![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, July 29, 2002
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[cigarette label]](/images/2002/ciglabel.gif)
A University of Waterloo researcher studying the impact of Canada's innovative graphic warning labels on cigarette packs has received a major grant from the National Cancer Institute, part of the United States National Institutes of Health.
Geoffrey Fong (psychology), leads a research team that is examining the effects of the warning labels among high school students. The National Cancer Institute has awarded Fong and his team $275,000 US over the next two years.
Since December 2000, Canadian cigarette smokers have been encountering the world's largest and most graphic warning labels. The labels cover 50 per cent of the principal display surface (front and back) of tobacco packages. Many include vivid photographs of some of the ravaging consequences of smoking.
But are these warning labels getting through to smokers?
"Virtually everyone has an opinion about the warning labels," Fong said. "It's easy to come up with reasons why the warning labels would work and it is easy to come up with reasons why they would not work. But which is true? That's what we're trying to find out in this study."
Since about 90 per cent of adult smokers began smoking as teenagers, Fong and his research team are surveying students at nine high schools throughout Canada over a three-year period, with the first wave of surveys conducted before the new labels were introduced to establish a baseline. In addition, as a control, six high schools in the United States, where cigarette labels have not changed, are also being surveyed. In all, more than 12,000 high school students are participating in Fong's study.
"The grant from the US National Cancer Institute will allow us to complete our three-year study," Fong said. "Their support is an indication of the potential international significance of our work. Because labelling is one of the most important tobacco control policies throughout the world, our research has the potential to be useful to tobacco control policymakers in other countries."
UW members of Fong's research team include Roy Cameron (health studies and gerontology), who is also director of the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation on campus, Sharon Campbell, associate director of the CBRPE, Steve Brown (statistics and actuarial science), and Mark Zanna (psychology). Other members include Donna Murnaghan of the School of Nursing at the University of Prince Edward Island, and Richard Clayton of the University of Kentucky. The team also receives technical support and project management from UW's health behaviour research group.
Fong and his research team will present their findings at international conferences and publish in specialist journals, as well as forge links with health policy experts in tobacco control around the world. The first round of results will be presented at the US National Conference on Tobacco or Health next November in San Francisco, and at the Canadian National Conference on Tobacco or Health in December in Ottawa.
![[In front of Porter Library]](/images/2002/0701naese.gif)
Ann and Olaf Naese (left) are among the supporters of the Keystone Campaign,
which helps to finance the place that keeps them young.
"The calendar tells us we're getting older," says Olaf, "but the students always stay the same age, so we often feel younger than we really are." A UW sociology and German graduate, he now works as communications and public relations administrator with the co-op and career services department, responsible for most co-op publications and the main CECS web site, assisting with orientation for first-year co-op students, and relaying newsworthy information to external audiences.
Meanwhile Ann, as manager of collections maintenance in the user services department of the UW library, co-ordinates the maintenance of the book and microfiche collections for both the Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries. Says Olaf: "I could probably count on both hands the number of times we've met for lunch or coffee on campus over the last 25 years. We are each in our own worlds while we're here."
The couple were profiled in May as part of the publicity for the Keystone Campaign. That's the on-campus division of Campaign Waterloo, launched in June with an eye to raising $4.5 million for the university over the next five years.
They were asked: Why do you feel the university needs funds today? Says Ann: "While our enrolment has grown, government funding has not kept up so the university needs our help to bridge the gap." And Olaf adds: "Tuition is constantly increasing, and being such a young university, we don't seem to have the established scholarship funds that others have."
What projects have you designated your gifts to? "We each give separately," Ann says. "Olaf gives to CECS and the scholarship fund, while I give to the library. Service departments don't typically get monies from students, so we feel it is important to support these areas."
Exams begin today, and will continue through August 10, with a break on Monday, August 5 for the civic holiday long weekend. Summer session lectures end on August 9, with exams held on August 10.
The steps on the east side of Needles Hall will remain closed until at least August 1 so that plant operations may complete the additional work required.
With the end of term comes a reminder from the TRACE office that nominations are now being accepted for this year's Distinguished Teacher Awards. The nomination deadline is, as always, the first Friday in February. Further information is available by calling the Teaching Resource Office at ext. 3857. Nominations are also being accepted for Distinguished Teaching by a Registered Student Awards. That nomination deadline is the second Friday in February, 2003.
Avvey Peters
TODAY IN UW HISTORYJuly 29, 1996: Part of parking lot H is blocked off for construction of a new visitor parking area and information kiosk. |