collection, analyzed the data, interpreted the results and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. Dr. McLaren assisted in and oversaw all of the above activities. Dr. Adair assisted in the conceptualization of the study, questionnaire development and the editing of the manuscript. She also provided specific assistance in the pre-test and the analysis. Dr. Russell-Mayhew assisted in the conceptualization of the study, questionnaire development and the editing of the final manuscript.
Open Access
Assessment of the magnitude of geographic variation and socioeconomic contextual effects on children’s dental caries: a multilevel cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample
(2019-02-22) Shi, Congshi; McLaren, Lindsay; Faris, Peter D.; Aparicio-Ting, Fabiola E.; Patterson, Steven M.
Background: Revealing geographic variation and assessing area contextual influences are important for reducing social inequalities in dental caries. The objective of this study was to investigate area contextual effects on children’s dental caries. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from Grade 1 and 2 school children attending schools in the Public or Catholic school systems in the urban areas of Calgary and Edmonton in 2013/2014, in Canada. Three sources of data were used: (a) open mouth examinations, (b) parents’ questionnaires, and (c) Pampalon Material Deprivation Index derived from census data. Two dental caries outcomes were considered: (1) presence of dental caries, and (2) caries experience. Data were analyzed using multilevel modelling with two levels: school children (level 1) and dissemination area in which the child’s school was located (level 2). Results: The analytic sample included 5,677 school children attending school in 220 DAs. The study confirmed the existence of geographic variation; levels of dental caries were significantly higher among children attending schools in the most materially-deprived DAs than among those in the least materially-deprived DAs. After controlling for different population compositions in those areas, the DA-level variance represented a small but significant part (5-9%) of total variance in dental caries. Although the highest risk of having dental caries was found in the most materially-deprived DAs, the largest number of children at risk were more thinly spread across all deprivation quintiles. Conclusions: The school DA’s context may have an impact on children’s dental caries, beyond individual- and family-level factors. The study findings are relevant to Alberta Health Services’ practice of basing their selection of targeted areas for dental public health programming on school-DA’s material deprivation level and delivering preventive services to children attending schools in those selected DAs. Specifically, although risk of dental caries is highest in the most deprived quintiles, strategies focusing exclusively on the highest deprivation areas would miss many of the vulnerable children. Multilevel interventions are thus necessary to reduce social inequalities in children’s dental caries.
Open Access
Canadian Senate Report on Obesity: Focusing on Individual Behaviours versus Social Determinants of Health May Promote Weight Stigma
(Hindawi, 2018-07-02) Alberga, Angela S.; McLaren, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; von Ranson, Kristin M.
Very little attention has been given to unintended consequences of government reporting on obesity. This paper argues that the 2016 Senate report, “Obesity in Canada: A Whole-Of-Society Approach,” exemplifies the systemic public health issue of weight stigma. The purpose of this viewpoint is to critique the approach taken in the Report, by illustrating that it (1) takes a weight centric approach to health, (2) does not acknowledge important limitations of the definition and measurement of obesity, (3) reifies obesity as a categorical phenomenon that must be prevented, and (4) uses aggressive framing and disrespectful terminology. The Report perpetuates a focus on the individual, thereby failing to recognize the role that governments can play in reducing weight stigma and addressing social determinants of health. If steps are taken to avoid propagating weight stigma, future reports could more constructively address health promotion, equity, and social determinants of health in their policies.
Open Access
Canadian Senate Report on Obesity: Focusing on Individual Behaviours versus Social Determinants of Health May Promote Weight Stigma
(2018-07-02) Alberga, Angela S.; McLaren, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; von Ranson, Kristin M.
Very little attention has been given to unintended consequences of government reporting on obesity. This paper argues that the 2016 Senate report, “Obesity in Canada: A Whole-Of-Society Approach,” exemplifies the systemic public health issue of weight stigma. The purpose of this viewpoint is to critique the approach taken in the Report, by illustrating that it (1) takes a weight-centric approach to health, (2) does not acknowledge important limitations of the definition and measurement of obesity, (3) reifies obesity as a categorical phenomenon that must be prevented, and (4) uses aggressive framing and disrespectful terminology. The Report perpetuates a focus on the individual, thereby failing to recognize the role that governments can play in reducing weight stigma and addressing social determinants of health. If steps are taken to avoid propagating weight stigma, future reports could more constructively address health promotion, equity, and social determinants of health in their policies.
Open Access
Childhood obesity: Preceptions of the Calgary public
(2005) Potestio, Melissa Lee; Robinson-Vollman, Ardene L.; McLaren, Lindsay
Open Access
Correction to: Developing a framework to inform scale-up success for population health interventions: a critical interpretive synthesis of the literature
(2020-06-05) Nguyen, Duyen T K; McLaren, Lindsay; Oelke, Nelly D; McIntyre, Lynn
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Open Access
Determinants of childhood weight status in Canadian boys and girls
(2011) Potestio, Melissa Lee; McIntyre, Lynn; McLaren, Lindsay
Open Access
Developing a framework to inform scale-up success for population health interventions: a critical interpretive synthesis of the literature
(2020-04-29) Nguyen, Duyen T K; McLaren, Lindsay; Oelke, Nelly D; McIntyre, Lynn
Abstract Background Population health interventions (PHIs) have the potential to improve the health of large populations by systematically addressing underlying conditions of poor health outcomes (i.e., social determinants of health) and reducing health inequities. Scaling-up may be one means of enhancing the impact of effective PHIs. However, not all scale-up attempts have been successful. In an attempt to help guide the process of successful scale-up of a PHI, we look to the organizational readiness for change theory for a new perspective on how we may better understand the scale-up pathway. Using the change theory, our goal was to develop the foundations of an evidence-based, theory-informed framework for a PHI, through a critical examination of various PHI scale-up experiences documented in the literature. Methods We conducted a multi-step, critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) to gather and examine insights from scale-up experiences detailed in peer-reviewed and grey literatures, with a focus on PHIs from a variety of global settings. The CIS included iterative cycles of systematic searching, sampling, data extraction, critiquing, interpreting, coding, reflecting, and synthesizing. Theories relevant to innovations, complexity, and organizational readiness guided our analysis and synthesis. Results We retained and examined twenty different PHI scale-up experiences, which were extracted from 77 documents (47 peer-reviewed, 30 grey literature) published between 1995 and 2013. Overall, we identified three phases (i.e., Groundwork, Implementing Scale-up, and Sustaining Scale-up), 11 actions, and four key components (i.e., PHI, context, capacity, stakeholders) pertinent to the scale-up process. Our guiding theories provided explanatory power to various aspects of the scale-up process and to scale-up success, and an alternative perspective to the assessment of scale-up readiness for a PHI. Conclusion Our synthesis provided the foundations of the Scale-up Readiness Assessment Framework. Our theoretically-informed and rigorous synthesis methodology permitted identification of disparate processes involved in the successful scale-up of a PHI. Our findings complement the guidance and resources currently available, and offer an added perspective to assessing scale-up readiness for a PHI.
Open Access
Epidemiology of Alcohol-Related Hepatitis, Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis, and Non-Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis in Alberta, Canada: An Administrative Data Validation and Population-Based Study
(2024-07-22) Swain, Liam Andrew; Shaheen, Abdel-Aziz; Godley, Jenny; McLaren, Lindsay; Tang, Karen; Brenner, Darren
Background: Population-based studies evaluating the epidemiology of chronic liver diseases rely on accurate case definitions. This thesis aimed to develop new coding algorithms for alcohol- (AC) and non-alcohol-related cirrhosis (NAC) to use alongside a previously validated alcohol-related hepatitis (AH) coding algorithm to examine population-level AC, NAC, and AH hospitalization rate trends from 2012-2022, in Alberta, Canada. Methods: Using a randomly selected cohort of 700 admissions with diagnostic codes for alcohol- and cirrhosis-related conditions from the 2008-2022 Calgary Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), we validated (using electronic medical record review) newly developed and commonly used AC/NAC case definitions. The newly validated coding algorithms were used to select all adult AC/NAC/AH hospitalizations in the Alberta DAD from 2012-2022. All admissions were postal code matched to the 2016 Alberta Census data aggregated to the DA level. Temporal trends in annual sex/age-standardized hospitalization rates per 100,000 Alberta population were examined using Joinpoint analysis stratified by sex, age, area-level income quartile, and rural/urban residency. Results: Our new AC algorithm selecting codes for AC, alcohol-related hepatic failure, or alcohol use disorder (AUD) with a decompensated cirrhosis condition or NAC code provided higher accuracy than previous methods (AUROC 0.88 vs. 0.50-0.81, p<0.001). Our new NAC algorithm, excluding AUD codes and selecting for a NAC or a primary decompensated cirrhosis condition code provided higher accuracy than previous approaches (AUORC 0.87 vs. 0.58-0.76, p<0.001). Using these new algorithms, we determined that between 2012-2022, AC hospitalization rates increased only for urban females, those <35 years of age, and for those living in regions with the highest area-level income. AH hospitalization rates increased predominantly for people <35 years and for females. During the COVID-19 pandemic AC/AH hospitalization rates significantly increased for those from rural and low-income areas. NAC hospitalization rates were not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, only increasing in people ≥65 years. Conclusions: The new case definitions exhibit enhanced AC/NAC identification accuracy compared to previous methods. Over the past decade, AC/AH hospitalizations increased in younger and female populations, and NAC hospitalizations steadily increased in older populations.
Open Access
Ethnic disparities in children’s oral health: findings from a population-based survey of grade 1 and 2 schoolchildren in Alberta, Canada
(2018-01-04) Shi, Congshi; Faris, Peter; McNeil, Deborah A; Patterson, Steven; Potestio, Melissa L; Thawer, Salima; McLaren, Lindsay
Abstract Background Although oral health has improved remarkably in recent decades, not all populations have benefited equally. Ethnic identity, and in particular visible minority status, has been identified as an important risk factor for poor oral health. Canadian research on ethnic disparities in oral health is extremely limited. The aim of this study was to examine ethnic disparities in oral health outcomes and to assess the extent to which ethnic disparities could be accounted for by demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral factors, among a population-based sample of grade 1 and 2 schoolchildren (age range: 5-8 years) in Alberta, Canada. Methods A dental survey (administered during 2013-14) included a mouth examination and parent questionnaire. Oral health outcomes included: 1) percentage of children with dental caries; 2) number of decayed, extracted/missing (due to caries) and filled teeth; 3) percentage of children with two or more teeth with untreated caries; and 4) percentage of children with parental-ratings of fair or poor oral health. We used multivariable regression analysis to examine ethnic disparities in oral health, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral variables. Results We observed significant ethnic disparities in children’s oral health. Most visible minority groups, particularly Filipino and Arab, as well as Indigenous children, were more likely to have worse oral health than White populations. In particular, Filipino children had an almost 5-fold higher odds of having severe untreated dental problems (2 or more teeth with untreated caries) than White children. Adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic, and caries-related behavior variables attenuated but did not eliminate ethnic disparities in oral health, with the exception of Latin American children whose outcomes did not differ significantly from White populations after adjustment. Conclusions Significant ethnic disparities in oral health exist in Alberta, Canada, even when adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and caries-related behavioral factors, with Filipino, Arab, and Indigenous children being the most affected.
Open Access
Exploring Parental Views on Community Water Fluoridation and Alternative Policy Options in the Context of Cessation
(2018-08-15) Lang, Rebecca; McLaren, Lindsay; Weijs, Cynthia A.; Blue, Gwendolyn; Figueiredo, Rafael L. F.
Background and Rationale: Instances of cessation of community water fluoridation (hereafter ‘fluoridation’), such as the decision to cease fluoridation in Calgary in 2011, have raised broader questions about the acceptability, to members of the public, of population-level preventive measures in public health. In the wake of fluoridation cessation in Calgary, it is important to gain an understanding of how members of the public view population-level interventions in dental health, to ensure that future policies best align with the views of those served by those policies. Conceptual Frameworks: We approached this work through the lenses of public health ethics and public engagement of science. Public health ethics focuses on populations, considering the collective rather than the individual. A public engagement with science lens explores the roles of the scientific community and of the public in framing scientific discussion. Research Objective: We sought to explore perspectives on several possible population-level dental public health interventions held by parents of young children in Calgary, Canada, where fluoridation was previously but is no longer in place. Methods: The target population was parents of young children. Using focus groups and pre- and post-focus group questionnaires, four policy approaches to preventive dental health for populations (i.e., municipal-level fluoridation; state/provincial-level fluoridation; universal dental care; and salt or milk fluoridation) were introduced and discussed. Focus group data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were developed: 1. Expert/lay relations explores how the public regards and behaves toward others who are understood to have different levels of expertise, knowledge, or credentials, vis-à-vis dental public health policy; 2. Ways of knowing explores how people use different forms and sources of information to determine whether a belief is valid; and 3. Values in public health focuses on people’s core principles regarding the importance and worth of dental public health interventions. Conclusion: Our research confirms the importance of engaging these publics in developing dental public health policies. We also found that of the four policy options presented, universal dental care was preferred, which provides some insight into attributes of population-level interventions that are acceptable to members of the public in Calgary.
Open Access
Interactions between Neighbourhood Urban Form and Socioeconomic Status and Their Associations with Anthropometric Measurements in Canadian Adults
(2017-09-05) McCormack, Gavin R.; Friedenreich, Christine; McLaren, Lindsay; Potestio, Melissa; Sandalack, Beverly; Csizmadi, Ilona
Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic composition and built context are correlates of weight-related behaviours. We investigated the relations between objective measures of neighbourhood design and socioeconomic status (SES) and their interaction, in relation to self-reported waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of Canadian adults ( from 12 Calgary neighbourhoods). WC and BMI were higher among residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods, independent of neighbourhood design (grid, warped grid, and curvilinear street patterns) and individual-level characteristics (sex, age, education, income, dog ownership, marital status, number of dependents, motor vehicle access, smoking, sleep, mental health, physical health, and past attempts to modify bodyweight). The association between neighbourhood-level SES and WC was modified by neighbourhood design; WC was higher in disadvantaged-curvilinear neighbourhoods and lower in advantaged-grid neighbourhoods. Policies making less obesogenic neighbourhoods affordable to low socioeconomic households and that improve the supportiveness for behaviours leading to healthy weight in low socioeconomic neighbourhoods are necessary.
Open Access
Is there an association between spatial access to parks/green space and childhood overweight/obesity in Calgary, Canada?
(BioMed Central, 2009-11-20) Potestio, Melissa L.; Patel, Alka B.; Powell, Christopher D.; McNeil, Deborah A.; Jacobson, Dan; McLaren, Lindsay
Open Access
Major Depression, Antidepressant Medication and the Risk of Obesity
(Karger, 2009) Patten, Scott B.; Williams, Jeanne V.A.; Lavorato, Dina H.; Brown, Lauren; McLaren, Lindsay; Eliasziw, Michael
Background: Cross-sectional studies have reported an association between episodes of major depression (MDE) and obesity. The objective of this longitudinal analysis was to determine whether MDE increases the risk of becoming obese over a 10 year period. Method: We used data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS), a longitudinal study of a representative cohort of household residents in Canada. The incidence of obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m2 was evaluated in respondents who were 18 years or older at the time of a baseline interview in 1994. MDE was assessed using a brief diagnostic instrument. Results: The risk of obesity was not elevated in association with MDE, either in unadjusted or covariate-adjusted analyses. The strongest predictor of obesity was a BMI in the overweight (but not obese) range. Effects were also seen for (younger) age, (female) sex, a sedentary activity pattern, low income and exposure to antidepressant medications. Unexpectedly, significant effects were seen for serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants and venlafaxine, but not for tricyclic antidepressants nor antipsychotic medications. Conclusions: MDE does not appear to increase the risk of obesity. The cross-sectional associations that have been reported, albeit inconsistently, in the literature probably represent an effect of obesity on MDE risk. Pharmacologic treatment with antidepressants may be associated with an increased risk of obesity, and strategies to offset this risk may be useful in clinical practice.
Open Access
Perceptions of the social determinants of health by two groups more and less affiliated with public health in Canada
(BioMed Central, 2013-07-01) McIntyre, Lynn; Shyleyko, Robert; Nicholson, Cherie; Beanlands, Hope; McLaren, Lindsay
Open Access
Population-level determinants of obesity in Canada: application of econometric techniques
(2014-07-28) Dutton, Daniel James; McLaren, Lindsay
Obesity is a significant public health problem in Canada. Increasingly, factors that are beyond the individual are being identified as important drivers of the current obesity epidemic. Drivers like prices, taxes, and government policy are jointly identified as population-level determinants of obesity that have resulted in its rapid growth. While these population-level determinants have been identified as important, their impact has not been explicitly quantified in Canada. The geographic distribution of obesity prevalence in Canada is one issue that could potentially highlight the important role that population-level determinants of obesity play. This dissertation’s objective is to assess the importance of population-level determinants of obesity in Canada by quantifying their impact on individuals living in different regions of the country. Canada has, roughly, an east to west gradient of obesity, with the Atlantic provinces exhibiting the highest prevalence of obesity. I characterize the difference between the Atlantic provinces and other regions of Canada (Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia) in two ways: the difference in average body mass index (BMI) and the difference in BMI distributions. To estimate the contribution of the population-level determinants to these differences I apply Blinder-Oaxaca decompositions and quantile regression to national level data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. I show that the population-level determinants are important in describing cross-regional differences in obesity in Canada and their importance becomes larger at high percentiles of the BMI distribution, especially in females. I explain how this is consistent with the ecological model of obesity’s portrayal of the population-level determinants of obesity. Parallel to meeting the overall objective of this dissertation, I assess the added value of corrected BMI values in obesity research. Correction equations are generally used to adjust self- iii reported BMI values so they resemble measured BMI values on aggregate. I assess their usefulness by establishing a new correction equation and comparing that correction to established Canadian correction equations, measured BMI, and self-reported BMI. I determine that corrected BMI is not always superior to self-reported BMI and discuss the settings where corrected BMI is useful.
Open Access
Public and health professional opposition to community water fluoridation: An investigation of trust and perceived risk in the context of new, local research findings
(2018-08-23) Fundytus, Katrina Ann; McLaren, Lindsay; Lucas, Jack; Musto, Richard J.; Curran, Dean
Background: Community water fluoridation (CWF) has remained a highly-debated topic among the public since it was introduced in 1945. Since then, several studies have provided support for the safety and effectiveness of CWF, although there are limitations to both the quantity and quality of the current evidence base. Despite the available scientific data, there exists a divide on public views toward CWF. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how health professionals and members of the public in Calgary, who self-identify as opposed to CWF, make sense of locally-relevant and recent research evidence on fluoridation cessation and tooth decay in the city of Calgary. I sought to gain insights into fluoridation specifically and public health initiatives more generally. Methods: I undertook a critical qualitative study, informed by theories of risk perception and trust in authority figures and the scientific community. Four health professionals were purposively recruited to participate in one-on-one interviews based on their self-identified opposition to CWF. Participants were asked to discuss their views on CWF and public health research in general, with a focus on publications from a study of the short-term implications for children’s dental caries of terminating CWF in Calgary in 2011. To supplement interview responses, I analyzed online comments pertaining to the Calgary fluoridation cessation study. Results: Overall, I observed three prominent and overlapping themes: (1) Fluoridation research criticisms, which describes criticisms and negative comments from interviewees and online commenters about the Calgary fluoridation study specifically, and fluoridation research in general. (2) Selective Mistrust expressed by interviewees and online commenters toward the Calgary fluoridation cessation study, health research, and researchers, and (3) the Individualization of health, wherein interviewees and online commenters were skeptical toward health and government authority figures and their ability to make appropriate health decisions for the public, which led to the perception that the responsibility for oral health lies with the individual. Conclusions: With the publication of local research on fluoridation cessation, this study provided a ‘real time’ opportunity to gain a contemporary, nuanced understanding of what characterizes fluoridation opposition among some health professionals and members of the public.