The number of older adults with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis, is steadily growing in BC. Spouses are often the only source of support for people living with these diseases, yet little research has been done on their supportive role or on alternative forms of support. Gail Low hopes to address these gaps by researching support systems that promote well-being and help older adults cope with lung disease. Her research involves asking older adults to identify how and why their support systems work to help provide direction for new lung health services. She is also developing a map of meaningful support systems as a model to guide existing community health programs.
Research Pillar: Population Health
Assessing the Mental Health of Canadians: What are we measuring and How Does it Relate to Health Care Utilization?
Many studies have identified socio-economic status as a major factor affecting health. Christopher Richardson is narrowing the focus to look specifically at the relationship between socio-economic status, mental health and health care usage. This study involves the use of sophisticated statistical technologies to analyze data from National Population Health Surveys on factors affecting health such as education, income and mental health. Richardson hopes this work will lead to a better understanding of mental health and the ability to more precisely measure mental health and its connection to health care usage.
Mapping the socio-cognitive determinants of bullying and victimization: Preventative steps toward reducing childhood aggression
Bullying and victimization plague one in five Canadian children and the incidence and severity of such behaviours is increasing. Even more alarming are the long-term consequences of this behaviour, including delinquency and abusive behaviour in adulthood for bullies, and depression and suicidal behaviour for victims. Most programs designed to prevent bullying and victimization emphasize controlling and monitoring children’s lives, with limited success. Bryan Sokol’s research takes a different approach. Sokol is putting together psychological profiles of children who are routinely aggressive and those who engage in bullying. His study aims to identify the internal, or psychological factors that distinguish non-aggressive children from bullies. Sokol, who has previously researched suicide among First Nations adolescents, hopes his study will ultimately lead to more effective prevention of the health problems resulting from childhood aggression.
The effects of Sexualized Images and Stress on Body Image and Dieting: An Evolutionary Perspective
Why are so many women preoccupied with being thin? And why does this pre-occupation lead to eating disorders in certain women? Dr. Catherine Salmon is addressing these questions in her research by exploring the theory that pre-occupation for thinness and dieting could be part of an ancestral practice of exercising control over reproduction. Research has shown that females facing social or ecological conditions that are unfavourable for childbearing can sometimes delay reproduction until the situation improves. One way of doing this has been by reducing body fat to suppress ovulation. Salmon is exploring the notion that in modern society, women continuously experience cues indicating a poor environment for reproduction, such as high levels of competition between females and stressful sexual attention. Salmon hopes that learning more about these factors underlying body image and dieting will lead to more appropriate interventions for eating disorders.
First Nations Metaphors of Health and Trauma
Drawing from decade-long work experience as a pediatric nurse with children and adolescents in crisis, and academic work in developmental psychology, comparative literature and analysis of narratives, Dr. Ulrich Teucher is studying cross-cultural differences in young people’s sense of identity and concepts of health. Teucher hopes the research, which involves visiting remote First Nations communities, will improve understanding of these differences and provide a clearer view of what good health means to First Nations youth. This may provide new insights into reasons for the high rate of suicide and among First Nations youth and contribute to better methods of assisting those at high-risk for this behaviour.
Family influence in pediatric chronic pain and disability
Up to 15 per cent of school-aged children and adolescents suffer from chronic pain conditions such as recurrent headaches and abdominal pain. Children with chronic pain frequently miss considerable amounts of school, do not participate in athletic and social activities, and suffer depression or anxiety. The family plays an important role in influencing how children learn to deal with pain, but little is known about how this learning occurs. My research will identify how families influence children’s responses to pain. I will compare studies of children between the ages of eight and 15 with chronic pain and disability with pain-free children and their parents. The research will examine how families interpret pain symptoms, how parents make decisions about their children’s complaints of pain, parents’ thoughts about their children’s pain, and parent-child behaviour during pain episodes. In addition, I am studying how health care providers and parents assess pain in children and the tools that we use with children to measure pain. My research will also explore the relationship between sleep disturbances and chronic pain in children, an area of research that has been overlooked until now. The results of these research studies will help family members and health care providers better manage children’s pain, and will help improve treatment and prevention of disabling pain in children.
Suicide and self-injury as a response to radical developmental and cultural change in First Nations youth
Young people kill themselves in heartbreaking numbers, and intended and unintended self-injuries are the leading causes of death among our youth. However tragic this is when viewed in the large, the rates of suicide in certain First Nations communities are even higher – in some cases hundreds of times higher – and arguably the highest in the world. I am working to identify both individual and cultural factors that might help reduce the horrendous toll. Previous research has shown a strong link between suicidal behaviours and disruptions in the usual process by which adolescents develop their self-identity. It has also revealed that among First Nations communities, the risk youth run for suicide turns very much on the extent to which different bands have succeeded in reconnecting to their own cultural pasts. My research is directed at understanding the ways cultural differences during the course of identity development help or hinder young people’s ability to insulate themselves from such risks. By understanding the implications of these differences and working out ways of sharing them with various First Nations Communities, it may be possible to assist these communities in reconstructing cultural practices that, once recovered, may serve to better insulate their youth from self-injury and suicide.
Epidemiological and population-based investigations of persons infected with HIV
I am a demographer who is currently involved in observational research into the impact of antiretroviral therapy on quality of life and life expectancy of persons with HIV disease in British Columbia. I am also interested in issues regarding access to antiretroviral therapy in developing nations. My most significant contributions to HIV research include: Studies monitoring seroincidence and determinants of HIV infection and risk behaviour among gay and bisexual men In a natural history study of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, we demonstrated that lower socioeconomic status decreases the length of survival. Low income was significantly associated with shorter survival from HIV infection to death, even after adjustment for CD4 count (which measures immune suppression in persons with HIV), age at infection, year of infection and use of HIV therapies and prophylaxis. Studies measuring the impact of HIV infection on population health My primary goal in the area of population health research has been examining the impact of HIV on patterns of mortality, migration and hospitalization in Canada. One study I conducted showed that although there are barriers to widespread HIV treatment, limited used of antiretroviral therapy could have an immediate impact on South Africa’s AIDS epidemic. A second study demonstrated that the cost of making combination antiretroviral therapy available worldwide would be exceedingly high, especially in countries with limited financial resources. Studies evaluating the impact of antiretroviral therapy on the health and well-being of persons with HIV disease One of my studies demonstrated a significant reduction in mortality and AIDS-free survival for HIV infected individuals who initiated therapy with regimens including stavudine or lamivudine compared to those who initiated therapy with regimes limited to zidovudine, didanosine and zalcitabine.
Barriers to Reproductive Health Care among Marginalized Women in Vancouver, British Columbia
Amy Weber is dedicated to pursuing a career at the forefront of infectious disease research. She’s convinced that rigorous research can create medical and social options to contain the HIV epidemic, alleviate suffering and save lives. While Weber has researched a range of populations at risk, her current work focuses on marginalized women who are increasingly vulnerable to infectious disease and poor health. Weber’s study aims to identify the barriers that marginalized women in Vancouver face in accessing health care. She’s particularly interested in researching the barriers to reproductive health care, such as services related to birth control, pre-natal care, abortion and anti-retroviral therapy for HIV-positive women. Weber believes that providing a better understanding of these barriers will help influence policy to increase access to health services and improve the health of vulnerable women.
Genetic studies in common, complex diseases with special emphasis on Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological diseases, usually striking people between the ages of 20 and 40. My research focuses on understanding genetic epidemiological, molecular genetic and environmental factors that increase susceptibility for MS and other common complex diseases that begin in adulthood. As part of my work in the Canadian Project on Genetic Susceptibility to MS, a BC and Canada-wide database on MS has been established. This is the largest database of information on family histories of MS in the world. Using this information, we have shown that both hereditary and environmental factors do have a role in causing susceptibility to MS. Now we are focusing on identifying the genes and non-genetic factors responsible for MS. This research will help identify people at high risk of developing MS, and possibly contribute to treatments that slow down or prevent the onset of the disease. In addition, the results of this research are relevant for addressing other common adult onset diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and diabetes.