Negative body image among teens is a global issue
Health researchers find 55 per cent of teens feel dissatisfied with their appearance with social media as a major factor.
Teens with disposable income most likely to vape
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.
Dr. Mark Ferro receives $1.3 million for study on child and youth multimorbidity
Dr. Mark Ferro’s ongoing study supports mental health in children and youth living with physical illnesses across the life span
ATMs and other digital self-serve devices fail to meet accessibility needs
Waterloo researchers say the incorporation of smartphones could be the key to improving the accessibility of self-service devices.
Waterloo researcher awarded $2 million to investigate youth vaping and lung health
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.
Loneliness increases risk of age-related memory loss
A UWaterloo study finds that loneliness increases the risk of age-related memory loss and highlights the need for community programs for older adults.
Vanier scholar tackles pollution-related health challenges faced by First Nations
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.
SPHS researchers awarded $1.5 million for urban futures project
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.
Dr. Mark Ferro receives Brain Canada research grant
Dr. Mark Ferro has received the Addressing Mental Health in Paediatric Rheumatic Diseases Team Grants award, a research funding initiative offered by Brain Canada and Cassie + Friends.
Dr. Zahid Butt named Canada Research Chair
Dr. Zahid Butt has been named Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Research for Pandemic Preparedness.
Professor Emeritus Dr. Rhona Hanning named 2024 Canadian Nutrition Society Fellow
Dr. Rhona Hanning, a professor emeritus in the School of Public Health Sciences, is one of four to be named a 2024 Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) Fellow.
Dr. Carrie McAiney receives PHAC grant for Forward with Dementia project
Dr. Carrie McAiney leads the Forward with Dementia project to address stigma within diverse cultural and linguistic groups.
Dr. John Hirdes named to the Order of Canada
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.
New tool helps gauge trust in government
Trust in Government Measure helps gauge trust in government and also aims to help inform better public health policies
Older adolescents with physical and mental illnesses have lowest self-perceptions
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 receives Trailblazer Award in Science for Policy
Dr. David Hammond has received the 2023 Trailblazer Award in Science for Policy by the Canadian Science Policy Centre.
SPHS researchers among one per cent of highly cited in the world
Clarivate global analytics rank Sharon Kirkpatrick and Geoffrey Fong of SPHS among the top one per cent highly cited researchers in the world.
Norovirus, hepatitis A and E are current leading causes of foodborne illness worldwide
An expert committee on viruses in foods conducted a global review of the frequency and clinical severity of viruses associated with foodborne illnesses.
Q and A with the experts: Examining high school student mental health post-pandemic
Waterloo's Dr. Mahmood Gohari, using survey data from over 5,000 Canadian adolescents, examines changes in mental health from 2018 to 2021.
Antipsychotic drug use increased in Canadian long-term care homes in first year of pandemic
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.
Helping to reduce drug overdoses
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.
Long COVID linked to lower brain oxygen levels, cognitive problems and psychiatric symptoms
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.
Craig Janes receives IDRC Women RISE funding for project in Uganda
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has funded 23 research projects through an action-based initiative called Women RISE, whose projects aim to better understand the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on women’s health and livelihoods.
New method for public health analysis shows trends in substance use among high schoolers
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.
Postdoc advances research and lands professorship, thanks to inaugural AMTD fellowship
Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu is dedicated to advancing the reproductive and sexual health of the Hausa women in displaced persons camps in northern Nigeria.
Improving workplace injury compensation requires input from vulnerable workers
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.
Lili Liu receives funding for dementia search-and-rescue initiative
The federal government has announced $2.1 million in funding over three years for a search-and-rescue project led by Lili Liu, Waterloo public health researcher and Dean of the Faculty of Health.
Canada lags behind other countries in providing school food programs to children in need
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.
Researchers use survey data to uncover pandemic mental health insights
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.
New approach to advance care planning preferred by Canadian long-term care residents
Researchers have developed a better way to support end-of-life planning in long-term care homes, according to a recent study.
A layered approach is needed to prevent infections from becoming harder to treat
Counteracting antimicrobial resistance needs a multipronged approach, including training, labeling food products, working with the media and changing mindsets, according to a new study.
Higher education and language skills may help reverse mild cognitive impairment
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.
Researchers awarded $10 million U.S. for global tobacco study
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.
Improving perceptions of emerging technologies can help ease strain on health-care systems
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.
Researchers launch new tools to help people with dementia find their way forward
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.
Study finds excess use of non-emergency restraint among older psychiatric patients
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.
Fish consumption still safe despite initial fears over mercury levels
The benefits of consuming traditional foods tend to outweigh the risks of possible mercury contamination, according to a recent study.
Illness- and death-related messages found to be significant motivators for exercise
Fitness apps that emphasize illness- or death-related messaging are more likely to be effective in motivating participation than are social stigma, obesity or financial cost messaging, according to a recent study.
Packaging and health warnings are key in discouraging youth from using cannabis
In a recent study, researchers from the University of Waterloo found that the amount of advertising and promotion provided on packages changes how people see the product — whether they find it appealing to use or believe it's harmful.
Waterloo developing a mobile alert app for missing people with dementia
Researchers are working with community leaders to develop a mobile alert app to help locate missing people with dementia.
Understanding frailty will lead to better care for older adults
A team led by researchers from the University of Waterloo analyzed data from more than 24,000 community-dwelling older adults receiving home care in Ontario who were subsequently admitted into an intensive-care unit (ICU).
How international students make decisions about staying in Canada
A new study finds the majority of students were not certain on future plans until they had a chance to live here and explore life in Canada.
Tobacco control researchers receive Governor General’s Innovation Award
David Hammond, a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, along with Geoffrey Fong (Psychology) and Mary Thompson (Statistics and Actuarial Science), were jointly awarded a 2021 Governor General’s Innovation Award for the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project.
Long-term care infrastructure must be re-imagined in a post-pandemic world
Protecting long-term care residents from outbreaks requires different infrastructure, proper staffing conditions and a culture of quality assurance, researchers have found.
Online farmers’ markets valuable when crisis events like COVID occur, study finds
New research from the University of Waterloo is shining light on the importance of farmers markets’ ability to mitigate potential disruptions to distribution networks in the face of system shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic.
AI-powered symptom checkers can help health-care systems deal with COVID-19 burden
AI-powered symptom checkers can potentially reduce the number of people going to in-person clinics during the pandemic, but first, researchers say, people need to know they exist.
Social media helped spread misinformation during pandemic
Social media use during the early days of the pandemic increased the amount of misinformation about the virus, but also helped spread that misinformation far and wide.
New study shows mental health effects of pandemic affected young people most
The impact on mental health was most pronounced for younger Canadians, who reported feeling lonely, depressed or anxious.