CIHR Supports Innovative Health Research at UPEI
Innovative health research at the University of Prince Edward Island is receiving support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This includes research on: attitudes towards smoking and quitting smoking among pregnant teens, by Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie; nutrition policies in Prince Edward Island elementary schools, by Dr. Jennifer Taylor; and the natural substance berberine, a combination of several herbs used for thousands of years by people in Europe and Asia which has potential to lower cholesterol, by Dr. Yanwen Wang.
"I take tremendous pleasure in seeing how CIHR's programs are supporting talented and committed Canadian researchers in all areas of health and how their research is leading to important new findings that will benefit all of us," said Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of CIHR.
These UPEI researchers will receive more than $900,000 in total to pursue this comprehensive and unique health research. For example, Dr. MacQuarrie, who is an assistant professor in the psychology department, will take an innovative approach to health research surrounding smoking. "No one has looked at the experience of adolescent girls as they transition from pregnancy to motherhood and how tobacco fits in. We're doing that," she says.
She will work with young women as part of the analysis to help them tell their stories in their words. "A teen perspective will be directly applied to the data which is also unique. In essence, the young women will help to interpret the data."
"This significant support from CIHR is a testament to the high-calibre research taking place at UPEI," says Katherine Schultz, Vice President of Research Development at UPEI. "This investment in research at UPEI is an investment in the health of Canadians."
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
More information each of the CIHR-funded research projects is provided below.
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Backgrounder on Featured Research Projects, Prince Edward Island
How do teen mothers feel about smoking?
Pregnant teens have a particularly high risk of tobacco use, yet there is little research on these girls' attitudes toward smoking. Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie, a researcher at the University of Prince Edward Island, wants to fill this gap in our knowledge and increase a greater understanding of the factors that motivate teen mothers to smoke or quit smoking. Through a series of focus groups and interviews with 20 pregnant teens, Dr. MacQuarrie will gather information that can be used to create effective smoking intervention programs. She hopes to capture the teen girls' attitudes, motivations, and concerns about tobacco use as they transition from pregnancy to motherhood.
Are our nutrition policies working?
Schools across Canada have been adopting nutrition policies in an attempt to improve students' lifestyles and reverse the obesity epidemic. But are these policies working? Dr. Jennifer Taylor, a researcher at the University of Prince Edward Island, and Dr. Paul Veugelers, a researcher at the University of Alberta, will assess nutrition programs currently in place at 34 PEI elementary schools. Dr. Taylor will collect information on the foods available in these schools, foods students are eating, prevalence of overweight or obesity among students and people's perceptions of the nutrition policies. With this information, she hopes to contribute to our knowledge of what works for school nutrition policies and develop a standard method of evaluating policies in schools across the country.
An ancient treatment with exciting potential
People in Europe and Asia have been using a chemical called berberine (BBR) derived from several types of herbs for thousands of years to treat infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and cardiovascular problems without any apparent toxic effects. Now it appears BBR could also decrease blood cholesterol, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-Cand#150;so called "bad" cholesterol), and triacylglyceride (TG), major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness, mechanisms of action and safety of BBR through well-designed experiments. Dr. Yanwen Wang an adjunct professor with the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island will address these questions in a study on how BBR reduces blood cholesterol levels. His work is part of a larger effort by researchers to investigate several dietary approaches to controlling blood cholesterol as alternatives to drug treatments.
Dr. Wang will address these questions in a study on how BBR reduces blood cholesterol levels. His work is part of a larger effort by researchers to investigate several dietary approaches to controlling blood cholesterol as alternatives to drug treatments.
