Consumption of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has been increasing among Canadian adults and adolescents. Although the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use is still unknown and under debate, studies have shown that adolescent e-cigarette users have an increased risk of tabacco initiation compared to non-users. It is well documented that adolescents living in deprived and disadvantaged neighborhoods/communities are more likely to consume tobacco products. However, research on the relationship between the prevalence of e-cigarette consumption and neighborhood/community characteristics has been limited, especially within Canada. Motivated by the emerging evidence of the variability in e-cigarette consumption by different neighborhoods in other parts of the world and the established association between higher tobacco consumption among residents in disadvantaged Canadian neighborhoods, we will investigate the relationship between e-cigarette use and geographical characteristics within Canada. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Aya Mitani.
Accepting Students
Students will be mentored to complete a series of analyses using several nation-wide survey data from Statistics Canada to i) determine the prevalence of e-cigarette use by administrated geographical location, ii) investigate the relationship between spatial and temporal trend of consumption, and iii) identify geo-clusters of varying consumption intensity and geographic characteristics that are associated with high consumption. This project is suitable for both MSc and PhD students and can be tailored to meet students’ research interest. Data access will be facilitated by the Toronto Research Data Centre.
