Research stories | Health | University of Waterloo

Several teens sit with their smartphones in their hands.

Health researchers find 55 per cent of teens feel dissatisfied with their appearance with social media as a major factor.

A person holds cigarettes in one hand and an e-cigarette in the other hand.

Dr. Kate Battista, a post-doctoral scholar in the School of Public Health Sciences, shares findings from a COMPASS research study on adolescent groups most likely to participate in smoking and vaping.

A group of male athletes play wheelchair basketball on an indoor court.

Waterloo sport scientist helps to optimize mobility for national wheelchair basketball athletes.

Dr. Mark Ferro’s ongoing study supports mental health in children and youth living with physical illnesses across the life span

A man in a wheelchair reaches up to an ATM bank machine to insert his banking card.

Waterloo researchers say the incorporation of smartphones could be the key to improving the accessibility of self-service devices.

Illustration of inflamed lungs on a person's t-shirt.

Dr. David Hammond has been awarded $2 million from the CIHR, leading a new study to examine the health risks of e-cigarettes among young people in Canada.

A person sitting at a desk in an office chair holds their lower back, indicating pain.

A new study finds that dynamic sitting (involving movement in a chair with a rotating seat pan) increases lower spine movement without negatively impacting posture or evoking pain.

Elderly woman peers out a window on a gloomy day.

A UWaterloo study finds that loneliness increases the risk of age-related memory loss and highlights the need for community programs for older adults.

School of Public Health Sciences PhD candidate Amy Nahwegahbow has been awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for her research in First Nations Peoples communities to address the environmental exposures, socio-cultural vulnerability and health impacts of industrial pollution.

A School of Public Health Sciences research team will receive more than $1.5 million from the federal government to support their Urban Futures project: Toward health equity, inclusive governance, and climate adaptation in African informal settlements.

Justin Davidson using a digital human model to analyze the posture of a motorcycle rider.

A new study predicts motorcycle riding postures using digital human software, finding that shorter and taller statured individuals are more vulnerable to discomfort.

Recreation and Leisure Studies associate professor Dr. Karla Boluk and Kinesiology and Health Sciences associate professor Dr. Paolo Dominelli have received Early Researcher Awards valued at $100,000.

Two Faculty of Health researchers have been named Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs: Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, and Dr. Zahid Butt from the School of Public Health Sciences.

The grant will allow for evaluating and spreading the impact of the healthy lifestyle program, designed for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Dr. John Hirdes, a professor in the School of Public Health Sciences, has been appointed a member of the Order of Canada among 78 new appointments nationally

Blue abstract background image with a scale and medical paraphernalia.

Trust in Government Measure also aims to help inform better public health policies

Several people work together in a community garden.

Kinesiology's Dr. Troy Glover has co-created a tactical guide called Activate Your Neighbourhood that aligns with Canada's physical activity strategy.

Teenage male looks at himself in a mirror with his hands pressed against the wall.

Researchers find adolescents’ self-concept – the image we have of ourselves – is lower for those with both a physical and mental illness compared to adolescents with only a physical illness.

Dr. David Hammond has received the 2023 Trailblazer Award in Science for Policy by the Canadian Science Policy Centre.

Health care professional assists an elderly patient with walking.

Dr. Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens receives a portion of $1.35 million USD for research in Parkinson’s freezing of gait symptom.

Young woman sitting on the floor with her head in her lap.

Waterloo's Dr. Mahmood Gohari, using survey data from over 5,000 Canadian adolescents, examines changes in mental health from 2018 to 2021.

Kinesiology professor Nikolas Knowles receives a Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund for his project to help slow or prevent joint deterioration from osteoarthritis.

Laptop screen with Coronavirus typed in the search bar

Internet search engine queries and social media data can be early warning signals, creating a real-time surveillance system for disease forecasting, says a recent University of Waterloo study.

While most aspects of care quality in long-term care homes did not differ in the first year of the pandemic from pre-pandemic levels, a new study shows that the use of antipsychotic drugs increased in all provinces.

Layered over the pandemic in 2021 was an epidemic. Toxic drug overdoses in Canada spiked that year, with almost 8,000 reported deaths from opioid overdoses alone. In British Columbia, 2,264 people died that year of toxic drug overdoses.

A new study, led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, found that the subjective visual vertical – a measure of how individuals perceive the orientation of vertical lines – shifted considerably after participants played a high-intensity VR game.

Two soccer players on opposing teams hug each other at end of game.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo found that participation in activities such as fitness classes and intramural and drop-in sports before the pandemic was linked to lower levels of stress and higher levels of perceived competence to handle challenges and master school workload during the lockdown.

Researchers found that factors such as the location and design of the facility, the formal agreements between operating groups and the breadth of sport and recreation programming offered at the facility all contributed to promoting a legacy of participation post-event.

Long COVID is associated with reduced brain oxygen levels, worse performance on cognitive tests and increased psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety, according to new research studying the impacts of the disease.

Surgeons and others around a table in the Anatomy Lab

A University of Waterloo teaching lab is helping the medtech community in southwestern Ontario make great strides in their medical research. The Faculty of Health’s Human Anatomy Laboratory, which is housed in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, offers the perfect location for surgeons to test procedures on cadaver donors.

High-school students who have a large weekly allowance, friends who smoke and low levels of physical activity are more likely to use multiple substances over time. Conversely, being older, being black and eating breakfast daily were factors associated with a smaller chance of transitioning to multiple use.

Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu is dedicated to advancing the reproductive and sexual health of the Hausa women in displaced persons camps in northern Nigeria. After devoting her doctoral research to revealing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among this population, she has now built on that research as an inaugural recipient of the AMTD Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Understanding the ways in which workers in precarious employment react to work injury and claims processes they see as unfair can help employers, legal representatives, physicians and others respond appropriately, according to a new study.

Cafeteria-style food servings, including apples and green vegetables

A University of Waterloo-led international study of more than 10,000 children in six different countries found that approximately half of all students received breakfast or lunch at school in countries such as the United States or Chile. However, only five per cent of students in Canada participated in a school meal program.

Person anxiously looking out of window with blinds

A deep dive into mental health survey data by researchers at the University of Waterloo shows that almost a quarter of Canadians are still reporting anxiety and suggests that the mental health impact of the pandemic might still be observed for a few years to come.

Researchers have developed a better way to support end-of-life planning in long-term care homes, according to a recent study.

New research has found that people with mild cognitive impairment may not inevitably develop dementia and, in fact, having higher education and advanced language skills more than doubles their chances of returning to normal.

Climate connect students: Simrit, Nilusha and Philip

The University of Waterloo is finishing their participation in an exciting new collaborative program, Climate Connect, which involved 60+ students and over 20 researchers from across the world to gather and discuss climate change.

An elderly woman does stretching exercises

The DREAM project equips wellness advocates with training and resources to provide inclusive services for people living with dementia

Soccer player heads ball in empty stadium.

Researchers have linked the fitness of elite soccer players to the positions they play. The ability to make this assessment can help coaches regulate individual training loads based on player position.

Test tubes with yellow liquid and a person in a white lab coat and blue gloves is in the background.

Synthetic cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound also found in the cannabis plant, appears to prime the innate immune system of cells, potentially offering protection against pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

Two women smiling and looking at one of their watches

Remote monitoring of health-related behaviour with wearable sensor technology is feasible for people with complex health conditions, shows a recent University of Waterloo study.

Person holding vape and tobacco cigarette

The University of Waterloo is one of the lead institutions in a five-year, $10 million (U.S.) international study funded by the United States’ National Cancer Institute. The multi-centre study will evaluate the behavioural and long-term health impact of different regulatory approaches to e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products among youth and adults in seven countries.

Father feeling his son's forehead with hand

More attention must be paid to improving perceptions of emerging technologies like AI-powered symptom checkers, which could ease the strain on health-care systems, according to a recent study.

Two older women laughing, two older men walking behind

Often, when a person is diagnosed with dementia, available supports are not enough. Most people feel overwhelmed, and they don't get the support, resources and help they need. A new five-country collaboration has developed Forward with Dementia to fill in those gaps and provide the individuals and their families the tools they need to move forward with their lives.

Restrictive interventions like acute control medications and restraints are more likely to be used in non-emergency situations among older psychiatric inpatients than younger ones, a study shows.

The benefits of consuming traditional foods tend to outweigh the risks of possible mercury contamination, according to a recent study.

Older man playing golf with his hands in the air while other golfers watch.

Many things change when a person is diagnosed with dementia, but one thing that doesn’t have to is the ability to exercise.