Public health campaigns have the potential to correct vaping misperceptions. However, campaigns highlighting vaping harms to youth may increase misperceptions that vaping is equally/more harmful than smoking. Vaping campaigns have been implemented in the United States and Canada since 2018 and in England since 2017 but with differing focus: youth…

This study investigated whether noticing cannabis education campaigns was associated with increased cannabis risk perceptions in Canada's three territories following non-medical cannabis legalization. Data were from the Cannabis Policy Study in the Territories, including 2452 participants, age [greater than or equal to]16 years residing in Yukon,…

Objective: To evaluate the association between health behaviors with mental health among tertiary education students. Methods: Six databases were searched until September 2021 for prospective cohort studies evaluating the association between health behavior(s) (dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, alcohol intake, sleep, smoking…

Canadian young adults who identify as Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex (2SLGBTQI+) have higher smoking rates compared to their straight cisgender counterparts. One of the reasons for this trend is the perceived social acceptability of smoking and how it relates to stress, mental health and social connections. A sequential…

The current study assessed whether risk factors associated with vaping were distinct from risk factors associated with other substance use (e.g., alcohol, cannabis) during adolescence. Participants (N = 848, ages 10-16 years) completed a self-report survey to assess frequency and age of onset of substance use, risk perceptions of use, risk factors…

Objective: To compare the prevalence and trajectories of risky health behaviors in sexual minority (SM; lesbian/gay/bisexual/questioning/asexual) versus heterosexual undergraduates across their first year of post-secondary. Participants: First-year undergraduates (N = 704, M[subscript age] = 17.97 years, 24% SM) from a midsized Canadian…

E-Cigarette marketing may influence e-cigarette use among youth. This study examined reported exposure to and perceptions of e-cigarette marketing among youth between 2017 and 2019 across countries with varying e-cigarette marketing restrictions. Cross-sectional online surveys were conducted with 35 490 youth aged 16-19 from England, Canada and…

Introduction: An association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoke-free private spaces among smokers could be due to heavier smoking among low SES smokers. We assessed whether quantity smoked or SES are independently associated with smoke-free homes or cars in daily smokers. Method: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional telephone survey…

Objective: This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with non-medical use of prescription stimulants to promote wakefulness. Participants: We surveyed 3,160 university students aged 18-35 between June 2016 and May 2017. Method: Participants reported whether they used prescription stimulants non-medically to stay awake and completed…

The current study explores the motivations underlying tobacco use among varsity athletes. A cross-sectional exploratory mixed method approach was used. Both tobacco users (TU) and non-tobacco users (NTU) completed an online survey of closed and open-ended questions. These questions focused on tobacco use, motivations for tobacco use, teammate and…

The present paper assesses the causal effects of education on smoking and self-rated health in Canada. Education is instrumented using the changes in compulsory schooling laws. The sample is restricted to cohorts born between 1946 and 1964. The data are from the Canadian General Social Surveys of 1995 and 2016, allowing to observe the evolution of…

Background: Bullying has been associated with several adverse health outcomes, including substance use. However, little is known about the association between bullying and e-cigarette use. This study examined the association between bully victimization and the frequency of e-cigarette use. Methods: Data from the 2016-2017 Canadian Student Tobacco,…

Background: Ninety percent of smokers report having their first whole cigarette before the age of 19. Policies, such as youth access laws, are essential to prevent youth from becoming future smokers. In Canada, the Tobacco Act prohibits retailers from furnishing tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. These laws can only be effective…

Purpose: Over the years, many upstream health policies have sought to reduce smoking across populations. While smoking has been substantially reduced, the effects of these policies on education-smoking gradient remain unclear. The present paper compares the education-smoking gradient among the Generation X and the millennials, who grew up with…

Our longitudinal, qualitative study with 29 pregnant adolescents who smoke used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understand experiences and the function of tobacco through pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. The young women described complex lives of overlapping oppressions interspersed with expressions of resistance; these were…