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.
When you’re a gig worker during a global pandemic and your boss is an app
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 homes must balance risks and benefits to mental health during lockdowns
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.
Q and A with the experts: One year of COVID-19 in Canada
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.
New funding for dementia projects
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 named new Canada Research Chair
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.
Smart home thermostats can help monitor patient health
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.
Leaders in aging research renewed as Schlegel Research Chairs
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).
Oluwakemi Amodu joins UWaterloo as inaugural AMTD postdoctoral fellow
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.
Vaping up, cigarette use down, among Canadian youth
While vaping increased significantly among Canadian youth over a six-year period, cigarette use remained stable or decreased, a University of Waterloo study says.
Availability of grocery-store alcohol has led some teens to binge-drink regularly
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 named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
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).
Q and A with the experts: an update on what we know about the virus
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.
International partnership improves long-term care quality
A Canada-U.S. partnership is helping resource-strapped long-term care organizations improve resident outcomes, says a new study.
Bullying is linked to increased BMI, new study shows
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.
Dementia care study highlights need for caregiver support, quality of care
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.
Substance use linked to chronic physical and mental disorders in youth
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.
Study on gig workers receives COVID-19 Rapid Research funding
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).
Q and A with the experts: Stage 2, what does it mean?
We’ve asked Professor Zahid Butt to help us understand stage 2 re-opening in Ontario: what’s open, what’s closed and why.
Q and A with the experts: What’s the deal with masks now?
To explain the current recommendation from Public Health, Narveen Jandu of the School of Public Health and Health Systems answers our questions.