Research stories

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.

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.  

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. 

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. 

Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu is dedicated to advancing the reproductive and sexual health of the Hausa women in displaced persons camps in northern Nigeria. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Counteracting antimicrobial resistance needs a multipronged approach, including training, labeling food products, working with the media and changing mindsets, according to a new 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Researchers are working with community leaders to develop a mobile alert app to help locate missing people with dementia.

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).

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.

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.

Protecting long-term care residents from outbreaks requires different infrastructure, proper staffing conditions and a culture of quality assurance, researchers have found.

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 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 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.

The impact on mental health was most pronounced for younger Canadians, who reported feeling lonely, depressed or anxious.

Gig work is transforming our global economy and public health as workers weigh risks every day in precarious, low-wage jobs to deliver us food and parcels.

Long-term care residents, isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. New research shows those outcomes can be measured and mitigated with thoughtful interventions informed by data.

We asked public health expert Professor Zahid Butt to take us through what we’ve learned about COVID-19 in the year that has passed, and what we still need to learn in order to beat the virus.

The federal government announced $4.8 million over four years of new funding for dementia projects this month, including two that involve researchers in the Faculty of Health and Research Institute for Aging.

Hannah Tait Neufeld, a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, has been awarded a new Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health, Wellbeing and Food Environments from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Household smart thermostat sensors can be used to help monitor the health of older adults and home patients, according to results from a new University of Waterloo pilot study.

George Heckman, a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, and Heather Keller, a professor in Kinesiology, are being renewed as Schlegel Research Chairs with the Research Institute for Aging (RIA).

In a displaced-persons camp in northern Nigeria, many Hausa women of reproductive age are at risk of developing sexually transmitted infections (STI), causing them pain, infertility, miscarriages and marital conflict. 

While vaping increased significantly among Canadian youth over a six-year period, cigarette use remained stable or decreased, a University of Waterloo study says.

A policy change that allowed alcohol to be sold in grocery stores in Ontario has led some teens to go from abstaining from alcohol to binge-drinking multiple times per week, a new study has found.

Susan Horton, a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, was one of two University of Waterloo researchers to be named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).

What we know about COVID-19 seems to change daily. We asked Professor Narveen Jandu, an expert in microbiology, to give us an update on the science of the virus.

A Canada-U.S. partnership is helping resource-strapped long-term care organizations improve resident outcomes, says a new study.

New research shows that while both young men and young women saw an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) one year after bullying occurred in high school, young men were more affected than young women.

People with dementia and their caregivers need to be included when health priorities are determined at the local level, shows a University of Waterloo study.

New research shows it is vital to consider pre-existing mental health issues when determining how to treat substance abuse among young people with a chronic physical illness.

A research team led by Ellen MacEachen in the School of Public Health and Health Systems has received COVID-19 Rapid Research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

We’ve asked Professor Zahid Butt to help us understand stage 2 re-opening in Ontario: what’s open, what’s closed and why.

To explain the current recommendation from Public Health, Narveen Jandu of the School of Public Health and Health Systems answers our questions.