Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39557770›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2025

Where public health meets public opinion: Understanding political support for fluoridation in Calgary, 2021.

Jack Lucas, R Michael McGregor, Simon Kiss, Andrea M L Perrella

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jack LucasDepartment of Political Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3498-7267
R Michael McGregorDepartment of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada. mmcgregor@torontomu.ca.ORCID 0000-0003-3845-0042
Simon KissDepartment of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Andrea M L PerrellaDepartment of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.

Funding

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 892-2020-2003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo understand variables associated with support for community water fluoridation among ordinary citizens during periods of heightened issue salience, with a particular focus on how support varies on the basis of demographic characteristics, attitudes toward public health science, and political variables such as ideology, populism, and issue salience.

methodsStatistical analysis of individual-level data from a large-scale survey of eligible voters in the City of Calgary, Alberta in 2021, collected at the time of a community water fluoridation plebiscite.

resultsSurvey data (N = 1130) reveal substantively important and statistically significant relationships with fluoridation support in each of our three analysis categories (demographics, public health expertise, and politics). Support for fluoridation tends to be higher among men, university-educated, higher-income; among those with trust in experts and knowledge of fluoride governance; and among those who consider the issue important and have low levels of populist attitudes. Two exceptions to findings in past studies are age and ideology: younger respondents were more likely than older respondents to support fluoridation in Calgary, as were those on the ideological left, as compared to the right.

conclusionIncorporating studies of the correlates of public attitudes related to public health policies is important for understanding public health policy failure and success, especially in instances involving public consultation mechanisms, such as plebiscites.

Indexed as

FluoridationPoliticsPublic HealthPublic OpinionAdolescentAdultAgedAlbertaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCalgaryFluoridationPlebiscitePublic opinion

Identifiers

PMID39557770
PMCPMC12076985

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.