Menthol cigarettes linked to teen smoking

Teens who use menthol cigarettes smoke more cigarettes per day than their peers who smoke non-menthols, says a new study. The findings from the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo mark the first time that menthol cigarettes have been directly linked to elevated nicotine addiction among youth in Canada.

“The appeal of menthol cigarettes among youth stems from the perception that they are less harmful than regular cigarettes. The minty taste helps mask the noxious properties, but the reality is that they are just as dangerous as any unflavoured cigarette,” said Sunday Azagba, a scientist at Propel and lead author on the paper.

Published in Cancer Causes and Control, the study found that menthol users smoked an average of 43 cigarettes a week, close to double the 26 smoked by non-menthol users. The study also found that menthol smokers were almost three times more likely to report that they intend to continue smoking in the next year.

Despite the well-documented health risks associated with tobacco use, almost one in 10 Canadian high school students from Grades 10 to 12 are current smokers. Research shows that the majority of long-term adult smokers start smoking during their adolescence. The national Youth Smoking Survey has found that 32 per cent of smokers in high school smoke menthols.

“There is a growing concern that the high popularity of menthol cigarettes among youth may hinder the recent progress in preventing other young people from smoking because many of them may experiment with menthol rather than unflavoured brands,” said Azagba.

In July 2010, Canada implemented a ban on the sale of most flavoured cigarettes, little cigars and blunt wraps, but not menthol. Alberta is the only province to include a ban on menthol cigarettes in provincial legislation, though it is not yet in force. In April 2014, the European Union (EU) adopted a new Tobacco Products Directive that will see all 28 EU countries implement a ban on menthol cigarettes.

“Our findings indicate that youth smoking of menthol cigarettes is a serious concern,” said Azagba. “It’s clear moving forward that we need new laws to ban all added flavours in all tobacco products."

The Canadian Cancer Society funded the study, which examined a nationally representative sample of 4,736 smokers in Canadian high schools drawn from Health Canada’s 2010-2011 Youth Smoking Survey.

 

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WaterlooWorks pilot underway

This spring, architecture students and employers are the first to use WaterlooWorks, JobMine’s replacement. 

Architecture employers have now been using WaterlooWorks to post jobs and manage their co-op recruitment since May 26.  The majority of employers have been able to log on, post their job, and screen applications without our assistance!

To get architecture students started on the new system, on June 17, members of the WaterlooWorks team went to the School of Architecture to provide information and training to the class.  Students were able to log in to the system, upload their documents, and apply to jobs.

At the end of the presentation, students filled out a short survey.  The responses to WaterlooWorks are quite positive.  There were a total of 58 responses to our survey, and some common responses were that Waterloo works has:

• a cleaner interface,
• a more intuitive and easily navigable interface,
• and several convenient features that JobMine was lacking (24/7 access and the ability to upload an unlimited number of files were appreciated).

In addition to gaining feedback from the architecture students, The WaterlooWorks team has also been engaging with the wider student body to determine their priorities and hear their feedback about the new system. We have connected with students in a variety of ways, such as: at student society meetings, on the Systems Strategy website, through live demos in the Tatham Centre and other locations on campus, and through online poll questions.

New this month, we’re also using Facebook as another way to engage with students.  Our invite-only Facebook group is a place where members of the Student Panel can get updates on the project, answer poll questions, and provide feedback on the system.   This medium of contact has been very successful so far, allowing the WaterlooWorks team to gain access to additional student commentary and feedback.

Interested in hearing more about the new system? We’ll be posting upcoming demo dates on Twitter (@UWaterlooCECA) and on our Facebook group (join the Student Panel for access). 

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Startups to throw out Velocity Fund pitches

The 10^th edition of the Velocity Fund Finals will take place on Thursday, July 24 in the Student Life Centre.

Emerging entrepreneurs and early-stage startups will make their pitches for $1,000, $10,000 and $25,000 prizes. Each contender gets 3 minutes to convince a panel of judges that their startup is worthy of funding.

The pitch competition begins at 11:00 a.m. with the $1,000 competition, followed by the $25,000 competition at 1:00 p.m. An additional $10,000 will go to the top hardware from the $25,000 contest.

The 10 finalists in the $25,000 category, who had to pass a qualifying interview to secure a spot in the top ten, are:

Code Connect, a plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio that dynamically visualizes program control flow for developers as they code, making software development and design easier.

ExVivo, which provides an alternative to existing skin prick methods by moving the reaction outside of a patient’s body. This will give allergists a more rapid way to screen for allergies and offer patients results that are safe, simple and certain.

EyeCheck, which a vision diagnostics solution involving a mobile app for taking photographs of the eyes, imaging equipment, and image processing algorithms that combined can provide a quick and inexpensive assessment of a patient’s full prescription.

Grobo, which is a personalized app-controlled in-home gardening system that lets anyone grow a successful garden at anytime of the year, regardless of experience level.

Localmotive is an online marketplace for farmers, bakers, coffee roasters and other producers to sell and distribute small quantities of locally produced food to a larger audience.

Maieutic Enterprises is a programmable surface technology that can be used to monitor and correct defects in manufacturing.

MAJiK Systems is a web app where factory managers and machine operators can view their machines’ status, efficiency and errors in real-time.

Tempest Insight, a cloud tool that helps real estate developers choose what type of building to build and how to price them by analyzing location-based data and generating statistical models.

Ubiq is reinventing the way presentations are given in enterprise organizations by allowing users to wirelessly present from their tablets or laptops to existing projectors and TVs in their meeting rooms.

Vitameter is a personal device that can inexpensively measure a user’s vitamin levels. An accompanying app allows users to track their deficiencies and actively manage their diet.

Attendees must register for a spot in the audience and will be entered into a draw to win one of 5 MYO armbands by past Velocity Fund winners Thalmic Labs. Free boxed lunches will go to the first 100 people at the event. The event will also be livecast.

 

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Blood - it's in you to give

By Jackie Martinz, Federation of Students. Photo credit: Federation of Students

One donation can be used to improve or save up to three lives. The Federation of Students President Danielle Burt and University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur went to the Multi-purpose room in the Student Life Centre on July 10, 2014 to do their part and help a worthwhile cause. The next set of clinics on campus will be held in October and November, but the university community is able to visit Canadian Blood Services in Waterloo during the summer to donate. More information about the fall clinics will be available online.

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