Ongoing research projects
To prevent the potential for overlap of research projects and to facilitate opportunities to collaborate, below is a list of research topics that are currently being examined, categorized by outcome health behaviour topics. If external researchers are interested in collaborating on current projects listed, please contact Scott Leatherdale and the lead author highlighted on the specific project before submitting a data usage application.
Updated September 2025
Obesity and related correlates
Complete case analysis and multiple imputation: assessing the impact of missing data within youth overweight and obesity research: complete case analysis versus multiple imputation. Requested by: Amanda Doggett. Year 7 (2018/2019). Full sample.
Examining risk factors associated with obesity: Applying machine learning algorithms. Requested by: Iris Zhang. Year 9 (2020/21). Full sample.
Machine Learning Model for Selecting Modifiable Attributes of Childhood Obesity. Requested by: Iris Zhang. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
Risk prediction model and Obesity. Requested by: Iris Zhang. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Building a longitudinal machine learning model to monitor youth weight perception transiting patterns and related factors. Requested by: Iris Zhang. Year 9-11 (2020/21 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Healthy eating
Association between usual school breakfast week program participation and breakfast program characteristics. Requested by: Navreet Singh. Year 8 (2019/20). Full sample.
Assessing school-based nutrition policies and programs. Requested by: Katerina Maximova. Year 5-10 (2016/17 – 2021-22). Full sample.
Testing the prospective and reciprocal associations between food restriction for weight control and vaping in a large Canadian adolescent cohort. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 9-11 (2020/21 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Measurement Invariance of a Brief Disordered Eating Scale in a Large Sample of Secondary School Students in Canada. Requested by: Lin Zheng. Year 10 (2021/22). Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario sample.
Breakfast-skipping Behaviour Patterns Influenced by Social Media Content Among Canadian Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Analysis of the 2022/23 Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children and COMPASS Studies. Requested by: Rita Kocsis. Year 11 (2022/23). Full sample.
Disordered Eating Profiles and Associations with Student Sociodemographic Characteristics: A Latent Class Analysis among Canadian Adolescents. Requested by: Lin Zheng. Year 10 (2021/22). Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario sample.
Physical activity and sedentary behaviours
Longitudinally examining the association between the changes in cannabis use and relative MVPA among youth in the COMPASS study. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Year 5-7 (2016/17 – 2018/19). Full sample.
Longitudinally examining the association between the changes in cannabis use on the likelihood of meeting the Canadian physical activity guidelines among youth in the COMPASS study. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Year 5-7 (2016/17 – 2018/19). Full sample.
Evaluating the impact of participation in school-based physical education lessons on physical activity levels among a sample of Canadian secondary school students. Requested by: Claire Buchan. Year 4-7 (2015/16 – 2018-19). Ontario sample.
Evaluating the impact of participation in school-based physical education lessons on mental health outcomes among a sample of Canadian secondary school students. Requested by: Claire Buchan.
Examining the cross-sectional association between school and community physical activity facilities on physical activity and sports outcomes among a sample of Canadian youth. Requested by: Katie Burns. Year 6 (2017/18). Full sample.
Exploring organized sport participation rates among gender-minority and cisgender youth. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski and Thepikaa Varatharajan. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
An examination of weight-based victimization, internalized weight stigma, and physical activity in Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Sports participation on academic achievement: role of school connectedness. Requested by: Karen Suave. Year: 5-7 (2016/2017 – 2018/19). Full sample.
Sport participation and physical activity classes among Canadian adolescents: A cross-sectional analysis using COMPASS data. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Year 7 (2018/19).
Investigating transitions in sport participation classes and effects on mental health outcomes: A longitudinal pre- and post-COVID-19 analyses using COMPASS data. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21).
Trends in sports participation and physical activity guideline adherence from 2012-2023 and comparison of drop out rates pre-COVID-19 and through COVID-19. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Year 1-11 (2012/13 – 2022/23).
The prospective associations between internalized weight bias and physical activity among adolescents. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Examining the impact of COVID-19 on youth sport participation: Longitudinal findings from the COMPASS Study. Requested by: McKenna Szczepanowski. Full sample.
Profiles of physical activity patterns and academic outcomes across secondary school by gender: stability pre- and post-pandemic. Requested by: Karen Sauve. Year 7 & 11 (2018/19 & 2022/23). Full sample.
The effect of sports participation patterns through secondary school on grade 12 academic outcomes: the role of school connectedness. Requested by: Karen Sauve. Year 1-7 (2012/13 – 2018/19).
Factors associated with muscularity preoccupation among a large sample of Canadian adolescents: A COMPASS study. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 12 (2023/24). Full sample.
Examining the association between physical activity and sleep duration trajectories in a cohort of Canadian adolescents: a longitudinal study. Requested by: Nicole Nguyen. Year 10-12 (2021/22 - 2023/24). Full sample.
Time-use reallocations of 24-hour movement behaviours with academic achievement and homework engagement: a prospective analysis of compositional data. Requested by: Gary Goldfield. Year 10-12 (2021/22 – 2023/24). Full sample.
Disordered Eating and Social Media Use. Requested by: Lin Zheng. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario sample.
Substance use
Exploring the association between cannabis retailer proximity and density and perceived ease of access to and use of cannabis among adolescents in Canada. Requested by: Adam Cole. Year 9-10 (2020/21 – 2021/22). Ontario sample.
The impact of cannabis legalization in Ontario students and the mediating role of vaping. Requested by: Adam Cole. Year 5-8 (2016/17 – 2019/20). Ontario sample.
Longitudinal analysis of the impact of changes to tobacco retailer proximity and density on youth smoking and vaping behaviours. Requested by: Adam Cole. Year 1-2 (2012/13 – 2013/14). Ontario sample.
Patterns of vaping and smoking over 3 years. Requested by: Gillian Williams. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
The mediating role of cannabis risk perception and access on the association between friends cannabis use and self use. Requested by: Marie-Pierre Sylvestre. Year 5-8 (2016/17 – 2019/20). Quebec sample.
Extension of prognostic tools for substance co-use with cannabis. Requested by: Marie-Pierre Sylvestre. Year 4-6 (2015/16 – 2017/18). Ontario, Quebec Sample
Is implementing a provincial e-cigarette tax associated with e-cigarette initiation and current use among high school students? Evaluating the experience in British Columbia: data from the COMPASS study, 2018-2021. Requested by: Negin Aalaei. Year 7 & 9 (2018/19 & 2020/21). Full sample.
Cohort characteristics and factors associated with cannabis use among adolescents in Canada using pattern discovery and disentanglement method. Requested by: Peiyuan Zhou. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
Cannabis legalization and its impact on use patterns among Canadian youth: a machine learning approach of examining the change of use patterns and health correlated. Requested by: Rena Yang. Year 7-8 (2018/19 – 2019/20). Full sample.
Predictors of vaping among Canadian secondary school students: a machine learning approach. Requested by: Michael Chaiton. Year 5-7 (2016/17 – 2018/19). Full sample.
Perceived school supportiveness in resisting or quitting alcohol and/or cannabis use among Canadian high school students. Requested by: Thepikaa Varatharajan. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
A prospective cohort study to examine the association between increased screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic with initiation of and change in underage drinking among Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Rj Edjoc. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Predicting Patterns of Underage Drinking in Canadian High School Students Using Machine Learning Approaches. Requested by: Rj Edjoc. Year 5-7 (2016/17 – 2018/19). Full sample.
Solitary cannabis use profiles among Canadian youth. Requested by: Alle Butler. Year 8-9 (2019/20 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Predictive Ability of Self-Reported Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk Perception Towards Cannabis use to Identify Youth at Risk of at Least Weekly Cannabis Use. Requested by: Marie-Pierre Sylvestre.
The relationship between adolescent substance use and school characteristics: investigating the effect of informative cluster size. Requested by: Yushu Zou. Year 7 (2018/19). Ontario sample.
Provincial alcohol policies, school environment, and individual characteristics on alcohol use and binge drinking. Requested by: Shannon Reaume. Year 9-10 (2020/21 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Ethno-racial Identity, Discrimination, and Risky Behaviour. Requested by: Asia Akther. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Using alcohol use to predict vaping. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 9-10 (2020/21 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Examining Patterns of Concurrent Alcohol and Cannabis Use Among A Sample of Canadian Secondary School Students: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study. Requested by: Thepikaa Varatharajan. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
PHU Engagement in Secondary Schools and Adolescent Substance Use during COVID-19. Requested by: Urvi Rai. Year 8-11 (2019/20 – 202/23). Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario sample.
A Post-Legalization Assessment of the Association between Cannabis and Nicotine/Tobacco Co-use and Mental Health Outcomes in Canadian Adolescents. Requested by: Pinning He. Year 5-11 (2016/17 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Impact of Quebec new regulations aiming at curbing teenage vaping. Requested by: Slim Haddad. Year 12 (2023/24). Ontario & Quebec sample.
Youth Vaping and The Impact on Physical Activity: A Cohort Study from 2021-2024. Requested by: Shaker Aljouuda. Year 10-12 (2021/22 – 2023/24). Full sample.
Impacts of delaying alcohol initiation on mental health disorders in Canadian secondary school students: A target trial emulation study using the COMPASS 2016-20. Requested by: Claire Benny. Year 6-8 (2017/18 – 2019/20).
Trends in e-cigarette vaping frequency among Ontario adolescents (2015 - 2024). Requested by: Kate Battista. Year 4-11 (2015/16 – 2022/23). Ontario sample.
Time-use reallocations of 24-hours associated with substance use: a prospective analysis of compositional data. Requested by: Gary Goldfield. Year 10-12 (2021/22 – 2023/24). Full sample.
Ethno-racial and gender disparities in modes of cannabis use. Requested by: Asia Akther. Year 11-12 (2022/23 – 2023/24). Full sample.
Mental health
Examining trajectories of anxiety and depression among adolescents in Canada: Findings from a sex-stratified latent class growth analysis. Requested by: Isabella Romano. Year 6-9 (2017/18 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Exploring the factor structure and measurement of invariance of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) among Y7 (2018/19) COMPASS adolescents. Requested by: Isabella Romano & Jenna Gilchrist. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
Sport participation and mental health, LPA and regression. Requested by: Jenna Gilchrist.
Cannabis-impaired driving and mental health. Requested by: Taylor Truong. Year 8 (2019/20). Full sample.
EMOWI validation in anglophone adolescents. Requested by: Marie Buzzi. Year 10 (2021/22). Ontario sample.
The Effect of Jack Chapters on Mental Health Help seeking Attitudes of Canadian Secondary students in the COMPASS study. Requested by: Jessica Goddard. Year 6, 7 (2017/18 & 2018/19). British Columbia and Ontario sample.
Associations between public health engagement and adolescent mental health: Findings from the COMPASS study. Requested by: Stephen Hunter. Year 6 & 7 (2017/18 & 2018/19). Full sample.
Comparing the performance of imputation techniques for use with regression tree analysis. Requested by: Kate Battista. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
Patterns and inferential impacts of missing data on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) scales among youth. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Exploring the association between internalized weight bias and mental health among Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Understanding and modeling the dependence among mental health measure in the COMPASS study via vine copula models. Requested by: Liqun Diao. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Trajectories of loneliness in adolescence over COVID-19. Requested by: Kristi Baerg MacDonald. Year 6-10 (2017/18 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Investigating racism in youth mental health care: A mixed-methods youth-engaged study. Requested by: Carla Hilario. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Life meaning and purpose as an intermediate determinant of mental health inequities in Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Karen Patte. Year 9-10 (2020/21 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Goldilocks Days for Adolescent Mental Health: Racial Differences in Optimal and Sub-optimal Movement Behaviours Combinations for Well-being, Anxiety and Depression. Requested by: Markus Duncan. Year 10 (2021/22). Full sample.
Longitudinal Measurement invariance of CESD-10 scale. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 9-10 (2020/21 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Examining the Association Between Eco-Anxiety and Mental Health in a Large Sample of Canadian Youth. Requested by: Sydney Coulis. Year 11 (2022/23). Full sample.
Social Media and Mental Health. Requested by: Valerie Carson. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
PHU Funding and Mental Health During COVID. Requested by: Stephen Hunter. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Ontario sample.
Trajectories of life meaning and purpose and associations with substance use in high school students. Requested by: Francis Acquah. Year 9-11 (2020/21 – 2022/23). Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec sample.
Sparse mixture-of-experts for identifying predictors of multidimensional phenomenal of depression in heterogeneous population of adolescents. Requested by: Abbas Khalili. Year 11 (2022/23). Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec sample.
The moderating role of gender in the longitudinal association between internalized weight bias and mental health among adolescents: A COMPASS Study. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
The mediating effect of bullying and discrimination in the relationship between gender identity and mental health. Requested by: Heidi Eccles. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Social Fragmentation and Adolescent Mental Health. Requested by: Stephen Hunter. Year 6 (2017/18). Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec sample.
The association between local public health unit programming and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Ontario Public Health Information Database and the COMPASS studies. Requested by: Stephen Hunter. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Ontario sample.
Trends in youth mental health and well-being before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 5-11 (2016/17 – 2022/23). Full sample.
The association between weight stigma and health risk behaviours among adolescents: A COMPASS Investigation. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 10-11 (2021/22 – 2022/23). Full sample.
Working with youth to foster healthy community futures in rural Alberta. Requested by: Kaitlyn Budgell. Year 6-12 (2017/18 – 2023/24). Alberta sample.
Social media use profiles and associations with psychological well-being among adolescents in Canada: A multilevel latent profile analysis. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 12 (2023/24). Full sample.
Does social support moderate the relationship between gender identity and mental health. Requested by: Heidi Eccles. Full sample.
Anxiety, Depression and Well-Being. Requested by: Ishika Obeegadoo. Year 11-12 (2022/23 – 2023/24). Full sample.
School connectedness and academic achievement
Health and social factors associated with educational aspirations and expectations among Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Brian Steele. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
Feeling unwelcome at school due to appearance: An examination of student- and school-level predictors across Ontario students. Requested by: Kristen Lucibello. Year 11 (2022/23). Ontario sample.
Built environment
Exploring the impact of changing the within-school built environment on youth physical activity in the COMPASS Study. Requested by: Adam Cole and Rachel Laxer. Year 3-6 (2014/15 – 2017/18). Alberta, Ontario and Quebec Sample.
The built environment (parks, green space, nature) and mental health. Requested by: Gina Martin. Year 7 (2018/19). Full sample.
COVID-19
Latent class analysis of cannabis use behaviours among students participating in the COMPASS study in 2020-21 and 2022-23. Requested by: Alle Butler. Year 8 & 9 (2019/20 & 2020/21). Full sample.
Investigating the association between food security and mental health and health risk behaviours among school-age adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Requested by: Arum Han. Year 9 (2020/21). Full sample.
Evolution of poly consumption in adolescents during the pandemic. Requested by: Jean-Jonathan Cocou Gozo. Quebec sample.
LCGA of mental health trajectories from 2019-2023, with COVID19 concerns as predictors of trajectory membership. Requested by Karen Patte. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
L’évolution des inégalités en santé mentale depuis la survenue de la pandémie de Covid-19 : Une analyse des cohortes scolaires COMPASS-Québec. Requested by: Krystel Poirier.
Trends in youth mental health and well-being before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 5-11 (2016/17 – 2022/23). Full sample.
School connectedness and mental health among Ontario adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Requested by: Sarah Carsley. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Ontario sample.
Trends in youth vaping behaviour prior to and during the onset and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic: An examination of data from the COMPASS prospective cohort study. Requested by: Scott Leatherdale. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Trends in youth cannabis use behaviour prior to and during the onset and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic: An examination of data from the COMPASS prospective cohort study. Requested by: Scott Leatherdale. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Weight control intentions and mental health among Canadian adolescents: a follow-up study of students in the COMPASS study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Requested by: Michelle Vine. Year 7-9 (2018/19 – 2020/21). Full sample.
Income Inequality
The association between public health engagement in school-based substance use prevention programs on student alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarette and cigarette use over time. Requested by: Urvi Rai. Ontario sample.
The Association Between Income Inequality and Body Mass Index Among Canadian Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis. Requested by: Luc Sauze. Year 7-10 (2018/19-2021/22). Full sample.
The effects of income inequality on physical activity levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Requested by: Zach Perala. Year 9-11 (2020/21-2022/23). Full sample.
Income inequality modified adolescent substance use trajectories from 2018-19 to 2020-21: Findings from the COMPASS study. Requested by: Stephen Hunter.
Gender
Prevalence and stability of self-reported gender identity among a two-year linked sample of Canadian adolescents. Requested by: Thepikaa Varatharajan.
Bullying
Sleep
Other
Selection bias in longitudinal research: switching from paper to online data collection. Requested by: Mahmood Gohari. Year 8 (2019/20). Full sample.
Assessing the value of tracking versus cross-sectional data for dynamic analysis of health behaviours in school-based studies. Requested by: Aelita Huang. Year 7-10 (2018/19 – 2021/22). Full sample.
Identifying patterns of and risk and protective factors for gambling among secondary school students in Canada between 2017 and 2019. Requested by: Adam Cole. Year 6-8 (2017/18 – 2019/20). Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec sample.