Associate Professor of the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Brescia University College Jamie Seabrook and his research team have received a Catalyst Grant: Health Effects of Vaping from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Grant is worth $100,000 and lasts from 2020-2021. The name of the project is “Geospatial analyses of vape retailer accessibility: examining socioeconomic and environmental determinants.”
“To tackle this problem, it is critical that we gain a better understanding of the socio-ecological factors influencing youth exposure to vaping, including environmental (social and physical) and policy determinants. It is in these spheres where changes have the greatest potential impact on health at the population level.” Said Dr. Seabrook.
The team will look into how the accessibility of vape retailers and the content of municipal and school board policies regarding vaping, vary in relation to the locations of schools and the characteristics of neighbourhoods throughout Ontario. The project has three objectives.
- To understand Ontario vape retailers in relation to schools (elementary and secondary) and neighbourhoods.
- To analyze existing vaping-related regulations and policies within Ontario municipalities and school boards to identify how they address potential youth vape exposure.
- And to understand the impact on accessibility of vape retailers due to different potential policy scenarios for permanently restricting vape retail locations within certain distances of schools.
Vice-Principal and Academic Dean of Brescia is very interested in the results of the study. “Dr. Seabrook continues to study the most important issues affecting the health and well-being of our society. The impact of vaping on society is undeniable and his research will begin to unpack the factors that can make sense of the trends and contribute to a better, healthier world for our young people.”
The team consists of the Nominated Principal Applicant Dr. Seabrook, Co-Principal Applicant Dr. Jason Gilliland, and Co-Applicants Dr. Kelly Anderson, Dr. Gina Martin, and Dr. Jacob Shelley. Medical Officer of Health and CEO for the Middlesex London Health Unit Dr. Chris Mackie is also a knowledgable User on the team.
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