In 1999, the federal government announced that oil companies will need to reduce the sulfur content of gasoline from 360 parts per million (ppm) to 30 ppm by January 2005. As a result, refineries across the country will be required to remove more sulfur from the crude oil they process, possibly resulting in higher concentrations of sulfur in their stack emissions. While this regulation is intended to protect Canadians from harmful compounds in tailpipe exhaust, communities close to oil refineries may be exposed to higher concentrations of those same compounds. Using air pollution and population data from five major Canadian refinery communities, Sarah Henderson is assessing the potential for sulfuric emissions from refineries to affect public health, and is determining how federal gas regulations could increase that potential. She hopes the research will lead to a model that policy makers can use to quantify how sources of air pollution can affect the health of surrounding communities.
Research Pillar: Population Health
Facial indicators of heart rate reactivity in a stress induced state
Studies show that stress can increase the risk of heart disease and other conditions. Therefore, identifying people who are most likely to have strong reactions to stress is an important goal in the prevention of heart disease. David Nordstokke believes facial expressions may be key markers for identifying people at risk of stress-induced heart disease. He is studying the relationship between facial expressions and stress by giving participants a test of social anxiety. During the videotaped test, David compares changes in heart rate with specific facial movements to determine if there is a link. He hopes the research will reveal patterns of facial expression that provide information about heart rate reactivity. Ultimately, David aims to help health care practitioners in the early detection of individuals at risk of developing heart disease so they can intervene with stress management programs.
Finding the metaphorical road back to health: Understanding the illness experience and locating the means of recovery
MSFHR Distinguished Scholar Michael Chandler is researching individual and cultural factors that could help reduce the high rate of suicide among youth in certain First Nations communities. His research is directed at understanding the ways cultural differences help or hinder young people’s ability to insulate themselves from risks of self-injury and suicide. With Dr. Chandler as his supervisor, Jesse Phillips is building on the focus of this research by examining how Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth view the relationship between their health and well-being, and the health and well-being of their community and culture as a whole. Jesse is exploring the notion that Aboriginal youth understand their health and well-being in ways that are more rooted in community life and cultural tradition than is ordinarily the case for non-Aboriginal youth. Achieving a better appreciation of such cultural difference could work to ensure that the health concerns and ability of First Nations youth are more adequately met by means sensitive to their cultural diversity.
Coping in serodiscordant couples: the role of HIV-negative partners' coping strategies in health outcomes of their HIV-positive partners
Effective anti-retroviral drug regimes are helping people with HIV live healthy for longer periods of time. As a result, people with HIV are increasingly able to enter long-term relationships, a development which has implications for the course of their disease. For example, there is research indicating that people with HIV have a higher risk of their disease progressing when they perceive negative support from family or friends. Eli Puterman is examining coping methods in relationships involving an HIV-negative person with a HIV-positive partner. He is studying how these couples cope with both HIV disease and the interpersonal problems that emerge from the illness. Eli hopes to reveal insights about how the interaction of coping methods affects the mental and physical health of people with HIV. The research will help identify coping strategies that either buffer the effects of HIV disease or contribute to increased suffering. The study could also help improve mental health treatments for couples coping with chronic illnesses in general.
Improving quantitative occupational exposure assessment methods for retrospective epidemiologic studes
The degree to which occupational exposure to carcinogens causes cancer is uncertain, but many researchers believe that only a small fraction of occupationally related cancers are reported to workers’ compensation systems. The primary challenge in studying occupational cancer is assessing exposure. In the past, most studies used qualitative methods to compare health risks of workers with differing levels of exposure to carcinogens. With today’s lower levels of exposure in the workplace, quantitative assessment is becoming more important. But there is a lack of standardized methods for quantitatively assessing exposure. Melissa Friesen is developing standardized methods — particularly including the use of statistical modeling — to improve the precision and specificity of quantitative exposure estimates. She will test the methods on data from three large studies of contaminants at BC. Melissa will also work with the US National Cancer Institute to apply the methods to data from case-control studies. This research will lead to improved methods for quantitative exposure assessment, which are necessary for public policy initiatives such as assessing risk, establishing preventative strategies and setting exposure limits.
The role of social support in coping with chronic low back pain: help or hindrance?
Approximately 14 per cent of Canadians suffer from chronic low back pain, making it the second most common chronic condition in the country. Some studies suggest that having a high level of satisfaction with social support may increase well-being of people with chronic back pain. However, there is little research that has addressed the potentially harmful effects of social support. Susan Holtzman is examining how support networks help or hinder patients in coping with chronic back pain over time. She will study 200 patients and their partners, using questionnaires and daily records to track pain levels, disability, mood, types of support received, satisfaction with support, coping strategies, and health. Findings from this research may lead to more effective and individualized treatment programs.
Income support and the health of women with disabilities: The dis/abling effects of discourses
Women with disabilities face many barriers to health, including poverty and inequality. Government-administered income support programs are necessary for the survival of many disabled women, yet these programs also create barriers to working, developing abilities and participating fully in activities available to non-disabled people. Sally Kimpson is examining the effects of disability income support policy and programs on women with disabilities. Through in-depth interviews with disabled women, she is studying how they participate in income support programs – including compliance with or resistance to different elements of these programs – and how they learn to participate in society while negotiating constraints related to the programs. Increasing understanding of how disabled women live with income support will help improve policy and programs, which will ultimately benefit women whose health and well-being are closely tied to securing income support.
Workplace stress and health: The mediating roles of social support and coping
Stress can play a significant role in physical and mental health. The workplace is one common source of stress, which has been linked to psychological distress, back pain, gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular disease and heart disease. It’s also estimated that stress accounts for more than 50 per cent of absenteeism. However, stress in the workplace does not inevitably lead to illness and is preventable. Dayna Lee-Baggley is investigating how coping techniques and strong social support from co-workers, supervisors and family can decrease the harmful effects of workplace stress. Her study focuses on understanding how stress and coping unfold on a daily basis in the workplace, as well as the ways stress can “spillover” at home. The research will help identify individuals who may have difficulty coping with workplace stress and workplaces that may promote or hinder successful coping. The study results will also suggest intervention strategies to support people at risk of suffering from the adverse health outcomes caused by workplace stress.
A longitudinal study of adolescent risk-taking behaviour
Research has shown that smoking and drinking typically begin in adolescence. Stefania Maggi is studying the role of family, peers, school and neighbourhoods in developing risk-taking behaviours including smoking and drinking. She aims to identify the factors present early in life — such as parenting styles and socioeconomic conditions — that can predict smoking and drinking during adolescence. Stefania is closely examining how socioeconomic conditions shape the way parents relate to their children, and how the relationship between self-concept and affiliation with peers influences smoking and drinking. While other researchers have addressed these issues, few studies have examined a representative sample of Canadian children on a long-term basis. Stefania is analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Her study will make a valuable contribution to programs aimed at reducing smoking and drinking among adolescents.
Exposure to air pollutants and the incidence of lung cancer
Research suggests that exposure to air pollution contributes to small increases in lung cancer rates. However, errors in measurement of air pollution exposure, as well as in measurement of other risk factors such as cigarette smoking, limit the ability to quantify the extent to which air pollution increases risk of lung cancer. Elizabeth Matovinovic is developing an assessment of air pollution exposure for British Columbia, which will include an estimate of individual exposures to traffic-related air pollutants. Elizabeth will apply the assessment to data from the National Enhanced Cancer Surveillance registry to produce individual estimates of chronic exposure to air pollutants, with a special emphasis on traffic-related pollutants. The research will help improve understanding of the impacts of air pollution, particularly the relationship between chronic exposure to air pollution and lung cancer, an area that hasn’t been researched extensively.