The Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP) prospective cohort study was established in 2000 to investigate the causes of cancer and chronic disease. The cohort consists of almost 55 000 participants aged 35–69 years at the time of recruitment. From 2020 to 2022, ATP conducted a longitudinal substudy, the COVID-19 Antibody Testing (CAT) study, nested in this existing cohort, to understand the spread and impact of the SARS-CoV-2. In this cohort profile, we describe the CAT study design, recruitment and initial findings.

In this prospective cohort substudy, ~4000 participants completed online surveys and provided blood samples at a study centre every 4 months for 1 year, across four cities in Alberta, Canada. The study was launched on a rolling basis beginning in September 2020 and data collection was completed in May 2022. The surveys collected information on health and lifestyle factors, COVID-19 (testing, symptoms, vaccination, public health recommendations) and impacts of the pandemic (including economic, health services, mental health). Blood samples were tested for antinucleocapsid and antispike protein SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

A total of 4102 participants consented and attended a study centre at baseline, and almost 90% of these completed the study. Overall, participants were aged 61±10 years, 60% female, 12% came from rural areas, 45% had at least a bachelor’s degree, 24% reported a household income 4 weeks). By the end of the study, 96% of participants had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Through investigating other outcomes, it was observed that participants under 50 years of age were more likely to be assessed to have mild or moderate-to-severe anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with older participants. In addition, approximately 15% of participants reported a moderate to major impact on their ability to meet financial obligations.

Serology results, together with health, lifestyle and sociodemographic data, and the continued follow-up of these participants as part of the broader ATP cohort study (planned through 2065), will provide opportunities to investigate the long-term sequelae of COVID-19 infection as well as the broader impacts of the pandemic on physical, mental and emotional health. Data are available to researchers on request through the ATP access process.

Polypharmacy, defined as the concurrent use of multiple medications, is a growing concern among the elderly, especially in low-income and middle-income countries such as Iran. This study aims to explore the prevalence and patterns of polypharmacy among the elderly in Iran, using health insurance claims data to identify common drug classes and coprescribed medications, with a focus on informing policy decisions and improving medication management.

Retrospective population-based observational study.

Nationwide data from the Iran Health Insurance Organization (IHIO) across 24 provinces.

1 876 527 individuals aged 65 years and older, insured by the IHIO from 2014 to 2017. Individuals with incomplete demographic information or lacking medication records in the database were excluded from the analysis.

Prevalence and patterns of polypharmacy, demographic factors associated with polypharmacy, and common drug classes used. Medications were classified using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical system. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications, with cumulative polypharmacy considering total drug use over time, and consecutive polypharmacy focusing on the frequency of monthly drug use. Logistic regression and association rule mining were applied to explore demographic factors and medication patterns associated with polypharmacy.

Of the study population, 74.9% experienced cumulative polypharmacy over 6 months and 64.6% over 1 month, with 7.6% experiencing consecutive polypharmacy. Females and those aged 75–79 were more prone to polypharmacy. Systemic glucocorticoids were the most commonly used medications (50.02%), followed by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (42.73%) and platelet aggregation inhibitors (41.92%). Polypharmacy was most strongly associated with medications related to the alimentary tract and metabolism, cardiovascular system, nervous system and blood and blood-forming organs.

Polypharmacy is highly prevalent among the elderly in Iran, with significant variations by gender, age, insurance fund and region. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to manage polypharmacy and improve medication safety in this population.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at high risk of harmful sexual and reproductive health (SRH) practices due to limited knowledge, low availability or acceptability of modern contraceptives, gender inequality and cultural practices like child marriage. Preventive and educational interventions by lay health workers or through technological means are a cost-effective and scalable solution. Unfortunately, too little is currently known about the scope, content and conditions of the effectiveness and sustainability of these approaches and synthetic evidence on this topic is scarce. To help fill this knowledge gap and to identify where further research is needed, we will conduct a scoping review of technology-based or lay health-worker delivered preventive and educational SRH interventions targeting AYAs in LMICs. This information is valuable to both policymakers and researchers as it provides a synthesis of existing interventions, highlights best practices for their implementation and identifies potential avenues for future research.

This review will include studies on SRH preventive and educational interventions targeting AYAs aged 10–24 years in LMICs. It encompasses interventions delivered by lay health workers or via technological means, assessing various outcomes including but not limited to SRH literacy, sexual risk behaviours, pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence. Key databases, including PubMed via MEDLINE and Embase, will be searched from 1 January 2000 up to 23 January 2024, using a comprehensive search strategy. Screening will be conducted using Covidence software. Data extraction will cover study details, methods, intervention strategies, outcomes and findings. A narrative synthesis will be conducted following synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines.

The scope of this scoping review is limited to publicly accessible databases that do not require prior ethical approval for access. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, as well as presentations at national and international conferences and stakeholder meetings in LMICs.

The final protocol is prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework on 7 May 2024 (osf.io/vna2z).